Session
4A
Skits
1.
Jesus Calls Matthew to be an Apostle
(Based on Mark 2:13-17)
Characters: Narrator, Matthew, Jesus, bystanders/Jewish leaders
Props:
Table and 3 chairs, pencil and paper, coins and dollar bills, cups and plates
Narrator: Jesus called men from their various kinds of work to follow Him and
be His apostles. The Bible tells us about many of these men, and how they came
to follow Jesus. For example, Matthew:
(Matthew sits at a table, counting bills and coins and writing
down numbers. 2 bystanders walk past him, talking.)
Bystander #1: Oh, that Matthew. Look at him sitting there, counting and figuring,
figuring and counting. All he cares about is money.
Bystander #2: Yes, money. If the taxes get any higher, I’ll end up in the poorhouse.
Bystander #1: I know how you feel. But Matthew doesn’t seem to care. He just keeps
taking our money, collecting the taxes for those greedy Romans? What do they do
with all our money, while we are nearly starving to death?
Bystander #2: I wonder how much of our tax money he really turns over to the Romaris,
and how much he sneaks into his own pocket!
(The two walk on.)
Narrator: Yes, Matthew was a tax collector. Many of his own people, the Jews,
considered him a traitor because he collected taxes from them for the hated Roman
government. And many people thought that all tax collectors were cheats. But one
day
Jesus: Come with me, Matthew.
Follow me and be one of my apostles.
(Matthew looks startled, makes a gesture of “who, me?” and
then nods, smiles, gets up and follows
Jesus.)
Narrator: Later that day, Jesus ate dinner at Matthew’s house.
Some of the Jewish leaders wondered about this.
(Jesus, Matthew, another guest are seated at table with glasses
and dishes.) Bystander/Jewish leader #1: Do you see what’s going on at Matthew’s
house? Bystander/Jewish leader #2: I certainly do! Why does this Jesus eat with
tax collectors and outcasts?
Jesus: People who are healthy don’t need a doctor, but only those
who are sick. I have come to call not those who are righteous, but the sinners
and outcasts.
2. Peter,
James, and John are Called to be Apostles
(Luke
5: 1-11)
Characters: Narrator, Jesus, Peter, James, John, bystanders
Props: Large net, several cardboard cut-out fish (about 1’ long),
brushes for cleaning net, large blue cloth to represent water.
Narrator: Peter, James and John were three men who were called by Jesus to be
apostles. Let’s see what they did for a living....
Peter: What a night! Hours and hours throwing the nets into the
water, and we’ve caught nothing at all. (He,
James, and John begin cleaning the nets with brushes.)
James: Yes, I’m so exhausted I can hardly stand up. These nets
feel heavier on a night when we don’t catch anything.
John: I hope things will change pretty soon. Nothing is worse than
a lot of hard work and nothing to show for it!
(Jesus walks along, talking to people who are listening to
Him teach. He turns to Peter.)
Jesus: Put your boat out into
the deeper water, and put the nets in for a big catch.
Peter: Sir, we have worked all night and we’ve caught nothing at
all. But if you say we should, we will let the nets down again.
(The three fishermen throw the net. It becomes “heavy” as they
put the cardboard fish in.)
James: Look at all these fish!
I’ve never seen so many--and I surely have never caught so many!
John: I can hardly hold the
net, it’s so heavy. Let’s get all these fish to shore as quickly as we can.
Peter:(kneeling
before Jesus) Lord, leave me. I am a sinful man and I am not worthy of your
attention.
Jesus: Do not be afraid.
From now on, you will follow me, and you will fish for people. (The three come
away from the nets and follow Jesus.)
Narrator: Peter, James, and John became three of Jesus’ closest followers. Years
later, they did “fish for people,” traveling far and wide to tell people about
Jesus Christ and bring them closer to God.
3.
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael to be Apostles
(Based on John 1:43-51)
Characters:
Narrator, Jesus, Philip, Nathanael
Props:
Tree, or branches representing tree.
Narrator: Jesus traveled
long distances on foot, spreading the good news of God’s love to all kinds of
people. One day, as He walked in Galileo, He came upon a man named Philip.
Jesus: Philip, follow
me and be one of my apostles.
Philip: Yes, Lord,
let me go and tell the others. (He goes over to Nathanael, standing under a
tree far from Jesus.) We have found Him, Nathanael! We have found the one whom
Moses and the prophets wrote about! He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth!
Nathanael: How can
anything good or important come out of a little hick town like Nazareth? Come
and see!
(Nathanael approaches
Jesus.)
Philip: Here is a
true man of Israel; there is nothing false in him.
Nathanael: How do
you know me?
Jesus I saw you under
the fig tree before Philip called you.
Nathanel: Teacher,
you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!
Jesus: Do you believe
just because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see much
greater things than this! I tell you truly: you will see the heavens open and
the angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man. Philip
and Nathanael became followers of Jesus from that day on. And they did indeed
see great miracles, healings, and wonders. Many other people, like Nathanael,
would come to know that Jesus was the Son of God.
4. Peter Denies the Lord
(Based on
Matthew 26: 31-35 and 69-75) |
|
| Bystander 1: Yes, you are one of those people from
Galilee like Jesus is. I can tell by your accent.
Peter: (backing
further away and almost shouting): I swear to you that I have never
had anything to do with this Jesus of Nazareth!
Narrator: Just
then, the cock crowed three times--it was almost morning. And Peter
remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows you
will deny me three times.” And Peter cried bitterly. |
Characters: Narrator,
Peter, maidservant, other apostles/bystanders
Props: Orange cardboard
“flames” or cellophane to represent a fire built outside; table and chairs with
plates and cups at which Jesus and Peter are seated with other apostles
Narrator: When Jesus
shared the Last Supper with His apostles, He shared blessed bread and wine with
them. He told tnem how much He loved them. And He said something else to them:
Jesus: Tonight you
will all desert me. Just as the prophets said, the shepherd will be struck,
and the sheep will scatter.
Peter: No, Lord! Even
if all the others desert you, I never will.
Jesus: Truly, before
the cock crows three times tonight, you will deny knowing me three times, Peter.
Peter: Even though
I were to die with you, I will never desert you!
(The other apostles
say similar things: “I will not desert you either”, “Never!” etc)
Narrator: Later
that night, Jesus was taken away to be tried by the governor, Pontius Pilate.
The other disciples were hidden away in fear, but Peter stood outside the governor’s
residence warming his hands by the fire with some other people.
Bystander: Must
be quite a trial going on in there--in the middle of the night like this, as
if they want to make sure people don’t find out about it and protest or something.
Maidservant: This
man Jesus who’s being tried--I heard he’s been a real troublemaker. Well, he
said beautiful things about love, and he healed a lot of people. Comforted and
encouraged people, too. But somehow the authorities are afraid of him. He’s
in big trouble. (looking
at Peter) Say, just a minute. I’ve seen you around before--and I know where
I’ve seen you, too. You were one of the followers of that Jesus who’s on trial
right now, aren’t you?
Peter: Me? No, I don’t
even know that man. (He starts to walk away from the fire.)
Bystander: This
man (pointing to Peter) is a friend of Jesus of Nazareth?
Peter: No, no, I was
never a friend or follower of His!
Bystander 1: Yes,
you are one of those people from Galilee like Jesus is. I can tell by your accent.
Peter:
(backing further away and almost shouting): I swear to you that I have
never had anything to do with this Jesus of Nazareth!
Narrator: Just then,
the cock crowed three times--it was almost morning. And Peter remembered that
Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.”
And Peter cried bitterly.
5. Peter at Pentacost
(Based on Acts 2:1-37)
Characters:
Narrator, Peter, other followers of Jesus, crowd members--one should wear
white robe over clothes and remove it when called for)
Props: Orange
cardboard or stiff paper “flames”, tape, table and chairs, electric fan to
simulate “rush of a strong wind”
Narrator: After
Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, He kept the promise He had
made to His disciples, that the Holy Spirit would come to inspire them and help
them carry on His work. It happened on the day of the Feast of Pentecost. This
was a great Jewish feast, and Jewish people from many lands had come to Jerusalem
to celebrate. Jesus’ followers were praying together
(Followers of
Jesus - some sitting, some standing
- sing the Lord’s Prayer together.)
(Fan creates wind; crowd member dressed in white tape orange flames to backs
of chairs, and
then removes white robe and blends back in with crowd)
(Crowd members make various comments: “What’s happening?”, “Something is happening
to us!”
etc.)
Narrator: Suddenly, the gathered apostles were able to speak to the crowd in
different languages--a miracle! They were able to tell the people from many
countries about Jesus Christ in words they could understand.
Crowd
member: How is it that we are hearing these wonderful things about God’s powerful
deeds in our own languages? These men who are speaking are all from Galilee--they
don’t know the same languages we do.
Crowd #2: Yes, what does it all mean?
Crowd #3: It’s easy to explain--they’re all drunk!
Peter: (addressing
the crowd) Everyone, we are not drunk--it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
But now, as the prophets said it would happen, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
We want to tell you that Jesus of Nazareth, a man who did the signs and wonders
that only God can do, was handed over to you according to God’s plan. You crucified
Him, but He rose from the dead. He is the one about whom the great King David
spoke. Let the entire house of Israel know for sure that God has made this Jesus,
whom you crucified, the Lord and Messiah.
(Crowd
members say “Oh no, we crucified the Lord”, “How terrible that the Son of God
was killed”,
“What can we do?” etc.)
Crowd #1: Peter, we
are deeply troubled by what you have told us. What can we do?
Peter: All of you,
turn away from evil and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Your sins will
be forgiven. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for this promise
is to you, your children, and all who are far away. It is for everyone whom
God calls.
Narrator: And so, that day about three thousand people were baptized. They spent
their time learning what the apostles were teaching, and taking part in fellowship.
They ate together, and they prayed constantly.
6. Philip
Helps a Nobleman Understand
(Based on Acts 8:
26-40)
Characters: Narrator,
angel, Philip, Ethiopian nobleman
Props: Large blue
cloth to represent water, 2 chairs, Bible, cardboard wheel to prop against chair
to represent a chariot
Narrator: The
time came when Jesus was no longer with His people on earth. The apostles carried
on the work that He had commanded them to do. They preached, healed, and taught
Sometimes they did these things for people they met along the way, and sometimes
God’s angels told them to go and find people. That is what happened to the apostle
Philip one day
Angel:
(speaking to Philip sitting in chair) Philip! Get up and travel south.
Go on the road that leads from Jerusalem down to Gaza.
Narrator: So Philip
did go. And on his way he met a nobleman from Ethiopia. This man was an official
in the court of Queen Candace, who ruled over Ethiopia. He had come to Jerusalem
to worship, and now he was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading
from the Book of Isaiah.
(Nobleman is seated
in chair with wheel propped against it, reading aloud from the Book of Isaiah
in the Bible. The other chair is next to the first.)
Angel: Philip,
go and speak to this man in the chariot. (Philip approaches him.)
Philip:
Sir, do you understand what you are reading?
Nobleman:
How can I understand, unless someone guides me? I would be happy if
you would do so. For example, it says here, “Like a sheep he was led to the
slaughter, and like a Iamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open
his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his
generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” Tell me, is the prophet
speaking about himself or someone else?
Narrator: So Philip taught him about the good news of Jesus Christ, starting
with this passage from the prophecy of Isaiah. And as they went along, they
came to some water.
Nobleman: Look, here
is water? What is to prevent me from being baptized?(They walk into water, nobleman
kneels, Philip makes sign of cross over him.)
Angel: Come along,
Philip. (Philip follows angel; they walk away from nobleman.)
Nobleman: (rises to
his feet, stands and prays) Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful gift of baptism.
From now on I will thank you and praise you every day. (Sits in the chariot.)
Drive on!
Narrator: So while the nobleman, now a Christian, went on his way, Philip did
as the angel said. Soon he was passing through a region where there were many
small towns. He proclaimed the good news to all of them, and finally he came
to Caesarea.
