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Going Fishing
Scripture:
John 13:1-17; 21:3-8
Suggested Topics:
Serving others; Humility
Bible Background:
Jesus' disciples needed to learn the importance of being a servant. To teach this, He chose the worst imaginable task: washing feet.
In biblical times, feet were always dirty. The footwear of the day was sandals, the roads were dusty, and the most common mode of travel was waling. If a man, particularly a wealthy man, invited guests to dinner, he made certain his guests had their feet washed by one of his servants. Because washing people's feet was possibly the least desirable task in the household, it usually fell upon the servant of the lowest rank.
Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords, humbled Himself to the most lowly position imaginable to demonstrate the servant's heart to His disciples. It must have been a profoundly moving experience for them, particularly after his death a few days later.
Performance Tips:
- Suggested props: one or more large fish nets.
- The skit indicates the presence of seven men on the boat. However, only three men have speaking parts. The other four can be invisible or can be played by four others who help to pantomime casting out the nets, pulling in the nets, rowing the boat, etc.
- Have Peter and Thomas look at the shore while Nathanael pulls up the net. If your room is reasonably soundproof, Peter can yell to man on shore. Or have Peter mimic shouting by placing his hands around his mouth.
Discussion Questions:
- What are some jobs people do for you?
- What are some things you could do to help others?
- Read Jesus' words in Mark 10:43,44. What did Jesus say about the way to be a great person? Why do you think serving others is important?
CHARACTERS:
- Peter
- Thomas
- Nathanael
SCENE ONE
Peter: Thomas! Nathanael! I'm going fishing. Are
you two coming or not?
Thomas: Sounds good to me.
Nathanael: I'm in, Peter. Have you got a spot in
mind?
Peter: What kind of dumb question is that, Nathanael?
I always pick good spots.
Thomas: James! John! And you other two! C'mon! Peter
says he knows a good place to go fishing.
Nathanael: Looks like we're all coming, Peter. But
level with me. You're not planning to go back to fishing,
are you?
Peter: No, I don't think so. But I need a place to
think. And the sea is as good a place as any. C'mon, Thomas!
Hurry up!
Thomas: We're here, Peter. Don't be so impatient. The
fish aren't going anywhere.
Nathanael: Don't be too hard on him, Thomas. He says
he wants to think. And you know how tough THAT is for
him.
Peter: Some friend you are. C'mon! Lets move the boat
out towards the east.
Thomas: OK, Peter. We're underway. While we're
heading towards your fishing spot, tell us what's on your
mind. Sometimes it helps to think out loud.
Peter: I was thinking about the supper we had with
Jesus.
Thomas: Give us a break. Which one? We had lots of
suppers with Him.
Nathanael: Don't pretend to be so dense, Thomas. The
last one.
Peter: That's the one, Nathanael. And this is the
best fishing spot in Galilee. Help me toss the net in,
Nathanael. (pauses.) Do you remember when Jesus washed our
feet?
Nathanael: That would be pretty hard to forget.
Thomas: Especially for you, Peter. Your quick tongue
got you in trouble again.
Peter: Maybe it did, Thomas. But I had a reason for
what I said and did. At least I didn't just sit there like a
bump on a log and not understand what was happening.
Nathanael: Would you two stop arguing with each
other? What's bothering you now, Peter?
Peter: Do you remember how you felt when Jesus got
out the basin and the cloth and began washing our feet?
Thomas: Of course. I was totally dumbfounded. I
didn't know what to do or say. So I just sat there and let
Him wash my feet.
Nathanael: So what do you need to think about now,
Peter? Jesus explained that He was setting an example for us
to follow. He washed our feet so that we should be willing
to wash each other's feet.
Thomas: Sure. It was a simple lesson. If the master
could humble himself before his servants, then the servants
can humble themselves before each other.
Peter: But here's the problem. Do you think He meant
just us twelve-or eleven? Or do you think He meant we should
be servants to anyone?
Thomas: Peter, you surely do have a habit of
complicating everything. We're to be the leaders of His
Church on earth. Why would we be required to be servants of
everyone who comes along?
Peter: That's what I thought, at first. But·do
any of you doubt that he's the Messiah?
Thomas: Not after I saw the nail holes in his hands
and the gash in his side. Why do you ask?
Peter: Well, if He's the Messiah-and He is-then that
means God Himself washed our feet. If he could stoop so low,
how could we feel that we don't have to serve others in the
same manner?
Nathanael: You've got a point there.
Thomas: I think we should have a rule that Peter
isn't allowed to think anymore. Every time he does,
something I've just decided goes out the window. Besides,
when he thinks, he loses his memory. I thought you said this
was a good place to fish?
Peter: So excuse me for living. Didn't you ever have
a day when you didn't catch anything before?
Thomas: Not when somebody told me he had the best
fishing spot in Israel.
Nathanael: Can't you two stop bickering?
Peter: I see we're not the only people out this early
in the morning.
Thomas: What do you mean?
Peter: Look. Over there on the shore. Some guy's out
for a walk.
Nathanael: So what's he doing?
Peter: He's just standing there. Watching us.
Nathanael: So who is it? Do we know him?
Thomas: It's hard to say. The light's not very good
yet and it's mostly in our eyes.
Peter: Listen. The guy on the shore shouted
something. He wants to know if we caught anything.
Nathanael: Well, isn't anyone going to answer him? We
can still be civilized, even if we did have a bad night's
fishing.
Thomas: Let Peter do it. He has the biggest
mouth.
Peter: Just to show how civilized I can be, I'm going
to ignore that last crack. (shouts) No! We haven't caught
anything. (speaks normally) Typical landlubber. He says we
should try the other side of the boat. What's he think? That
the fish have a fence they can't cross over?
Nathanael: Well? What have we got to lose? The net's
ready to cast again anyway. We can troll to shore and if we
catch something, we won't have wasted a night. If we don't
catch anything, we can teach the landlubber how to fold a
net.
Peter: If you want to waste your time, go ahead.
(THOMAS and NATHANAEL cast net.)
Thomas: Hey! What's happening to the boat?
Nathanael: Well, I'll be! It's being pulled to one
side by the weight of the fish in the net.
Peter: We'll have to row to shore. We'll never pull
the nets in with this many fish in them.
Thomas: Who is that guy on the shore?
Nathanael: I don't know. But he sure knows his
fishing.
Peter: It's the lord! It has to be!
Thomas: Peter! What are you doing? Look at that! He
jumps into the water to swim to shore and leaves the six of
us to handle all these fish by ourselves. And he has the
GALL to talk about being a servant.
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