Puppets at Easter ~ John 21. 1-14

I’ve done this as a mime using children, as well as puppets.

Needed: Jesus and disciples (puppets)

                        One flat cardboard boat and hair net

                        One cup full of water

                        A bag of jelly baby fish and shrimps (available at most sweet shops).

(Narrator speaks while puppets act out the story.  Underlined parts may be spoken out by puppeteers)

Narrator: Jesus appeared again to his disciples, alive, by the seashore at Tiberias.  This is how it happened.  Simon, Peter, Thomas, James, John, Nathanael and two others were talking together, when Simon said “I am going fishing!”

The other said to him, “We’re coming too.”

So they all got into the boat. (All climb in grumbling about the lack of space).

All night they caught no fish. (They begin grumbling again).

Just after daybreak, Jesus himself appeared on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was the Lord! (Jesus appears).

Jesus asked them if they had caught anything.  They hadn’t, so he advised them to cast their net to the right hand side of the boat.  (The net is thrown back away from the audience and filled quickly with fish).

So many fish were caught that they couldn’t haul the net in! (Net is thrown forward to reveal the catch).

They thought that the boat would sink! (Boat wobbles).

John yelled out “It is the Lord!”  (All cheer).

Peter, naked, put on some clothes, jumped in and swam ashore. (Puppet jumps into the air and is caught, and the cup of water is thrown out at the audience).

The others struggled ashore with the fish.

Jesus then asked them for some fish, saying “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 

You may be wondering how many they caught.  Let’s ask Peter to count them.  (Sweets are thrown into the audience).

            (Peter counts) “1 2 3 4…….24 25 26 27 …….43 44 45 46…….65 66 67 68………82 83 84 85………99 100 101 102…….135 136 137…..151 152 153 !”

Jesus then said, “Come and have breakfast with me.”

It was a breakfast they would never forget.

“Could I have a third Shredded Wheat?” said one of the disciples.

“No.  N0-one can eat THREE Shredded Wheat!  Anyway they haven’t been invented yet!” said another.

This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.