Rotation.org Writing Team

JESUS AND PETER: DO YOU LOVE ME?

PUPPETRY WORKSHOP

PASSAGE

Bible Story

John 21:1-17

Background Scripture passages for teacher preparation include:

John 13:33, 36-38

John 18:15-18, 25-27

Key/Memory Verse

John 21:15-17

PURPOSE

Objectives

Students will:

Locate the story of Peter’s denial and restoration in the Bible, learning that the story is in the New Testament Gospel of John.

Retell the story in their own words.

Contrast Jesus’ love for Peter, even after Peter denied knowing him. Jesus was giving Peter another chance.

Discover that we, too, do wrong things sometimes – but God forgives us and gives us second chances.

Explore Peter’s statement of faith – “Yes, I love you.”

Recognize that Statements of Faith are hollow words without Statements of Action.

Develop their own Statement of Faith and Action, pledging support to Jesus.

Connect Jesus’ breakfast with his disciples, and his questions to Peter with our own “breakfast with Jesus” – communion – and understand that sacrament as a pledge to Jesus that we will minister to others in Christ’s name.

Objectives for Puppetry Workshop

The children will make a set of simple clothespin puppets that will allow them to put their faith into action by taking home the puppets to use them to tell others this story.

After completing this workshop, participants will be able to:

Recognize Jesus’ love for Peter, even after Peter denied knowing him.

PREPARATION

Read Scripture passages.

Read Bible Background.

Materials List

• Bibles
  
• Baggies, zipper closure
  
• Cardboard or poster board
  
• Chenille stems or pipe cleaners
  
• Clothespins (doll pins, such as http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=gc0512 ) - at least 3 per child
  
• Construction paper, blue - 1 piece per child (Optional)
  
• Copier or printer
  
• Doll pin stands (round wooden “donuts” that will hold the clothespin doll puppets upright on the table) - at least 3 per child
  
• Fabric scraps
  
• Glue
  
• Markers, fine tip
  
• Markers for newsprint pad or white board
  
• Newsprint pad or white board
  
• Paper, 8 ½” x 11”
  
• Scissors
  
• Scripts for Puppet Show
  
• Tables
  
• Yarn
  

Advance Preparation Requirements

Read the Scripture for this Rotation, John 21:1-17, and also the “prequel” Scripture, John 18:15-18, 25-27.

Make a sample puppet. Wrap a fabric scrap around a clothespin and glue it in place for the robe. Twist a piece of chenille stem around the puppet to serve as arms. Use markers to draw a face. Glue yarn on top for hair or attach another scrap of fabric for a headpiece.

Duplicate the puppet scripts.

PRESENTATION

Open – Introduction

Open with prayer for enlightenment and discernment.

Discuss: Have you ever done something wrong or hurt someone and they forgave you? (Give a personal example to get the discussion started.)

Tell the children that today they will look at the story of Simon Peter and Jesus - Peter’s betrayal, Jesus’ forgiveness, and Peter’s subsequent action.

Give a brief background for the story of the night of Jesus’ trial and then read John 18:15-18, 25-27. Read John 21:1-17.

Review the story

While Jesus is in the high priest’s house, what was Peter asked three times? What did he reply?

I wonder what the disciples were doing that day before Peter suggested fishing? Why would they go fishing?

Was it a good night fishing?

What happened that made the fishing trip more productive?

I wonder why Peter jumped out of the boat and swam ashore rather than waiting as the boat came ashore with the other disciples? What kind of person does that make you think Peter was?

Make the puppets.

Make Bible story clothespin puppets as detailed in Advance Preparation. Each child should make at least 3 -- Peter, Jesus, and a person outside the high priest’s home who also plays the part of a disciple in the second scene.

Have the children make boats for the second scene by cutting a piece of cardboard or poster board into the shape of a boat big enough for Peter and the disciple(s) puppets to stand in. Each child may also use a piece of blue paper for the water portion of the puppet play surface.

Dig - Main Content

Have the children reenact the story individually (and in unison on several tables) as you read the script to them.

After going through the play once, discuss:

Did Peter hurt Jesus by denying that he knew Jesus?

Did Peter apologize?

Did Jesus ask for an apology?

Did Peter demonstrate that he was sorry? How?

The Bible does not state Peter’s response to Jesus’ command “Feed my sheep.” What do you think it was?

What sort of actions might Peter take to feed sheep? Or, if the class has looked at Acts, what actions did he take?

Talk about the care and feeding of sheep. What does the shepherd do for the sheep?

If necessary, read Psalm 23 for insight.

Who are Jesus’ sheep?

Have the children reenact the story again as you read the second script. Pause as appropriate to allow them to add dialog and improvise action. Or, if the class is large, have one or two volunteers share their responses as the rest of the class watches.

Divide the class into pairs and have them take turns retelling the story to their partners using the puppets.

Gather the puppet sets into ziplock bags and write each child’s name on his or her bag.

Reflect – Closure

Do you love Jesus?

Have we hurt/betrayed Jesus (maybe not exactly the same way as Peter)?

Yet, Jesus still loves us, and forgives us, and he died for us. We, too, are called to respond with love and faith by feeding his sheep. What can you do in your everyday life to tend Jesus’ sheep? How can we show our love for Jesus?

List the children’s suggestions on the newsprint pad or white board. If telling others the stories about Jesus’ love for us does not come up, suggest that as a way of showing love and discuss as necessary.

Have everyone look at the list and ask them to think about one thing that they can do this week to show their love for Jesus. Tell them that during the closing prayer, they should silently promise to Jesus that they will feed his sheep by doing that thing.

Close with prayer:

Jesus, Just as you helped the disciples catch a boatload of fish that day, just as you helped Peter become a leader in your church and helped him to tend your sheep, help us to feed your sheep this week. Please guide each of us as we do the thing that we silently promise to you. [Pause.] Amen.

Remind the children as they leave to feed Jesus’ sheep by using their puppets to retell this faith story.

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

Adaptations - Younger Children

Tell the children the entire story (as background), but have them learn and retell only the fishing half of the story.

Precut boats from cardboard/poster board.

Adaptations - Older Children

Have the students read both Scripture passages and develop their own scripts.

PUPPETRY WORKSHOP
JESUS AND PETER: DO YOU LOVE ME? – SCRIPT ONE
Adapted from John 18:15-18, 25-27 and John 21:1-17, NRSV

On the night Jesus was betrayed, he was taken to the high priest’s home to be questioned. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. They went into the courtyard of the high priest. The woman who guarded the gate said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not."

Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. They asked him, "You are not also one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not."

One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

------

After Jesus died and was raised from the dead, he showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias in this way.

Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No."

He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, and jumped into the sea and swam ashore. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast."

Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" Peter said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."

A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep."

He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because Jesus said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.”

(The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)

PUPPETRY WORKSHOP
JESUS AND PETER: DO YOU LOVE ME? -- SCRIPT TWO (FOR IMPROVISATION)

[Encourage the students to create their own action and dialog as you outline the story.]

On the night Jesus was betrayed, Simon Peter followed Jesus to the home of the high priest. Several people in the courtyard thought they recognized Peter and spoke to him. The first one said, [allow time for question and Peter’s response].

Then someone else asked him the same thing. [Allow time for improvised dialog.]

A third time someone asked him the same thing. [Allow time for improvised dialog.]
Then a rooster crowed.

----

After Jesus was raised from the dead, he appeared to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. This is how it happened.

Peter and some of the other disciples were hanging out. Peter suggested that they go fishing. [Allow time for improvised dialog, response, and action.]

They had rotten luck fishing that night. [Allow time for improvised dialog.]

At sunrise, as they were about to give up, Jesus stood on the beach. But they did not recognize him. He called out to them. [Allow time for improvised dialog.]

He suggested they throw their nets in one more time. [Allow time for improvised dialog and action.]

Quickly the disciples joined Jesus on the shore. [Allow for action.]

Jesus fixed them a meal of fish and bread. He broke the bread and blessed it and shared it with them. [Allow time for improvised action and dialog.]

After breakfast, Jesus and Peter had a conversation. [Allow time for improvised dialog. If necessary, encourage the children to repeat the question three times.]

CONTRIBUTOR: Amy Crane