The Boat Ride

This is read by a narrator while the actors act.
Jesus and his disciples had spent a long day of teaching and preaching by the lake and the evening had come. The disciples were tired and hungry. So tired and hungry they could barely stand up. Jesus said, “Men, let’s get in the boat and head for the other side of the lake. There’s a McDonald’s over there.” When the disciples heard this, they jumped up and down with glee, giving each other high fives and hugs. Then they boarded the boat, talking sailor talk.

After they all got on the boat and they were on their way, Jesus found a beautiful cushion and laid his head on it, because he was very tired. He went to sleep immediately. He slept soundly—so soundly he snored.

Everything was calm and peaceful out on the lake. Jesus was sleeping and snoring. The disciples were leaning against the sides of the boat, laughing and playing rock-paper-scissors with each other. The boat’s sail was being blown by a gentle wind. The waves sweetly licked the sides of the boat. Everyone was thinking about food.

All of a sudden, a furious squall came up. The waves began to beat on the sides of the boat. The sail began to swing around wildly, bopping the disciples on their heads. The wind started howling ferociously. The disciples began lunging across the deck, bounding off the sides of the boat like billiard balls. Then the sides of the boat started moving up and down, up and down, faster and faster. The disciples were also moving up and down, faster and faster. The sail was out of control—still bopping people on the head. The wind kept howling and blowing. The waves kept on beating the sides of the boat. It wasn’t long before the disciples started getting sea sick and they hung their heads over the sides of the boat. The waves were disgusted, but continued to beat on the boat. One of the disciples, in desperation, grabbed the sail, held it down, and sat on it.

In the midst of the furious squall, the disciples turned and looked at Jesus. He was still sleeping and snoring. He rolled over, fluffed up the cushion, and went back to sleep. At that point, the disciples yelled loudly, all in unison, “Jesus--- don’t you care if we drown?” They shouted this again because they didn’t say it in unison too well the first time.

Jesus woke up, sat on the beautiful cushion, rubbed his eyes, and looked puzzled. He quickly surveyed the situation. He saw that his disciples were scared, hungry and sick. The sides of the boat were in terrible shape. The pounding waves had become ugly and mean and the howling wind had begun to circle the boat doing a war dance.

Jesus stood in the middle of the boat, looked at the waves and said, “Waves,be still.” Immediately the waves fell flat on their faces. Then Jesus looked at the wind and said, “Wind, cut it out!” The wind tripped over one of the waves and fell, never to be heard from again. All at once, the sides of the boat stood straight and tall. The sail hung limp. The cushion just sat there, looking beautiful. The disciples were amazed and said to each other in unison, “Who is this man that even the wind and the waves obey him?”

This was a rhetorical question, of course. They knew who He was---Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the Living God. Realizing this, the disciples breathed a huge sigh of relief. Grinning broadly, they picked Jesus up on their shoulders and carried Him off the boat to McDonald’s. 

Characters:

Seventeen: Jesus (t), six to twelve disciples (x), one cushion (0), four sides of the boat (l), one boat sail (s), one wind (a), and two waves.

Attached is a diagram of how the actors should be placed.