013. Jesus Feeds Five Thousand with a Boy’s Small Gift

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand with a Boy’s Small Gift
About 5 minutes, from John 6:1-15

Practice ahead of time the brief scene when the girl eyes the boy’s bread.

Participants (No need to memorize lines; the aim is to relive a sacred event, not to perform)
Â Â FatherÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Stand about five paces from the boy
Â Â BoyÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Has, or pretends to have, bread in a pocket.
Â Â GirlÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Also stand about five paces from the boy, until you walk toward him.
Â Voice (of Jesus)
Â PrompterÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Shout a brief line and Echoes repeat it.
Â EchoesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Children and all adults who want to take part. Echoes need no script.

Father	Look, daughter. This huge crowd has followed Jesus all the way out here to the far side of the Sea of Galilee!
Prompter & Echoes	Wow!
Girl	Daddy, hear what everyone is saying. They’re hungry!
Prompter & Echoes	We are famished!
Girl	(Pull at Father’s sleeve and beg loudly.) Daddy, I’m starved, too! Please, Daddy! I’m hungry. Oh, look! That boy brought food.
Father	Quiet! I’m trying to hear what Jesus is saying.
Boy	Ha! I was smart enough to bring five loaves and two fish. (Take, or pretend to take, bread from a pocket, and look at it.) Mmmm.
Prompter & Echoes	Yum! Yum!
Girl	(Walk toward the boy, eyeing the bread.)
Boy	(Turn, see the girl, hide the bread quickly where she can’t see it. When she walks away, lift the bread again and look at it.)
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Girl	(Walk away, then turn abruptly and go back.) What you got in your hand? (Reach for it)
Boy	(Jerk your body around to turn your back to the girl.) Go away!
Girl	(Walk away) Greedy little pig!
Prompter & Echoes	Selfish!
Boy	(When girl walks away, lift bread to your mouth and look at it.) Yum!
Girl	Â (Turn and eye the bread.) Hey!
Boy	(When the girl turns to see, quickly hide the bread again.)
Girl & Boy	(Repeat the above scene twice: Boy lifts the bread, and Girl turns to see it, Boy lowers the bread, and Girl turns away.)
Girl	(Pull father’s sleeve) I’m hungry! Everyone is! Let’s go get something, daddy.
Prompter & Echoes	We are all hungry!
Father	Hush! Listen to Jesus.
Voice	Give and it will be given to you.
Prompter & Echoes	What does Jesus mean?
Voice	Give to all who ask of you!
Boy	Oh, oh! I am afraid I know what he means. I heard you, Jesus. I guess I maybe was just a tiny bit selfish. Well, yes, I was definitely selfish. Okay, I was terribly selfish. (Go to the girl and hold bread out to her.)
Girl	(Take the bread) Oh! Thank you! (Look at Father.) My dad is hungry, too!
Father	You are very kind, young man. But we are not the only ones who are hungry. All these people are starving, too. (Gesture toward those who are listening)
Boy	I only brought five barley loaves and two fish.
Father	Give them to Jesus, aon, and see what he does with them.
Prompter & Echoes	He feeds 5000 people!