Jonah – clown ministry skit courtesy of Clowns for Christ
Parts: Narrator, God, Jonah, Storm Maker, Helper, Sailors (one or more)
Props: Chair or step ladder, megaphone (can be rolled poster board), boat, sailor hats (newspaper), play money, storm (spray bottles and palm branches), blindfold, can of tuna fish (can be empty and clean), plate of shaving cream, cup of water
Narrator: I have a question. Have any of you ever been in Time Out? Did you know that in the Bible, God put someone in Time Out? It wasn’t even a kid. It was an adult. Can you believe it? It is the story of Jonah. Today, Jonah will be played by Chuckles the clown. We call him Chuck for short. (Jonah comes in and bows) Well, one day God called out to Jonah.
(God comes out, sets up folding chair and climbs up on it and gets megaphone ready)
God: Jonah … (no response from Jonah) (louder) JONAH . . . (still no response) JONAH!!! (still no response) Chuck!
Jonah: What?
God: You are playing Jonah today.
Jonah: Oh yeah!
Narrator: Anyway, God called out to Jonah and told him to go to a place called Nineveh.
God: Jonah, go to a place called Nineveh. (As he says this, God points in the direction opposite of Nineveh. Jonah points in the correct direction, to indicate that God had it backwards. God then points the way Jonah indicates).
Narrator: Well, Jonah had heard of Nineveh. The people there were really bad. They worshiped statues and did all kinds of weird things. They did not know God. Jonah didn’t want to go.
Jonah: I don’t want to go.
Narrator: Well, God insisted. He said, “I want you to go tell those people in Nineveh all about me.”
God: Go tell those people all about me.
Narrator: You see God, being fair, wanted to warn those people that they were really messing up and that He was going to have to destroy them if they didn’t straighten up. He had chosen Jonah for the job. Jonah was still a chicken though (Jonah acts like a chicken), so he ran the other way. He got on a boat trying to get as far away from Nineveh as he could.
(Sailors come on with boat, and Jonah jumps in, gives them some cash, and points where to go)
Narrator: Well, it didn’t take long before God sent a storm.
(God waves out Storm Maker and Helper, who make wind and rain)
Narrator: Well, the sailors were scared!
Sailors: We are scared!
Narrator: Being pretty smart people, the sailors figured out that God was causing this storm, and that someone had made God mad.
Sailors: Someone here has made God mad.
Narrator: It didn’t take them long to figure out who it was. Jonah admitted it was him, and told them that if they threw him overboard everything would be OK. The sailors didn’t want to, but they knew that if they didn’t that storm was going to kill them all. So they threw him over.
(Sailors throw Jonah overboard, the storm stops, and they row away off stage)
Narrator: Well, Jonah was in the water sputtering around when something happened to him. Suddenly he was sitting in the dark.
(Helper runs out and blindfolds Jonah)
Narrator: Well, Jonah had no idea where he was, but he did know that he smelled something.
(Helper holds a can of tuna under Jonah’s nose, Jonah makes a face)
Narrator: It smelled like dead fish, it was really gross! OK, so we know that where ever Jonah was, it was dark and smelly. Well, Jonah trying to figure out where he was started to feel around.
(Jonah feels around, and Helper puts plate of shaving cream near him. Jonah puts his hand in the shaving cream. Helper pretends to laugh very hard. Jonah makes a face, gropes around until he finds Helper’s shirt or sleeve, and wipes off his hand. Disgusted, Helper runs off.)
Narrator: Jonah discovered that he was in a smelly, dark slimy place. He was in TIME OUT! Can you figure out where he was in Time Out? That’s right, he was in the tummy of a giant fish. I think that would be really gross, don’t you? (Jonah nods vigorously) Well, while Jonah was in there, he had a lot of time to think. He realized that he was wrong to run from God and to disobey God. He also realized that God could see him no matter where he was.
God: Duh!
Narrator: Well Jonah began to pray. (Jonah gets on knees) Jonah told God how sorry he was.
Jonah: I am sooo sorry God.
Narrator: Jonah then promised God that if he ever got out of the fish he would go to Nineveh and tell the people about God. Then suddenly, with a wave of God’s hand, (God waves hand) the big fish threw up. (Jonah doesn’t move) Oh come on. You are supposed to get up. Jonah, Jonah, Chuck get up! UP CHUCK! (Jonah jumps up. Helper throws water in Jonah’s face. Jonah rips blindfold off)
Sailor: (coming back) Upchuck? Oh I get it, that is a lousy joke!
Narrator: Anyway, Jonah did as he had promised, and he went to Nineveh and told everyone about God. I hope that our messy little play will help you to remember to always do whatever God asks you to do