The Alive but Sometimes Invisible Jesus
I. WALKING with the RISEN Jesus. (v.13-27)
A. ALIVE but still INVISIBLE. (V.13-16)
B. The PAIN of unmet EXPECTATIONS. (V.17-24)
C. Seeing the ROAD as our CLASSROOM. (V.25-27)
He is risen! He is risen indeed! We proclaim this truth with deep conviction on this day. But the reality is often that while we believe in the resurrection that Jesus still seems far away in the middle of our day to day life. Today’s text helps us apply the resurrection truth to a life where sometimes it’s hard to see Jesus at work.
1. Kid’s Question: What would it have been like for you to come to the tomb expecting to see Jesus and have an angel tell you that He was alive? What would you have done?
2. When have unmet expectations weighed you down? How did your faith weather that storm?
II. Some LESSONS on the JOURNEY. (v.13-36)
A. It’s not your FAULT He’s INVISIBLE. (v.16; Ps 13)
B. He DECONSTRUCTS our ASSUMPTIONS… (v.17-27; Lk. 6:27-31)
C. …To DEEPEN our FAITH. (v.32-33; Heb. 12:26-29)
If the road is our classroom, what’s the curriculum? What are the things that Jesus is teaching these two disciples as they walk this pathway from invisible Jesus to “We have seen the Lord”? There are several things in our text, but let’s highlight two.
3. Have you ever felt that God was invisible? If so, did you feel it was your fault?
4. Read Heb. 12:26-29. Has Jesus ever blown up (shaken) your assumptions? What was that like for you?
5. What experiences in your life have “deepened your faith”?
III. FOLLOWING the RISEN Jesus. (v.25-36)
A. Embrace UNLEARNING and RELEARNING. (v.25-26; Mk. 8:33)
B. ALLOW Jesus to be the living WORD. (v.27; John 5:39-40)
C. INVITE Him IN… (v.29; Jer. 29:13)
D. …but LET Him LEAD. (v.30-31; Lk. 9:23)
Little did they realize that while they walked home to Emmaus they were walking with Jesus. And not just with Him, they were learning what it means to follow Him. While Emmaus isn’t where we call home, we are followers. What can we see in this story to help us grow in our ability to follow?
6. On a scale of 1-10, how open are you to unlearning and relearning things? How open would your close friends say you were?
7. What is the difference between treating the word as a text and as the person of Jesus? How can you know which you are doing?
8. Where is Jesus calling you to let Him lead right now? How (specifically) are you going to respond?
“So if it seems to you that you have understood the divine Scriptures, or any part of them, in such a way that by this understanding you do not build up this twin love of God and neighbour, then you have not yet understood them.”
~ St. Augustine, De Doctirina Christiana, 1.36.40.