The Road to Emmaus: When Jesus Shows Up in Your Doubts

As students arrive, greet them and get them in a circle or small clusters. Play a quick blindfold trust game: pair students up. One is blindfolded or just closes their eyes (anyone can keep their eyes open or sit this out); their partner silently guides them across the room around a few chairs/obstacles using only hand-on-shoulder or voice. Then swap. Afterward ask aloud: 'What was it like not being able to see where you were going? Did having someone with you change how you felt?' Tie it in: 'Today we're meeting two friends of Jesus who were walking a hard road, couldn't see clearly what God was doing, and had no idea Jesus was right beside them the whole time.' Keep it light and fast — the goal is energy and a hook, not a deep answer yet.

Set the scene: It's the Sunday Jesus rose. Two of His followers are walking seven miles from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus. Their friend and hope — Jesus — had just been executed. Read Luke 24:15-16 (BSB): 'As they talked and deliberated, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.' Point 1 — Jesus shows up IN the doubt, not after it's solved. Notice He joins them while they're still confused and sad. He doesn't wait for them to get their faith together first. Where do you feel far from God? That may be exactly where He's already walking. Point 2 — Jesus lets them talk it out. He asks what they're discussing and listens to their whole disappointed story ('we had hoped...'). God is not scared of your honest questions. Doubt spoken out loud in His presence is not the opposite of faith — ignoring Him is. Point 3 — Jesus reopens their eyes through His Word and His presence. Read Luke 24:27 (BSB): 'And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.' Then at dinner, read Luke 24:30-31 (BSB): 'While He was reclining at the table with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.' And Luke 24:32 (BSB): their hearts were 'burning within us' as He opened the Scriptures. Land the plane: As Pentecostal believers we trust that the same Jesus, by His Holy Spirit, still walks with us — opening the Scriptures, warming our hearts, and making Himself known. Your doubts are not a dead end; they can be the very road where you meet the risen Jesus.

Break into groups of 3-5 with a leader or mature student in each. Work through the discussion questions below, moving from warm-up to deeper to real-life. Encourage honesty — remind students this is a safe circle and what's shared here stays here, unless someone's safety is at risk; then a leader has to get help. Leaders: listen more than you talk, and don't rush to 'fix' a doubt someone shares; model what Jesus did by letting people name it.

Give each student an index card or slip of paper. On one side, invite them to write a doubt, question, or disappointment they're carrying — the thing on their own 'Emmaus road' (they do NOT have to share it; it's between them and God). On the other side, have them write one truth about Jesus from today's passage that speaks to it (for example, 'Jesus is walking with me even when I can't see it'). Then, as a group, invite the Holy Spirit to meet each person right where they are. If students are comfortable, pray in pairs where a leader can see and hear (a hand on a shoulder only if the other student says yes), and asking God to open eyes and warm hearts — leaving room for the Spirit to encourage or speak as students worship. Close the activity by inviting any who want prayer for something heavier to stay back with a leader. Students can keep their card as a reminder or place it in a basket as an offering to God.

Gather back together. Recap the big idea in one line: 'Jesus shows up in your doubts and walks you home.' Challenge: this week, when a doubt or hard moment hits, picture Jesus walking right next to you and tell Him about it out loud, like those two friends did. Close with a short prayer thanking Jesus that He is risen and present by His Spirit, and asking Him to open eyes and set hearts burning. Dismiss warmly and stay available for anyone who lingers.