Joyful Moments in Christ

This Bible study lesson is for people who are learning English (ELL or ESL students). It is made for advanced beginner and intermediate English learners. Children who speak English or adults who prefer easy English may also enjoy it and learn from it.

All lessons on this website are protected by copyright, but you can use them for free in small groups or Bible classes. You may share a link to this page, but please do not copy these pages and put them on other websites.

Lesson Icebreaker Question

What is the longest walk you have ever taken? Who were you with, and what did you talk about?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn about two friends walking together after a very sad time. Someone very special comes to walk with them, but they do not know who he is. We will see how their hearts changed when they learned the good news.

Vocabulary List (GNT)

1. Alive — Living, not dead.
2. Along — Moving in the same direction together.
3. Angels — Special messengers from God who live in heaven.
4. Blessing — Words asking God for help or thanking him.
5. Body — A person’s physical form.
6. Books of Moses — The first five books of the Bible.
7. Bread — A kind of food made from flour and water.
8. Burning — Feeling hot or strong inside.
9. Chief Priests — Leaders of the Jewish religion at the time.
10. Crucified — Put to death by hanging on a cross.
11. Dawn — The time early in the morning when the sun starts to rise.
12. Death — The end of life.
13. Disappeared — To suddenly be gone.
14. Discuss — To talk about something.
15. Drew Near — Came close to someone.
16. Emmaus — A small town near Jerusalem.
17. Enter — To go inside.
18. Exactly — In the same way, without change.
19. Explained — Told clearly what something means.
20. Farther — A longer distance away.
21. Find — To see or get something after looking for it.
22. Fire — Flames that give heat and light.
23. Foolish — Not wise or smart.
24. Glory — Great beauty, power, and honor.
25. Happening — Something taking place.
26. Handed Over — Given to someone in authority.
27. Hoped — Wanted something to happen.
28. Messiah — The special one God promised to send to save people.
29. Nazareth — A town where Jesus grew up.
30. Powerful — Very strong.
31. Prophet — A person who speaks God’s message.
32. Recognize — To know who someone is when you see them.
33. Risen — Brought back to life.
34. Rulers — People who are in charge.
35. Scriptures — God’s Word written in the Bible.
36. Set Free — To make someone no longer a prisoner.
37. Sight — Something you see.
38. Stay — Not leave a place.
39. Suffer — To feel pain.
40. Surprised — Feeling something is not what you expected.
41. Tomb — A place where a dead body is put.
42. Vision — A special dream or picture from God.
43. Visitor — Someone who comes for a short time.
44. Writings — Words written down for people to read.

Summary of the Passage

This passage happens after Jesus died on the cross. Two of Jesus’ friends were walking to a town called Emmaus. They were very sad and talked about all the things that happened. A man came near and walked with them. The man was Jesus, but they did not know it was him.

The man asked what they were talking about. They told him about Jesus, how he was a great prophet, and how the leaders killed him. They hoped he would save their people. They said some women had gone to his tomb, but his body was gone. The women said angels told them he was alive.

Then the man walking with them explained many things from God’s Word. He told them it was always God’s plan for the Messiah to suffer, die, and then rise again. When they reached the town, they asked the man to stay with them because it was getting dark.

At dinner, the man took some bread, thanked God, and broke it. When he did this, the two friends suddenly knew it was Jesus. Right away, Jesus disappeared, and they said their hearts felt like fire when he talked to them about the Bible.

They quickly went back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples. The others were already saying that Jesus was really alive. The two friends shared how they saw Jesus and how they knew him when he broke the bread.

This passage teaches us that Jesus is alive and with us, even when we do not see him. It shows us how God’s Word helps us understand God’s big plan.

Read The Passage

The Walk to Emmaus
^13-14 On that same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened.
¹⁵ As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them;
¹⁶ they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him.
¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?”
They stood still, with sad faces.
¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been happening there these last few days?”
¹⁹ “What things?” he asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did.
²⁰ Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified.
²¹ And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened.
²² Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb,
²³ but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive.
²⁴ Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.”
²⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said!
²⁶ Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?”
²⁷ And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.
²⁸ As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther;
²⁹ but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark.” So he went in to stay with them.
³⁰ He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them.
³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight.
³² They said to each other, “Wasn’t it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
^33-34 They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others and saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!”
³⁵ The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized the Lord when he broke the bread.

Luke 24:13-35 (GNT)

Most English learners should use the New International Reader’s Version (NIRV) or the Good News Translation (GNT) because they are easy to read. If you want to try something harder, you can read one of the other Bible versions:

• Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 24:13-35 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 24:13-35 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 24:13-35 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 24:13-35 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 24:13-35 (ESV)

Comprehension Questions

1. Where were the two friends walking?
2. What were they talking about as they walked?
3. Who came to walk with them?
4. Did they know it was Jesus at first?
5. What did the two friends say had happened to Jesus?
6. What did the man say about the Messiah and what must happen to him?
7. What did the man explain to them as they walked?
8. Why did the two friends ask the man to stay with them?
9. What happened when the man broke the bread?
10. How did the two friends feel when the man explained the Bible to them?
11. What did the two friends do after they saw Jesus?
12. What did the other disciples say when they arrived back in Jerusalem?

Application Questions

1. Have you ever felt very sad like the two friends on the road?
2. When have you felt comfort because someone was with you?
3. Why do you think it is important to listen to God’s Word when we are sad or confused?
4. How can we remember that Jesus is with us, even when we cannot see him?
5. What is one thing you would like to ask Jesus if you could walk with him today?

Theological Insights

1. Jesus is alive.
2. Jesus walks with his people, even when they do not see him.
3. God’s Word teaches us about God’s plan and about Jesus.
4. It was God’s plan for Jesus to suffer and rise again to save his people.
5. The Bible helps our hearts feel peace and hope when we understand God’s truth.
6. Jesus shows kindness and care to those who are sad and confused.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, thank you that Jesus is alive and that you love us so much. Help us to remember your words and to feel your peace in our hearts. Amen.

ELL Resources for the Gospel of Luke

More ELL Resources

You can find more Bible lessons for English learners on the main ELL page.

Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.