Jesus Walks with His Friends: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 24:13-35

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Luke 24:13-35 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 24:13-35 Printable ERV Passage

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 Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

books of Moses: (phrase) The first five books of the Bible.
discuss: (verb) To talk about something with other people.
explain: (verb) To make something easy to understand.
Messiah: (noun) The “Chosen One” that God promised to send to save his people.
prophet: (noun) A person who speaks messages from God.
realize: (verb) To suddenly understand something.
recognize: (verb) To know who someone is because you saw them before.
risen from death: (phrase) To have come back to life after being dead.
Scriptures: (noun) The holy writings of God in the Bible.
vision: (noun) Something like a dream that God shows to someone.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
books of Moses: (phrase) The first five books of the Bible.
discuss: (verb) To talk about something with other people.
explain: (verb) To make something easy to understand.
follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
glory: (noun) The great beauty, power, and honor that belongs to God.
hand over: (phrase) To give control of a person or a thing to someone in power, like a judge or an officer.
Lord: (noun) A name that shows someone has power or authority.
meaning: (noun) The idea that a word or sign represents.
Messiah: (noun) The “Chosen One” that God promised to send to save his people.
priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
prophet: (noun) A person who speaks messages from God.
realize: (verb) To suddenly understand something.
recognize: (verb) To know who someone is because you saw them before.
risen from death: (phrase) To have come back to life after being dead.
Scriptures: (noun) The holy writings of God in the Bible.
share the bread: (phrase) To break bread into pieces and give it to other people so everyone can eat.
suffer: (verb) To feel great physical or mental pain.
tomb: (noun) A place where a dead person is put.
vision: (noun) Something like a dream that God shows to someone.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

act: (verb) To behave in a certain way or pretend to be doing something.
alive: (adjective) Living and not dead.
allow: (verb) To let someone do something.
almost: (adverb) Only a little bit less than all.
amazing: (adjective) Something that is very surprising and wonderful.
angel: (noun) A messenger from heaven who serves God.
apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
appear: (verb) To show up so that people can see you.
beg: (verb) To ask for something very strongly or with deep feeling.
believe: (verb) To think that something is true.
body: (noun) The whole physical part of a person or animal.
books of Moses: (phrase) The first five books of the Bible.
bread: 1. (noun) A common food made from flour and water. 2. (noun) A food that Jesus used as a symbol of his body during a meal.
broke: (verb) To have separated something into pieces.
burning: (adjective) Being on fire right now.
cross: (noun) Two pieces of wood put together that were used to kill people.
daylight: (noun) The light that comes from the sun during the day.
death: (noun) The end of a life.
disappear: (verb) To go away so that no one can see you.
discuss: (verb) To talk about something with other people.
each other: (phrase) Two or more people doing the same thing to one another.
early: (adjective) Happening before the usual time.
else: (adverb) Different or more.
exciting: (adjective) Making you feel very happy and full of energy.
explain: (verb) To make something easy to understand.
faces: (noun) More than one face.
felt: (verb) To have had a sensation in your body or an emotion in your heart.
find: (verb) To see or get something you were looking for.
fire: (noun) The heat and light from something burning.
follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
foolish: (adjective) Not showing good sense or wisdom.
found: (verb) To have seen something you were looking for.
free: (verb) To take away the power or control that something has over a person.
gave thanks: (phrase) To say thank you to someone or to God.
glory: (noun) The great beauty, power, and honor that belongs to God.
God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
got up: (phrase) To move the body from a sitting or lying position to a standing position.
great: (adjective) Very large or very good.
hand over: (phrase) To give control of a person or a thing to someone in power, like a judge or an officer.
happen: (verb) To take place.
hardly: (adverb) Only just or almost not.
hope: (verb) To want something to happen and expect that it will.
Israel: (noun) The land and the people that God chose for himself.
Jerusalem: (noun) The most important city in Israel where the Temple was.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
join: (verb) To become a part of a group.
judge: (verb) To decide if someone broke the law.
just: 1. (adverb) Only or simply. 2. (adverb) A word used to show that something happened a very short time ago.
kill: (verb) To end the life of a person or an animal.
laid: (verb) To have put something down in a flat position.
leader: (noun) A person who is in charge of a group.
left: (verb) To be remaining or to stay behind when others are gone.
Lord: (noun) A name that shows someone has power or authority.
meaning: (noun) The idea that a word or sign represents.
meeting: (noun) A time when people come together to talk or worship.
Messiah: (noun) The “Chosen One” that God promised to send to save his people.
miles: (noun) A measure of long distance.
Moses: (noun) A great leader of Israel who lived long before Jesus.
must: (verb) To need to do something.
nail: (noun) A thin piece of metal with a sharp point.
nailed to a cross: (phrase) To be attached to a wooden cross with large metal pins through the hands and feet.
Nazareth: (noun) The town where Jesus grew up.
plan: (verb) To intend to do something.
powerful: (adjective) Having a lot of strength or power.
priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
prophet: (noun) A person who speaks messages from God.
realize: (verb) To suddenly understand something.
really: (adverb) Truly or very much.
recognize: (verb) To know who someone is because you saw them before.
risen from death: (phrase) To have come back to life after being dead.
road: (noun) A path for people or cars to travel on.
Scriptures: (noun) The holy writings of God in the Bible.
share the bread: (phrase) To break bread into pieces and give it to other people so everyone can eat.
should: (verb) A word used to say what is the right thing to do.
Simon Peter: (noun) A fisherman who became one of the most important followers of Jesus.
since: (preposition) From a certain time until now.
slow: (adjective) Not moving fast.
stay: (verb) To not leave a place.
suffer: (verb) To feel great physical or mental pain.
supper: (noun) The main meal eaten in the evening.
table: (noun) A piece of furniture with a flat top used for eating or working.
together: (adverb) With each other.
tomb: (noun) A place where a dead person is put.
took: (verb) To have carried or moved something from one place to another.
vision: (noun) Something like a dream that God shows to someone.
went back: (phrase) To have returned to a place where you were before.

Summary of the Passage

This story happens after Jesus died on the cross. Two of Jesus’ friends were walking to a small town called Emmaus.

They were very sad. They discussed all the things that had happened in Jerusalem. While they walked, a man came near and walked with them. The man was Jesus, but the friends did not recognize him. They did not know it was him!

The man asked why they were so sad. They told him about Jesus of Nazareth. They said he was a great prophet who did powerful things. They explained that the leaders had handed him over to be killed. The friends were hopeing Jesus would free the people of Israel. They also shared the amazing news from the women. The women went to the tomb, but the body was gone! angels told the women that Jesus was alive.

Then the man walking with them explained many things. He used the Scriptures, which are the holy writings of God. He started with the books of Moses and the words of the prophets. He told them it was always God’s plan for the Messiah to suffer, die, and then rise again.

When they reached Emmaus, they begged the man to stay with them for supper. At the table, the man took some bread, gave thanks, and broke it.

When he shared the bread, the two friends suddenly recognized him. They realized the man was Jesus! Right away, Jesus disappeared. The friends said their hearts felt like a fire burning when he talked to them about the Bible.

They got up and went back to Jerusalem quickly. They found the apostles and other followers. They told everyone how they saw Jesus on the road. They were so happy to know that Jesus had truly risen from death.

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

Read The Passage

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

On The Road to Emmaus
13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a town named Emmaus.
It is about seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 They were talking about everything that had happened.
15 While they were talking, discussing these things, Jesus himself came near and walked with them.
16 (But the two men were not allowed to recognize Jesus.)
17 He asked them,
“What’s this I hear you discussing with each other as you walk?”
The two men stopped, their faces looking very sad.
18 The one named Cleopas said,
“You must be the only person in Jerusalem who doesn’t know what has just happened there.”
19 Jesus said,
“What are you talking about?”
They said,
“It’s about Jesus, the one from Nazareth.
To God and to all the people he was a great prophet.
He said and did many powerful things.
20 But our leaders and the leading priests handed him over to be judged and killed.
They nailed him to a cross.
21-22 We were hoping that he would be the one to free Israel.
But then all this happened.
“And now something else:
It has been three days since he was killed, but today some of our women told us an amazing thing.
Early this morning they went to the tomb where the body of Jesus was laid.
23 But they did not find his body there.
They came and told us they had seen some angels in a vision.
The angels told them Jesus was alive!
24 So some of our group went to the tomb too.
It was just as the women said.
They saw the tomb, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 Then Jesus said to the two men,
“You are foolish and slow to realize what is true.
You should believe everything the prophets said.
26 The prophets said the Messiah must suffer these things before he begins his time of glory.”
27 Then he began to explain everything that had been written about himself in the Scriptures.
He started with the books of Moses and then he talked about what the prophets had said about him.
28 They came near the town of Emmaus, and Jesus acted as if he did not plan to stop there.
29 But they wanted him to stay.
They begged him,
“Stay with us.
It’s almost night.
There’s hardly any daylight left.”
So he went in to stay with them.
30 Joining them at the supper table, Jesus took some bread and gave thanks.
Then he broke some off and gave it to them.
31 Just then the men were allowed to recognize him.
But when they saw who he was, he disappeared.
32 They said to each other,
“When he talked to us on the road, it felt like a fire burning in us.
How exciting it was when he explained to us the true meaning of the Scriptures!”
33-34 So the two men got up then and went back to Jerusalem.
There they found the followers of Jesus meeting together.
The eleven apostles and the people with them said,
“The Lord really has risen from death!
He appeared to Simon.”
35 Then the two men told what had happened on the road.
They talked about how they recognized Jesus when he shared the bread with them.
Luke 24:13-35 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 24:13-35 (ERV)
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)

Luke 24:13-35 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

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

Application Questions

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