This Kids’ Sunday School lesson about the Road to Emmaus was designed for parents to use with their children at home on the week of April 26, 2020. Everything is included in the PDF download below (teaching notes, coloring pages, craft directions, game ideas, and worksheets). Use what is most helpful for your kids and ignore the rest. Families can also watch our children’s message, suggested music, and craft demonstration in the video playlist below.
“Jesus is Alive … Recognize It”
Home Sunday School Lesson on Luke 24:13-35 and Jesus’ Appearance on the Road to Emmaus
Easter isn’t over…it has just begun! We continue to celebrate Christ’s resurrection with this lesson, as we see His unexpected encounter with disciples on the road to Emmaus. These activities bring the story to life and emphasize how we can find daily blessings in our lives, if our eyes are open for them.
Lesson focus: Sometimes things in our lives don’t make sense to us. Even if we know God is at work, we have a difficult time understanding what He might be doing. In this lesson, we recognize that God’s big plans will come through, no matter what we can recognize immediately. Jesus revealed who He was to disciples, when they were ready and willing to comprehend. So we, too, can see His hand, if we are ready to look for it. Blessings are all around us if we expect them.
Passage: Luke 24:13-35
Target Audience: Kindergarten-6th grade (or whoever you might have at home!)
Materials Needed: Construction paper, markers, stickers, popsicle sticks, toilet paper rolls, glue, scissors, masking tape, card stock, pull-apart rolls, fruit by the foot, blindfolds, magnifying glasses, hard-boiled eggs (all optional, depending which activities you choose to use).
More Teaching Ideas on the Emmaus Road
- See more lessons and ideas on our website about the Road to Emmaus
- See more video resources for teaching kids about Jesus on the Road to Emmaus.
- Craft ideas for teaching the Road to Emmaus
- Read background about the Road to Emmaus appearance after Jesus’ Resurrection on Wikipedia.
Lesson Introduction and Game
Lesson Opening: A story “on the road” makes for some fun related crafts, activities, and snacks. As you prepare to explore the story of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, consider some ideas related to sight, travel, or things in hiding. To get started, select from one of the following openers, or make up one of your own!
After a couple of fun activities, introduce the story by explaining that it takes place right after Easter. Reflect back on the events of Easter and discovery of the empty tomb. After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to people. This story is about one of those special visits.
Ask: Has there ever been something you didn’t understand right away, and figured out later? What helped you to understand?
Jesus Appears on the Road to Emmaus Bible Lesson (Luke 24:13-16)
As always, how you choose to experience the story will vary according to the ages and abilities of your children (and how many are participating). For younger children, you may wish to use a children’s or storybook version of the Bible, and explain details as you go. Older kids can take turns helping to read the story. You can also make this interactive, and encourage everyone to get in on the action. You might find a short video version to reinforce it. Or even have students draw as you go…it’s all up to the kids and their learning styles.
That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. -Luke 24:13-16
The “two of them” refers to a couple of followers of Jesus. We aren’t entirely sure exactly who they were (though one is named), but they must have been close to what Christ did. In this scene, they are walking along and probably feeling pretty disappointed, and maybe a little confused.
Ask: How would you feel if you had known about the death of Jesus, and then heard people talking about Him being alive?
Explain that Jesus came up with them, but for some reason, they didn’t know it was Him.
And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” -Luke 24:17-24
Jesus asks these men why they seem sad. Ironically, they proceed to tell Jesus about Himself, describing what has happened and how He died. Does it sound like these disciples believed that the women really saw Him alive? Likely, they were skeptical for a variety of reasons. In those days, women were not always respected or trusted. The disciples had not seen Jesus themselves, and they didn’t understand what had been told about Him. They were probably feeling a lot of grief and confusion. The last thing they anticipated was that Jesus would be walking right beside them! So the Lord Himself explained…
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. -Luke 24:25-27
Jesus here goes back through the Bible and explains what should already been known. He tells the men how His own coming had been told throughout Scripture and Prophets. When Jesus was alive, the signs of who He was were often not recognized. Now, after His death, it might have seemed like the followers put their hope in the wrong thing. But Christ is patient, and takes time to go over who He is again. Yet somehow the disciples still don’t quite comprehend who they are talking to.
*Ask: When have you felt disappointed about something? Have you ever talked to someone important, and not realized who they were at first?
So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. -Luke 24:28-35
So what finally convinced these guys? Maybe they had dined with Jesus before. Maybe Jesus allowed them to finally see. Once they understood, though, they certainly would never be the same again. Everything suddenly made sense. Have you ever seen a movie or read a book that seemed completely mysterious, and then a plot twist or conclusion helped things all come together in a grand “aha” moment? That must have been what they experienced here. All of the sorrow and confusion were brought into the light.
What does this mean for us? Well, sometimes things happen to us that can’t be understood or explained until later. Maybe we go through a hard time, and later on that helps someone else experiencing the same thing. Maybe we are running late, but it helps avoid a car accident. Maybe we lose something we wanted, but gain something even greater. Sometimes we don’t understand why things happen, and we might not truly understand until we get to Heaven. But we know God is working. He promises us that He is always working for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). We don’t always recognize what He is doing. Sometimes He uses people around us, or events, to help work out His ways. We need to remain in prayer to God, and in the Bible. We can keep an eye out for how He might be working, and ask Him to use us for His purposes, too!
Sunday School Crafts about the Road to Emmaus
Use these crafts when teaching kids about when Jesus appeared to his Disciples on the Road to Emmaus. They work with any Luke 24:13-35 lesson plan for Sunday School. Download the craft directions, watch our how-to instructions video, and then gather your craft supplies.
Crafts: Homemade puzzle, puppets on the road, binoculars, word search
Very helpful, but I was disappointed not to find some games for young children to go along with this message. The rest of the lesson was very good and helpful.