Handout 1: The Walk to Emmaus (Article 469)
 

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Characters: narrator, Jesus, Cleopas, second disciple

Narrator: That very same day, two of the disciples were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking over all that had happened. Now as they talked together, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side, but something prevented them from recognizing him. And Jesus said to them,

Jesus: What are you talking about as you walk along?

Narrator: One of them, called Cleopas, answered Jesus:

Cleopas: All about Jesus of Nazareth, who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did. Our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be crucified. Our hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And that's not all--some women from our group went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women reported, but they saw nothing of Jesus.

Jesus: You foolish men! You are so slow to believe the message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter his glory?

Narrator: Then, starting with Moses and continuing through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the Scriptures that were about him. When they drew near to their destination, Jesus acted as if he were going to go on. But they pressed him to stay with them.

Second disciple: It's nearly evening and the day is almost over. Stay with us for the night.

Narrator: So he stayed with them. And while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other,

Second disciple: Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?

Narrator: They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven assembled together with their companions. The Apostles told the two disciples that it was true, that Jesus had in fact been raised from the dead and had appeared to Peter. And then the two disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they recognized Jesus at the breaking of the bread.

(This skit is based on Luke 24:13-35.)

Handout 1: Permission to reproduce this handout for program use is granted.

(This activity is adapted from Jesus: His Mission and Message, a core course in the Horizons series, by Thomas Zanzig [Winona, MN: Saint Mary's Press, 1996], pages 85-86. Copyright © 1996 by Saint Mary's Press. Permission is granted for this activity to be used for classroom or campus ministry purposes. This activity may not be republished in any form without written permission from Saint Mary's Press. To order this book, contact Saint Mary's Press at 800-533-8095, or visit our online catalog at www.smp.org/catalog.cfm.)