In appearing to His followers, the risen Jesus gave them—and all who believe—peace, hope, and confidence.
Scripture: Luke 24:36-49
Central Truth
The disciples failed to understand who Jesus was before the crucifixion. Even though they walked with Jesus for three years and knew God’s Word, they couldn’t see the total truth. While He was with them after the resurrection, Jesus took time to help them see and “opened their minds” (Luke 22:45).
Key Question
How did Jesus respond to his friends’ doubt? What does this show you?
Keep in Mind
Doubt isn’t easy to deal with. If we ignore the problem, it only grows; it only leads to other issues and more doubt. When we confront doubt, we drag it into the light. When we allow God to shine light on things like doubt, He illuminates what is false and helps us recognize truth. If we allow our doubt to remain in our minds, it takes root. We want to be mindful of our students’ fear of exposing their doubt by confessing it to the Lord and to trusted friends who can help point them to truth. We can encourage them to lean into God’s Word to find answers to their questions, and we can also remind them that Jesus is willing to meet them in their doubt.
APPLICATION
Why is it important to confront doubt rather than ignore it?
THE WIN
FOR THE STUDENT: When students struggle with doubt, they should confess it to God and ask Him to remind them of truth. They can center their hearts on what they know: God loves them; Jesus died for them; He rose from the dead; and He will return. Many students hide their doubt because they fear others will shame them. But more than likely, other people are also struggling with doubts. Rather than hiding their doubt, students can confess it, exposing it instead.
FOR THE LEADER: As leaders, we can also face doubts of our own. But it can feel as if we aren’t allowed to open up about our doubts. We’re supposed to be the ones who have things figured out. Rest assured that Jesus wants to meet us in our doubts too. He wants to dispel any lies with truth.
Hello! I am looking into different curriculums for the Student Ministry I am a part of! I really want to start from the Beginning of the Curriculum with the Student and go all the way through the 3 years in the Bible! Is that a possibility? I want to make a decision soon and would love to talk with someone!
Hi Chris!
This is great! You can absolutely start at the beginning in Genesis with Volume 1. To do so, you would need to use the digital subscription in Ministry Grid. Within Ministry Grid, you’ll have access to every volume in this current cycle. There are 12 total. We will start a new cycle next Fall, so we’ll be back in Genesis then! Please email me if you have any further questions about getting set up.
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