This document contains a summary of the biblical passage Luke 24:13-27 in which Jesus walks with two disciples who do not recognize him. It also discusses transforming one's imagination and understanding of God and the Bible. The summary is: 1) The document discusses Jesus walking with two disciples after his resurrection and helping them understand scriptures about him. 2) It addresses transforming one's view of God from nationalist to embracing suffering, and of the Bible from isolated passages to a unified story. 3) The transformation involves viewing Bible study as a communal rather than individual endeavor guided by the Holy Spirit.

1. A Prayer For The People of God
Living God,
long ago faithful women
proclaimed the good news
of Jesus' resurrection,
and the world was changed forever.
Teach us to keep faith with them,
that our witness may be as bold,
our love as deep,
and our faith as true.
Amen.

3. Luke 24:13-27
a TRANSFORMATION of IMAGINATION

4. FROM
a TRANSFORMATION of IMAGINATION
TO
God as the source of
black-and-white answers
God as the Source of
mind-blowing mystery
God as a cosmic,
patriarchal killjoy
God as a loving,
life-giving gardener
God who stands apart
from suffering/death
God who embraces both
in solidarity with humanity

5. 1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we
see through a
glass, darkly…

6. Now that same day two of them
were going to a village called Emmaus,
about seven miles from Jerusalem.
They were talking with each other
about everything that had happened.
As they talked and discussed these things
with each other, Jesus himself came up
and walked along with them; but they
were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, “What are you
discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast.
LUKE
22:13-17
(NIV)

7. “(The risen Christ) is presented
as someone who travels with
his followers, walking beside
them and talking to them in
their pain and confusion and
fear and bringing healing.
He is the one who creates an
opportunity for his followers
to reframe their perception
of the recent events
in Jerusalem.”

8. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him,
“Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem
who does not know the things that have
happened there in these days?”
“What things?” he asked. “About Jesus
of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a
prophet, powerful in word and deed before
God and all the people. The chief priests
and our rulers handed him over to be
sentenced to death, and they crucified him;
but we had hoped that he was the one
who was going to redeem Israel.
LUKE
22:18-21a
(NIV)

9. And what is more, it is the third day
since all this took place. In addition,
some of our women amazed us.
They went to the tomb early
this morning but didn’t find his body.
They came and told us that they
had seen a vision of angels,
who said he was alive. Then some
of our companions went to the tomb
and found it just as the women had said,
but they did not see Jesus.”
LUKE
22:21b-24
(NIV)

10. He said to them,
“How foolish you are,
and how slow to believe all
that the prophets have spoken!
Did not the Messiah have
to suffer these things and
then enter his glory?”
And beginning with Moses
and all the Prophets,
he explained to them
what was said in all the
Scriptures concerning himself.
LUKE
22:25-27
(NIV)

11. Luke 24:13-27
a TRANSFORMATION of IMAGINATION

12. FROM
a TRANSFORMATION of IMAGINATION
TO
Nationalistic deliverance
from (our) suffering
Total deliverance
through (his) suffering

13. “Israel…had been reading the Bible
through the wrong end of the
telescope. They had been seeing
it as the long story of how God
would redeem Israel from suffering,
but it was instead the story of
how God would redeem Israel
(and, indeed, everything)
through suffering…which would
be taken on himself by Israel’s
representative, the Messiah.”
N.T. Wright

14. FROM
a TRANSFORMATION of IMAGINATION
TO
Nationalistic deliverance
from (our) suffering
Total deliverance
through (his) suffering
The Bible as a big collection
of randomly placed
proof-texts
The Bible as a catalogue
of stories that all serve
to tell THE STORY

15. WHAT THE BIBLE IS…
- It’s a unified STORY pointing to JESUS…
God’s extended family on a mission of universal restoration
- It’s a COLLECTION of BOOKS
* 66 books, 40 authors, 3 languages, 1600 years
- It’s a COLLECTION of literary STYLES
Narration, Law, History, Poetry, Prophecy, etc.
- It’s a storehouse of WISDOM > “rules”
It shows us HOW to live/love/relate to God/others,
but is RARELY a “rule book” telling us what to DO/NOT DO

16. “How can an ancient narrative text
be authoritative? How, for instance,
can the book of Judges, or the book
of Acts, be authoritative? It is one
thing to go to your commanding
officer first thing in the morning and
have a string of commands barked
at you. But what would you do if,
instead, he began…
‘Once upon a time…’?”
N.T. Wright

17. FROM
a TRANSFORMATION of IMAGINATION
TO
Nationalistic deliverance
from (our) suffering
Total deliverance
through (his) suffering
The Bible as a big collection
of randomly placed
proof-texts
The Bible as a catalogue
of stories that all serve
to tell THE STORY

18. FROM
a TRANSFORMATION of IMAGINATION
TO
Bible study as a primarily
individualized task
Bible study done as a primarily
communal, Spirit-led endeavor
Nationalistic deliverance
from (our) suffering
Total deliverance
through (his) suffering
The Bible as a big collection
of randomly placed
proof-texts
The Bible as a catalogue
of stories that all serve
to tell THE STORY

19. It seemed good to the
Holy Spirit and to us…
ACTS 15:28
(NIV)

20. It seemed good to the
Holy Spirit and to us…
ACTS 15:28
(NIV)
ACTS
17:11-12
(NIV)
Now the Berean Jews…received
the message with great eagerness
and examined the Scriptures every
day to see if what Paul said was true.
As a result, many of them believed,
as did also a number of prominent
Greek women and many Greek men.

21. You study the Scriptures diligently
because you think that in them
you have eternal life.
These are the very Scriptures
that testify about me,
yet you refuse to come
to me to have life.
JOHN
5:39-40
(NIV)

22. FROM
a TRANSFORMATION of IMAGINATION
TO
Bible study as a primarily
individualized task
Bible study done as a primarily
communal, Spirit-led endeavor
Nationalistic deliverance
from (our) suffering
Total deliverance
through (his) suffering
The Bible as a big collection
of randomly placed
proof-texts
The Bible as a catalogue
of stories that all serve
to tell THE STORY

23. “(The risen Christ) is presented
as someone who travels with
his followers, walking beside
them and talking to them in
their pain and confusion and
fear and bringing healing.
He is the one who creates an
opportunity for his followers
to reframe their perception
of the recent events
in Jerusalem.”

24. Luke 24:13-27
a TRANSFORMATION of IMAGINATION

25. Benediction
O God,
you raised up Jesus Christ
as your faithful witness
and the first-born of the dead.
By your Holy Spirit,
help us to witness to him
so that those who have not yet seen
may come to believe in him
who is, and was, and is to come.
Amen.