From Fear to Faith: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Apr 26, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Scared Disciples Touching Ghosts That Bleed

When Jesus appears unexpectedly to his huddled followers, they mistake resurrection for haunting. Their fear reveals how trauma distorts vision. Yet Jesus doesn’t shame their confusion. He invites them to touch his wounds—proof that love outlives death’s worst violence. His scarred hands reframe their panic: what seems like a threat is actually victory wearing skin. Fear melts when they feel his pulse. [55:40]

“While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’” (Luke 24:36-39, NRSV)

Reflection: When has uncertainty made you mistake God’s presence for a threat? What tangible evidence of Christ’s faithfulness can you “touch” in your current struggle?

Day 2: Broiled Fish and the God Who Stays

Jesus asks for food not because he’s hungry, but to rebuild relationship through shared nourishment. A simple piece of fish becomes communion—proof that resurrection isn’t abstract theology but a bond forged over meals. By receiving their meager offering, Christ transforms their fear into fellowship. The act of giving, however small, anchors them in his tangible nearness. [56:17]

“They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’” (Luke 24:42-44, NRSV)

Reflection: What “piece of fish” do you hesitate to offer God? How might sharing it—even if small—deepen your trust in Christ’s presence?

Day 3: Scriptures Cracked Open Like Bread

Jesus doesn’t perform miracles to prove himself. Instead, he opens the ancient texts—Moses’ laws, David’s songs, Isaiah’s visions—showing how his story fulfills theirs. The disciples’ confusion lifts when they see their trauma rewritten as part of God’s longer redemption story. Scripture becomes a map proving no pain falls outside divine purpose. [56:36]

“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations.’” (Luke 24:45-47, NRSV)

Reflection: Where do you need God to “open” your understanding of a painful chapter? How might your story connect to Scripture’s larger redemption arc?

Day 4: Fear’s Ghosts vs. Faith’s Fingertips

The disciples’ locked door couldn’t keep Jesus out, just as their fear couldn’t nullify his victory. Christ confronts terror not by removing threats, but by letting doubters trace resurrection scars. Faith grows when we stop demanding fear’s absence and start grasping Christ’s tangible promises. Our trembling hands find courage in his wounded ones. [59:35]

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV)

Reflection: What “locked door” are you guarding? How might touching Christ’s faithfulness—through prayer, community, or Scripture—shift your focus from fear to power?

Day 5: Fixed Races and Fishbone Faith

Jesus declares the race already won before the disciples cross the finish line. Their job isn’t to defeat death but to distribute the victory through fishbone faith—offering meager resources to the One who multiplies them. When we give our scraps to Christ, he transforms them into feasts that outlast our fears. [01:14:41]

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.” (Psalm 46:1-3, NRSV)

Reflection: What “already won” battle do you still fight? How can offering your limited resources become an act of trusting Christ’s finished work?

Sermon Summary

Luke’s scene puts the two Emmaus travelers back among the disciples, breathless to report, and the risen Jesus stands right in the middle of their talk and says, “Peace be with you.” Fear floods the room, and they reach for a category that fits the moment, so they say ghost. Jesus does not scold them. Jesus meets fear with patience. He points to hands and feet, invites touch, and eats their broiled fish to show that resurrection is not a rumor but flesh and bone, dinner in real time. Jesus names their fear and their doubt, then roots their confidence in what he already finished: “everything written… in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” The whole story points to him, and he has already “beat and defeated… death.”

The fear in the room is not dismissed as unspiritual. Fear is treated as real, and faith is defined in the middle of it. Faith is not the absence of fear; faith is moving in spite of it. That is why Jesus steps into their hiding place. The church may be locked up when it should be preaching, timid when it should be moving, but Jesus comes right where they are and says, in effect, kick your faith in. His word is not, escape what scares you; his word is, face it with me, because he already won what frightens them most.

The scars and the “ministry of touch” show proximity. If a hand can reach him, then he is not far off in some astrological somewhere; he is near enough to hold. “Do you have anything to eat?” is not lack. It is relationship. It is an opening for them to give, even if all they have is a piece of fish. That little offering becomes the table where he tarries. He does not eat and run. He stays, and in staying he makes their faith tangible.

The text presses the church to a posture: stop measuring life by who is in power and start measuring it by who has already finished the work. The race is fixed because the cross and empty tomb are already in the past tense. God is ahead of the prayer, setting things up long before the blessing lands. So the call lands simple and sharp: bring what you got, step into what scares you, and discover that the living Christ is not a blip or a ghost, but the One who stays, opens minds, and sends frightened disciples back into the world.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus meets fear with peace Jesus does not shame frightened disciples. He speaks peace into panic, shows scars, and invites nearness. His patience dignifies confused faith and turns the room from rumor to reality. Peace is not the reward for getting brave; it is the gift that grows bravery. [55:07]
2. Faith moves while fear remains Faith is not a feeling upgrade; it is obedience in the dark. The body can still tremble while the feet still move. God often puts disciples where the outcome is hidden so trust can do work sight cannot. [64:58]
3. Touch and table make it tangible “Touch me and see” becomes dinner on a plate. Resurrection shows up in scars and in a piece of broiled fish, not just in big moments but in ordinary ones. Proximity and shared table teach hearts what arguments cannot. [56:17]
4. Bring what you got to God “Do you have anything to eat?” invites participation, not payment. God does not need the fish, but disciples need to offer it. Even a small gift becomes a meeting place where Christ stays, and staying becomes assurance. [71:28]
5. The victory is already secured Jesus grounds courage in finished work, not wishful thinking. Death has been beaten, and the Scriptures are fulfilled, so fear loses its leverage. The race is fixed because the cross has already spoken. [74:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[53:37] - Emmaus recap and divine interruptions
[54:44] - Scripture reading Luke 24:36-45
[55:07] - Peace spoken into panic
[60:39] - Facing life’s fears
[64:58] - Faith moves while fear remains
[66:53] - Christ present in the midst
[68:23] - The ministry of touch
[69:49] - Do you have anything to eat?
[71:59] - Bring what you got to God
[73:40] - God already ahead of you
[74:27] - The race is fixed
[75:18] - He stays and eats with them
[79:12] - Invitation to step into fear
[85:17] - Benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 24:36-45 (ESV)
36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. 44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Observation questions

What specific actions did Jesus take to address the disciples’ fear and doubt in Luke 24:36-39?
How does Jesus connect His resurrection to the fulfillment of Scripture in this passage (v. 44)?
In the sermon, what examples were given of ordinary, tangible ways Jesus made His presence real to the disciples (e.g., scars, eating fish)? [56:17]
What does Jesus’ question, “Do you have anything to eat?” reveal about His approach to relationship with the disciples? [01:09:49]

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus emphasized His physical body (hands, feet, eating fish) instead of dismissing the disciples’ fear as irrational?
How does Jesus’ response to fear redefine what it means to have faith (e.g., “faith moves while fear remains”)? [01:04:58]
The sermon says, “God is ahead of the prayer, setting things up long before the blessing lands.” How does this idea connect to Jesus’ statement about Scripture being “fulfilled” in Luke 24:44? [01:13:40]
Why might Jesus ask the disciples for food when He doesn’t need it? What does this teach about participation in relationship with Him?

Application questions

What fear or uncertainty are you currently facing where you need to hear Jesus say, “Peace be with you”? What practical step could you take to “move in spite of it” this week?
The sermon says, “Bring what you got to God.” What “piece of fish” (something small, ordinary, or tangible) can you offer God right now as a way to trust Him? [01:11:28]
How can you create space in your daily life (e.g., shared meals, intentional touch, serving others) to experience Christ’s nearness in tangible ways, like the disciples did?
The sermon claims, “The victory is already secured.” How would your decisions or relationships change if you lived with this truth at the forefront of your mind? [01:14:27]
When has God shown up in a way you didn’t expect or recognize at first, like the disciples mistaking Jesus for a ghost? How can you cultivate awareness of His presence in uncertain moments?
What “locked door” (a habit, mindset, or situation where you feel stuck in fear) do you need to invite Jesus into this week? How can you actively trust His finished work in that area?

Sermon Clips

40s

#FaithOverFear

“``Faith requires faith is operating even though fear is present. Faith is not the absence of fear. Faith is moving in spite of what I'm feeling of the ghost of the fear that I'm gonna keep on going. I'm a believe in you, Lord, even though it feels scary. I'm trying to help somebody here today. I'm trying to help you. I'm gonna let you know, if it feels scary, you're probably in the right space. If it's on feels uncertain and the end is unsure and the out is not seen, you're probably in the place where God wants you depending and trusting on him because if you know the results, it doesn't require faith.”

37s

#NoNeedToFear

“I want y'all to go back and do what I told y'all to do. He said, ain't no need to be scared. I don't care what the government did to me. I don't care how bad they treated me. I don't care how unjust the laws may be. I don't care who's in power. I don't care who's going ain't no need for you to be scared because I have already won this thing on your behalf. I wanna tell you here, Christian, this morning, I I came by to tell you that there's no need for you to be afraid. No need of you to bow your head on nothing. God is telling you to push on and keep on. And because I made you, you don't have to fear nobody.”

40s

#GodAlreadyDidIt

“Yeah. It it it means that God was already setting it up long ago before the blessing reaches me. And when I get it, I'm just catching up to what God had done. It it was already in the plainness. And so this is where Jesus is. He said, I done already done the work. I done already done the stuff that has to be done now. I need to see what you gonna do. What you gonna give me? What are you gonna offer? How are you gonna move? How do you show your gratitude? How do you show your faith? Lord, I'm trusting you. I've already done the work. Means that this race is fixed. Yeah. That that that that we already have the victory.”

60s

#GiveToGod

“I I I I I struggle with this because do you have anything to eat is a question that Jesus knows the answer to. we know Jesus don't need nothing we got. But what Jesus is doing, he's doing a couple things. One, he's building relationship. Mhmm. That time, he wants them to be in relationship with them, so he asked them, do you have anything to eat? In other words, he gives an opportunity for them to give something to him. We we gotta we gotta make sure that we are in a space where we are willing to give God something instead of always receiving something from God.”

43s

#YouHaveSomethingToGive

“Jesus is doing, he's saying, I want you to realize and see that you have something to give even if it's just a piece of fish. Yeah. Every one of us in here right now, I don't care where you're from. I don't care what your Bank of America say. I don't care what your Chase debit card, bank account say. All of us got something to give. Don't care where you've come from. Don't care the mistakes that have been given. Don't care if you ain't got the the boss on the job. You ain't got the title or the letters behind your name. All of us have something to give, God. No matter how small it may seem, all of us got something you can give the Lord.”

37s

#MinistryOfTouch

“The whole the whole point, there's a ministry of touch, and that's why COVID was so bad. Because there's something to be said about a handshake, something to be said about a pat on the back. There there's a gift of touch. You gotta you gotta you I understand you got disease, germs, and all these stuff. You gotta be careful. But I do wanna make the point that there is something in the power of touching. Why is that? Because if I touch you, it means that I'm in close proximity to you. Yeah.”

36s

#IsThisYouLord

“God often does things that we do not understand and shows up in ways that don't make no sense, and I get them. They say, well, we don't know what this is. I've been in that place where I had to say, lord god, is this you? Because this is looking kinda scary. The the the chips is stacked up against me. The odds are not in my favor. Lord, it's kinda scary. Is it you? That's where they are. They they they they they are in a space of fright and fear, and and he he says to them that they say, we we we we all know what this is.”

52s

#FearIsRealNotShame

“Oftentimes, we are in spaces in our lives that we are always trying to overcome our own selves. The fear of being embarrassed, the fear of losing, of rejection, of inadequacy. And these are all fine thoughts. And I know you say, Lord, don't give the spirit of fear, and I agree. But do you know fear is brought up in the bible over and over and over and over and over again because it's a real thing? And so I don't want to over spiritualize the fears that we have in our lives.”

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