The Leadership ChallengeSample

Challenge 39

JESUS, ESTABLISHING THE STORY

READ: Luke 24:1–35

After Jesus’s death, His dejected, frightened, and confused followers return to their homes and occupations. They had stakes everything on Jesus and now He is gone. Luke tells the story of a pair of these disciples. As they walk on the road to Emmaus, a stranger joins them and asks them some questions that engage them in conversation. They do not know that He is the resurrected Jesus and are shocked that He doesn’t appear to know about recent happenings in Jerusalem. Describing the events surrounding the crucifixion, they reveal to Him their dashed hopes. Rebuking them as “slow of heart,” Jesus explains to them the Scriptures—from Moses to the Prophets—and what they reveal about Him. He brings them into God’s story by helping them understand that recent events were not the end but the fulfillment of what preceded, and the beginning of a new story! They and the world would never be the same. Leaders need to establish and become a champion for the team’s story, to provide a positive narrative of where the team has come from, where they are, and where they are going. The team needs to feel that they are part of something beyond themselves and to sense that what they do matters. As leaders we must establish this bigger picture for those we lead.

How do these disciples describe their reaction to listening to Jesus retell the story? What are ways you can be a champion for your team’s story?