Scripture: John 20:19-31
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (NIV)
Observation:
The disciple Thomas was absent from the upper room on Easter Sunday night, and hearing of Jesus' appearance, he declared that he would not believe Jesus was alive unless he could personally experience what the others had witnessed for themselves. When Jesus appeared the following week and Jesus showed Thomas what the others had witnessed. He declared, “‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” (John 20:28b- 29)
Application:
Thomas believed that Jesus was resurrected from the dead because he could experience Jesus resurrected living body for himself. On seeing Jesus, he declared that Jesus was not only his Lord, but his God. That is the highest Christological statement from a human being, Jesus is God. Then, Jesus blessed us, those who have not seen and experienced the resurrected Jesus, yet we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and God.
Prayer:
Dear Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, help us as your children to represent you in the world so that those who do not recognize you, may come to know your amazing grace and forgiving love. Help us to be witnesses of your mercy to a world who needs to see, hear and feel it, all to your glory. Amen.