WATCHWORD:
19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. John 20:19-28
1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. 1 John 1:1-2
Meditation:
Do You Believe that Christ has Risen?
I know that seems like a pretty obvious question to raise during this season of Easter, but there may be more to the question then what the words seem to suggest. Do you have any element of doubt in your faith walk?
There is that word, “doubt”, which calls to mind Thomas. Thomas was #12 on the list of the original apostles. The 12th man, sounds like the crowd at a football game, not in the game but witnesses to the game. He was a follower, a witness to Jesus’ ministry. He was present at the raising of Lazarus. In the Upper Room, he was the one who wanted to know the way where Jesus was going, and had the temerity to ask.
From what we know about Thomas, he was a pessimist, a practical man, and a man bewildered by his witness of Jesus’ ministry. He was a man who could not believe until he had seen, yet, he was a man of courage. He was a man of devotion and of faith.
Ask Thomas that question: Do You Believe that Christ has Risen? and we know his answer. He wants proof. He does not want to get his hopes up that his Master is alive, based on what he is told. It is too big a lift for him, he wants it to be true, above anything else. And then, just seeing Jesus alive, is enough to remove the doubt.
I think it’s a shame that we have hung the “doubting” label on Thomas. We should be thinking of Thomas as the “professing” apostle. Here, we see Thomas making the greatest confession of faith of any apostle, “My Lord and my God!” Thomas’ doubts were transformed into faith. His faith filled his life, and in the end, he was killed with a spear as a martyr for his Lord.
What about you and me? Do we have doubts? Do we need proof? Has our commitment to Christ transformed our lives? Made a difference, day to day? Can we say, with conviction, as Thomas did: “My Lord and my God!” even to the little graces and mercies that daily touch our lives?
Human nature being as it is, in the quiet of our minds, can we find a scintilla of doubt? A question? A bit of wondering? Virgin birth? Really? Restoring sight to a blind man? Are you serious? Walking on water? Yeah, right! Feeding a crowd? Hmmm! Anything? Do you believe He has risen?
The answer is YES! Yes He has risen, indeed! And we have the purity of our birth. He restored our Spiritual sight and hearing. He walks us through our most difficult challenges. He feeds us with His Word. Without the Resurrection, what do we have? Nothing, indeed! So be it.
Bulletin Board:
Can you say, with conviction: I believe that Jesus Christ, True God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns in all eternity. This is true.
Closing Prayer:
Lord we lift our hearts to you. As the dawn breaks, may we carry the unity we share into every moment knowing that we are one with the risen Christ. Lord, we lift our eyes to you. As the sunrises, may this moment stay with us, reminding us to look for the beautiful colors of promise in your word. Lord, we lift our prayers to you. As the dew air falls, may we breathe this morning in and know that like the earth, you sustain us, keep us and work within us always. And so, we lift our voices to you. We celebrate the greatest day in history, when Jesus rose from death, defeated darkness and bathed the world in stunning resurrection light. May we ever live to praise you! Amen.
