Written ~ 10-07-2023
John 20:19-29
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, 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.
29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.”
What an incredible scene! Just three days before, the disciples had seen their beloved friend and teacher hanging on a cross, He had just died in a horrible and painful way. They were devastated and they also feared for their lives because they followed Jesus. To be in their shoes, you would have to imagine one of your loved ones being dragged away, innocently, and put to death right in front of you. The disciples are overwhelmed, confused and fearful. Let’s look at this scene… the disciples are sitting together locked away in a hidden room, praying, consoling each other and suddenly Jesus is standing there in their midst! Can you imagine the shock? As they sat there dumbfounded, it isn’t surprising the first words from Jesus needed to be “Peace be with you.” The gasp of astonishment, everyone standing quickly to their feet and the clamor of everyone talking all at once would have been a little chaotic! They were looking into the eyes of their beloved friend, they could see the wounds in His hands and side. The happiness and joy must have been explosive! It doesn’t say how long Jesus was with the disciples, but it was long enough for them to know and to realize He had risen from the death just as He said He would.
Thomas was not there when Jesus had visited the other disciples, so when he heard their account of what had happened, what he had missed, he didn’t believe them. Thomas needed proof. He needed to see and touch Jesus himself before he would believe.
Thomas symbolizes anyone today who doubts, anyone who doesn’t believe. Are you one who does not want to believe there was a man named Jesus, who came to earth from heaven and is the Son of God? Are you one who is not yet sure about believing in a man who died on a cross, rose again three days later and provided Salvation from sin and death? Proof is needed. Well… let’s take it from Thomas! When Jesus said to him, “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!” What was Thomas’ response? “My Lord and my God!”
I realize it could be difficult for some to believe in something they cannot see with their own eyes or touch with their hands. But what does Jesus say to Thomas? “Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe.”
The key verse to our reading today is John 20:29…
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.”
Look at that last sentence… “Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.” These few words from the mouth of Jesus refers to us! Any of us who have chosen to believe, with faith in our hearts and minds, that Jesus Christ IS who the Bible says He is, we fall into the “blessed” category of those words! Awesome!
Do you want to believe even without seeing Jesus face to face? Ask Jesus to show you His presence in your life, even if you can’t see His physical body, He will show you who He is, you just need to open your eyes to what He is showing you.
Many of us reading through these Scriptures have already made the decision to believe. We have put our faith into the fact that Jesus is real, we believe He is the Son of God. We know without any doubt that He came to earth with one purpose, that purpose was to die for our sins. We also have put our faith into the fact that after three days He rose from the dead, forever shattering the hold sin and death had over us. For those of us who have put our trust in the Lord, we don’t have to search any longer, we don’t need to seek other theologies, other religions. Why? Because we have a relationship with Jesus, He has become our everything! Once Jesus enters your life as Lord and Savior, there’s no turning back! He fills the unbelief with courage! He fills the doubt with hope!
Do you want to believe? Do you want to enter into a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you ready to set your doubt and unbelief aside and trust? If so, today is your day. Don’t talk yourself out of it! Asking Jesus to come into your life, is the greatest gift you could ever receive! But you won’t know what you are truly missing if you don’t humble yourself and allow the Lord to show you that He is real.
The following is a prayer of Salvation. You know it’s time. You’ve been fighting this decision long enough. Come, just as you are, ask Jesus to come into your life.
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you! And just as Jesus said, “Peace be with you.”
~AMEN~