Post by Admin on Feb 25, 2019 22:11:33 GMT
We read a story for which Thomas is famous (or infamous) as the basis of the discussion, John 20:19-29 (NIV).
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.”
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.”
Context (from a devotional on this passage): John records this event on the evening of Easter Day. His first followers didn’t know what to make of the news Mary Madeleine told them earlier that Jesus was alive. Nor did they know what to make of what they found or didn’t find at the tomb. They were confused about what had happened that day as well as the injustice that had transpired earlier in the week. Fear filled their hearts and minds. Life was spinning around them. In the midst of the chaos and confusion of life, when people we love are hurt or suffer, when the things we’ve worked hard for are not appreciated, or we see people in the wider community treated unjustly, it’s hard to believe in God coming to our rescue, more or less, restoring our lives. What we experience in daily life gives us confidence in what we anticipate God will do at the end of our life. In our reading, Jesus being raised from the dead is difficult for the disciples to get their heads around. Thomas couldn’t comprehend what his friends told him. In many ways, Thomas was the first modern person. He wanted tangible, verifiable evidence. Who can argue with that?
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.”
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.”
Context (from a devotional on this passage): John records this event on the evening of Easter Day. His first followers didn’t know what to make of the news Mary Madeleine told them earlier that Jesus was alive. Nor did they know what to make of what they found or didn’t find at the tomb. They were confused about what had happened that day as well as the injustice that had transpired earlier in the week. Fear filled their hearts and minds. Life was spinning around them. In the midst of the chaos and confusion of life, when people we love are hurt or suffer, when the things we’ve worked hard for are not appreciated, or we see people in the wider community treated unjustly, it’s hard to believe in God coming to our rescue, more or less, restoring our lives. What we experience in daily life gives us confidence in what we anticipate God will do at the end of our life. In our reading, Jesus being raised from the dead is difficult for the disciples to get their heads around. Thomas couldn’t comprehend what his friends told him. In many ways, Thomas was the first modern person. He wanted tangible, verifiable evidence. Who can argue with that?