When
therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day
of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith
unto them, Peace be
unto you. And when he had said
this, he showed unto them his hands and his side. The disciples
therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. Jesus therefore said to
them again, Peace be
unto you: as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them,
Receive ye the Holy Spirit:
whose soever sins ye forgive,
they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins
ye retain, they are retained. But
Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when
Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen
the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the
print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not
believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and
Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in
the midst, and said, Peace be
unto you. Then saith he to
Thomas, Reach hither thy finger,
and see my hands; and reach hither
thy hand, and put it into my side: and be not faithless, but
believing. Thomas answered and
said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Because
thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are
they that have not seen, and yet
have believed. Many other signs
therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not
written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have
life in his name.
John
20:19-31
Thomas,
known infamously as “Doubting Thomas,” refused to believe in the
Resurrection until he had seen the risen Savior with his own eyes.
When he saw Jesus alive, he addressed Him as, “my Lord and my God!”
Thomas had become a believer.
Jesus
told Thomas that those who believe without seeing will be blessed.
We have not seen the resurrected Christ with our own eyes, but we
have the account of His resurrection left by those who did witness
it. John concluded this account with the words, “these
are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.”
My
prayer on this Easter is John's prayer – that you would believe in
the living Savior and that, by believing, you would have life!
Happy
Easter!
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