Hear the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3jOqQud
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.” 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. (John 20:19-31 New International Version Bible)
A blessed Monday of joy and peace to you, Friend, and all the ConCafe Family! I pray this finds you rested or on the way there after this Easter Holiday weekend. I pray that God was glorified in your heart and spirit and that you experienced the Risen Lord among you. I pray that our connection with Jesus continue each and every day in our worship, work, play, rest, and all that we do. May we continue to pray for one another; pray for our brothers and sisters in need; prayers for peace in the Ukraine.
The entire Resurrection event was a supernatural one. Jesus coming back to life was not expected, and for many, not believed. Death up until that point was a point of no return. Everyone dies, but no one is supposed to come back to life. The resurrections that Jesus performed with Lazarus, with the widow's son, Jairus' daughter, were prembles of what was to come in His life. And the story we just heard was to further prove the power of God in Christ to defy nature. The atmosphere in the place known as The Upper Room was tense. Fearing the Jews and their thirst for blood from any and all who were associated with Jesus, they believed they could easily be next, and so we see that the door to that room is locked. Jesus enters the room without having to unlock the door and knowing the fear was in the room, He speaks to it by saying, "Peace be with you!" And to address any doubt they may have had about the resurrection, He shows them His hands and side. The hands held the nails and thus the open wound on them; and His side had been pierced by the Roman soldier's sword. It was an invitation for all to behold Him as He was after all He endured. Nothing could have said Doubt Be Gone more than this appearance. But, as always happens in families, work settings, and many other settings, one of the 11 left, was gone. It was Thomas. Yes, he of the same fame we know him by, Doubting Thomas. He of international repute among the Indian people who came to faith in and through him. St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis is the long-lasting tribute to the offspring of such believers in India; Mr. Danny Thomas. You see kids, many of the boomer remember the show Father Knows Best in which Danny was the star. Years before he became an actor, he was broke and struggling with doubt and so he prayed to Saint Jude, the saint of lost causes. As a result of that answered prayer, Danny started this hospital for sick children in honor of the saint. Evidence of a Christian faith that has held deep in that life.
Yet for this pasage, Thomas shows up as most would say, a day late and a dollar short. He does not believe his brothers in the faith when they said Jesus had appeared. In fact, as we read, he defiantly says, "Unless I see the nail makrs in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." Ouch. Honestly, he was saying what many of us might be thinking too had we been in the same position. And one week later, and again, through locked doors, there is Jesus saying again what scared believers needed to hear, "Peace be with you!" And coming straight to Thomas He says, "Put your finger here; see hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas is convinced by these word and declares, "My Lord and my God!" No more doubt! Doubt has been replaced by faith and a declaration of faith in Jesus as Lord and God.
Jesus says to Thomas, and to us as well; "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." So, if you believe Jesus rose from the dead, you are blessed! And this means you have also accepted the joy and responsibility to tell others about His resurrection. As the passage ends we hear that this appearance is among "many other signs" Jesus performed in the presence and benefit of the disciples. These, I would remind you, are not recorded in this book of John. But the ones that are serve to help us believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name," Amen.
PRAYER: Loving Father, count us among the believers and those blessed by faith. Help our numbers grow, help our opponents shrink; chief among those doubt and misgivings we may have. Help us be bold about our faith in helping the weak, and converting the nonbelievers; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Show your faith to those who need to see faith in action.
Receive my blessings of grace and hope!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
