Devotion for 3 April

A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily prayers this week. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin for 3 April 2016.

GOSPEL READING John 20:24-29 (English Standard Version)

24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although 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, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Devotion: Seeing is believing.

Thomas was such a skeptic that his nickname “doubting Thomas” is still in use in our language 2000 years after this event. We still don’t have agreement with theologians whether Thomas actually touched Jesus’ wounds to convince himself that he was seeing the resurrected Messiah. The Gospel’s author John, chose to leave out this detail and we won’t debate it here. What is remarkable is that verse 28 uses a double pronoun [“my”] to talk about Thomas’ strong personal confession of faith. Also of note, is that to call another human the deity names in the Old Testament: “Lord” and “God” were blasphemy to the Jews of the time. Thomas had witnessed Jesus’ death and now he was convinced of the resurrection and he makes this profound confession.  We will repeat our Easter prayer this week.

We pray: “Lord, fill our hearts with the knowledge and comfort of Your empty tomb. Amen”