Do you every find it hard to believe everything you hear? We watch TV, or YouTube, and videos are computer generated or made with camera tricks. Sometimes people just lie. We wonder whether we can believe even what our parents, teachers, or friends tell us.
Jesus' disciples had the same problem. If you remember, last week we talked about Jesus' resurrection on the Sunday after his death on the cross. We learned that the women had gone to Jesus' grave to take care of his body, but found out that he wasn't there. Amazingly enough, they were not told that his body had been moved, but that he wasn't dead anymore!
Well, while the women were going to Jesus, His disciples had locked themselves in a room because they were afraid of what the religious authorities would do to them. After all, Jesus had been killed, and the disciples were known to be with Jesus, so they could be in trouble too! What happened next is kind of amazing. Jesus somehow appeared in this locked room without going through the door. Watch:
This video is a portrayal of our scripture for today, John 20:19-29.
I'd like for you to notice what happened. The disciples who were in the room tried to tell their friend, Thomas, what had happened. Of course, he didn't believe them! Would you? First of all, they thought Jesus was dead, and second of all, the door was locked! No one could have gotten in.
The great thing to me is what Jesus did next. He didn't say "Oh well, Thomas. You missed your chance. I guess you're not much of a disciple, are you? You can probably forget about going to Heaven now." Instead, he came back the same way a second time, appearing out of thin air in front of Thomas, and invited him to touch him and prove that he was real.
Do you know what this means? It means that Jesus understands when we doubt things. He understands that it's hard to believe. But it also means that he will keep trying. He's not going to give up on us. If we can't believe what one person says, He will keep sending other people to tell us about himself. People aren't perfect, but He is. He won't let imperfect people mess up His plan for us.
The last sentence of verse 29 says: "The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!" Does that mean that people who doubt can't be blessed? No. But we shouldn't make a point of doubting. It might seem like a good idea to wait for proof, but we will be losing time if we do that. Jesus is ready to bless you now. If you don't yet believe, pray and ask Him to show himself to you! He wants you to believe and be blessed.
Here's an online Easter word search for you! Click on the locked door!
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