Experiencing His death and resurrection
One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name. John 20:24-31
You may be wondering what the big deal was about Christ’s crucifixion and His resurrection. From our text, Thomas, who wouldn’t believe that the same Christ who died on the cross was the same one claimed to have risen from the dead unless he actually could touch the wounds of Jesus. Now after seeing Jesus face to face, just like the rest of the disciples, doubt has been lifted. While outside the tomb, Jesus appeared to Mary who was saddened to find that the body of Jesus was not there. Jesus asked her, “Dear woman, why are you crying?” (John 20:15). Then in the subsequent conversation with her, Jesus lifted her loneliness. Jesus died for us as payment for our sins and rose again to demonstrate how important we are to Him. His death and resurrection proves that you and I matter deeply to God. He can now meet our deepest need for a relationship with Him because He’s alive. Paul knowing Christ as Lord and Savior for thirty years and yet He still cannot help to desire to know Christ more; “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead” (Philippians 3:10). This resolve transformed Paul and others in the early church. An encounter with the living Christ can give you strength and confidence like you’ve never had before. Because of what Jesus did, you can now know that there is life beyond the grave. Because Jesus died and was raised from the dead and is alive, death will never have the last word. The only way one could possibly change his or her life powerfully is to experience Christ in your life.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/1C7Jnc5
