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Takeaways

Imagine yourself as one of the disciples after the death of Jesus, hiding out in a locked room for fear of the Jews, mulling over Mary’s account that Jesus is indeed alive. What would you feel?

Fear. Doubt. Sadness. Confusion. Distrust. Skepticism.

Then suddenly, Jesus is there—a locked door is no problem for Him—showing you His fatal wounds. What would you need?

Peace. Clarity. Empowerment.

Then imagine yourself as the disciple Thomas – you were not with your band of sometimes knucklehead friends when they supposedly saw Jesus and later were told He is indeed alive. You’ve been dubbed “doubting Thomas,” but maybe it’s not Jesus you doubt (after all, you are the only one who responded, “My Lord and My God!”.) Perhaps it’s more that you feel, “Yes, I believe Jesus can be alive – it’s you guys I don’t trust.” What would you want?

To see. To be able to trust my community. To experience the reality of Him in a specific way.

We are not so different. We

-experience trials and fear that God doesn’t care; yet when in trials, we often have even more profound experiences of His love.
-seek peace to survive in a world that is often against God.
-want to have loving, trusting relationships with other believers but may have experienced wounds and “wolf bites” in and from “church” through the years
-need His power to help us represent Him well in a confusing, angry world
-hope our prayers are answered.

But all we need is to

-pray for more of Him more than we pray for specific outcomes
-lean into His love as we suffer through hardships
-enjoy growing incrementally and not pressure ourselves to absorb all learning all at once.
-be patient and forgiving with other believers who are also growing incrementally (dealing with issues wisely but with love, patience, and forgiveness.)
-Enjoy and experience the reality of Jesus always being with us, as He was with those we studied in this passage.

The reality of Him is the most real thing of all.

Additional Scriptures

Genesis 27:36-38 – Luke 10:1-6 – Romans 8:18

Reflection Prompters

1. In moments of fear and confusion, like the disciples hiding after Jesus’ death, how do you experience God’s peace and presence in your life? How can you trust that He is with you in those times?

2. Thomas has perhaps been falsely nicknamed “Doubting Thomas.” Are you seeing him differently now? How do you respond when you’re uncertain about your faith or the experiences of others in your community? What does it look like to trust God and others when you feel skeptical?

3. We see the importance of seeking a more profound experience of God rather than specific outcomes in our prayer requests. How do you tend to pray during difficult times? Do you focus more on outcomes or growing closer to God through the experience?

4. How can we show patience and forgiveness towards other believers at different points in their spiritual journey? How does this relate to how Jesus interacted with His disciples, especially when they struggled to understand?

5. In what ways do you experience the reality of Jesus’ presence in your daily life, as He was present with His disciples in the passage from John 20? How can you cultivate a deeper awareness of His constant presence with you?