What was Monday Morning like for the disciples, after the resurrection? I’m not sure….scripture doesn’t give us much clues on what went on in those days immediately after the resurrection. Or, if it does, I am ignorant of where to find the information. Tonight I have been scouring John 20 and 21 again.
I know I brought this up yesterday in my post, but I want to expand on it a bit further tonight for my own thinking. Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus showed himself to them on “the first day of the week” (Resurrection Sunday?). We don’t know where Thomas was. But I think that he wanted to be alone. His hopes were dashed. He wondered if he had wasted his time believing something that wasn’t truth. He needed to be alone. He needed to look at the sky and think. Maybe, like me, he needed to sort out his thoughts on his “board” in his mind.
But 8–count them, 8 whole days later, he is back with the disciples. Did some of them persuade him to join them that night? Was he curious about their reports of seeing Jesus? Was he seeking truth for his own soul? They were gathered in a locked room, and yet Jesus appeared amongst them and said “Peace be Unto you.”. Honestly, I don’t know what I would have thought at that moment. But Jesus knew Thomas’ heart, He heard Thomas’ soul, and approached him first of all, inviting him to place his hands in the scars on his body. Jesus then told Thomas “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Wow.
And Thomas’ response? “My Lord and My God!” He needed no other proof, no other evidence. It was there. It was there and it was undeniable.
In the same way, my changed life was the evidence I needed to be able to say “My Lord and My God.” To hear my Savior say “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Oh, I still struggle with doubt, with cynicism. But I know that My Lord and My God are truth. And what is preached and what is done in missions work and what is done in outreach and building relationships and worship is done for truth.
