Devotional John 20: The Resurrection of Jesus and the Faith of Thomas Reflection on John 20: Jesus' appearance to Mary Magdalene, the response to Thomas's doubts, and how Christian faith does not demand blind belief. Topics: Devotional, New Testament.

Devotional John 20: The Resurrection of Jesus and the Faith of Thomas

My devotional today was on chapter 20 of the Book of John. And this was the synopsis.

Synopsis: In this chapter, Jesus rises from the dead and appears to all His disciples. Furthermore, Jesus breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Observations

These were my observations.

1. Jesus resurrected and appeared first to Mary Magdalene. This is very curious, because in that era women could not testify in court—their word was not taken seriously. Even so, Jesus, once again, decided to break society’s taboos by appearing first to Mary Magdalene. This was risky, as He trusted her and entrusted her with delivering the news of His resurrection to the other disciples. This also shows us that Jesus always loved and valued women to the point of leaving one of the greatest responsibilities with Mary Magdalene (who in the eyes of society had no credibility because she had been a prostitute). This is proof that despite the apostles being men, Jesus always loved, trusted, and entrusted great responsibilities to women. This refutes the narrative that the Bible is misogynistic and all the rest.
2. Jesus did not punish Thomas for not believing the testimonies of others about Jesus’ resurrection. This is a point that Christians should really take more seriously. For when Jesus appeared before all the disciples for the first time, Thomas was not there. Consequently, he did not believe the testimonies of his brothers in Christ that Jesus had risen. For he genuinely had doubts about the claims he heard from them. For Thomas, the only way he would believe in the resurrection of Jesus would be if he could touch Jesus’ hands and side to check if His wounds had healed. And Jesus did not reproach him for that. On the contrary, Jesus removed all his doubts by appearing before him and satisfying his requirements. Only after touching Him did Thomas fall to his knees on the ground and say “My Lord and My God”. This issue of doubts that all Christians have during our walk must be taken seriously when we perceive that they are genuine doubts and that the person is not playing a psychological game. For Jesus tried to remove all doubts (that He might share with us) that everyone had. And frequently, spiritual leaders in churches or other places are not willing or prepared to answer the questions we all have and criticize our lack of faith. This is problematic because it makes people think that we should simply believe in God blindly—which contradicts everything Jesus said. For Jesus told us that we must be careful and discreet because false prophets will come dressed as sheep but inside are ferocious wolves. In other words, we should have doubts and question things, not simply believe everything people say. Furthermore, this also drives away all those who are on the fence and need explanations and answers to draw closer to God, for Jesus also said that everyone who asks receives, who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Therefore, as Christians, we must be prepared and equip ourselves to help bring answers to the questions of all those who are interested in knowing more about the Bible and God.