Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – John 20:11-29
Set – Jeremiah 36; John 20
Go! – Jeremiah 26, 35-36; John 20
John 20:11-29
11 Mary, however, stood outside the tomb sobbing, crying, and kneeling at its entrance. 12 As she cried, two heavenly messengers appeared before her sitting where Jesus’ head and feet had been laid.
Heavenly Messengers: 13 Dear woman, why are you weeping?
Mary Magdalene: They have taken away my Lord, and I cannot find Him.
14 After uttering these words, she turned around to see Jesus standing before her, but she did not recognize Him.
Jesus: 15 Dear woman, why are you sobbing? Who is it you are looking for?
She still had no idea who it was before her. Thinking He was the gardener, she muttered:
Mary Magdalene: Sir, if you are the one who carried Him away, then tell me where He is and I will retrieve Him.
Jesus: 16 Mary!
Mary Magdalene (turning to Jesus and speaking in Hebrew): Rabboni, my Teacher!
Jesus: 17 Mary, you cannot hold Me. I must rise above this world to be with My Father, who is also your Father; My God, who is also your God. Go tell this to all My brothers.
18 Mary Magdalene obeyed and went directly to His disciples.
Mary Magdalene (announcing to the disciples): I have seen the Lord, and this is what He said to me . . .
19 On that same evening (Resurrection Sunday), the followers gathered together behind locked doors in fear that some of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem were still searching for them. Out of nowhere, Jesus appeared in the center of the room.
Jesus: May each one of you be at peace.
20 As He was speaking, He revealed the wounds in His hands and side. The disciples began to celebrate as it sank in that they were really seeing the Lord.
Jesus: 21 I give you the gift of peace. In the same way the Father sent Me, I am now sending you.
22 Now He drew close enough to each of them that they could feel His breath. He breathed on them:
Jesus: Welcome the Holy Spirit of the living God. 23 You now have the mantle of God’s forgiveness. As you go, you are able to share the life-giving power to forgive sins, or to withhold forgiveness.
24 All of the eleven were present with the exception of Thomas. 25 He heard the accounts of each brother’s interaction with the Lord.
The Other Disciples: We have seen the Lord!
Thomas: Until I see His hands, feel the wounds of the nails, and put my hand to His side, I won’t believe what you are saying.
26 Eight days later, they gathered again behind locked doors; and Jesus reappeared. This time Thomas was with them.
Jesus: May each one of you be at peace.
27 He drew close to Thomas.
Jesus: Reach out and touch Me. See the punctures in My hands; reach out your hand, and put it to My side; leave behind your faithlessness, and believe.
Thomas (filled with emotion): 28 You are the one True God and Lord of my life.
Jesus: 29 Thomas, you have faith because you have seen Me. Blessed are all those who never see Me and yet they still believe.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
What does it take for you to believe? For Thomas, he wanted to see the nail prints in My hands and the slash of the spear in My side. The other disciples saw Me and described what they experienced when I came to them behind closed doors, but Thomas just couldn’t take it in. He would not let his mind wrap around the idea that I could overcome death even though he saw Me raise others from the dead.
But what about you? Will you need to see Me bodily before you believe? I hope not because at My next coming it will be too late. My next coming ushers in the final battle and the resurrection of all My faithful followers. Those left behind will find conditions pretty deplorable. My Spirit will not remain and hopelessness will be the new catch phrase for those who do not go with Me to paradise.
So I urge you to look around. Examine the world around you and imagine a world without God, without Me. How would all of the things around you come into existence without Me? Just how would it happen? You might want to think about a “Big Bang” but what was there before a big bang? Me! See I created the world and all that is in it. Yes, there are some terrible things happening all around the world and yes, I allow them to happen. But I didn’t want it that way. It was your choice. I let humanity have freedom in your moral choices.
Unfortunately, often you made the wrong ones despite My teaching and pleading with you. You thought you were smarter than Me. You thought the consequences I laid out didn’t apply to you even though I clearly told you what would happen when you disobeyed Me. But you didn’t believe Me. You didn’t think I knew what I was talking about.
So now you’ve seen the truth of My message through generations. You’ve seen the proof of My coming to live alongside you. You’ve seen My adversary try his best to destroy Me to no avail. You’ve seen that I have already conquered him and it’s just a matter of time until I carry out the rest of his judgment and banish him to his prepared pit forever. What else do you need to believe I am who I say I am? What else will it take to turn you from a doubting Thomas into one who believes and cries out as he did, “You are the one True God and Lord of my life”?
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.