GRIEVING THOMAS: Perhaps Thomas was not Skeptical, but Sorrowful. John 20:27-28.

One vivid memory of playing Jesus on stage is the rush of activity inside the different tombs—lifting white robes from hangers and throwing them on, tying things, adjusting my hair or wig (depending on the year), and some years, pulling a black Sharpie out of my pocket. The Sharpie was for drawing nail holes in my wrists—the more ragged the better. Then I would adjust the various garments and step out of the grave on cue.

Immediately, Jesus is confronted by Thomas, pulls up his sleeves to show his wrists, and the two have a moment.

You know the story: ten disciples had told Thomas Jesus was alive, but he was having none of it.

“Until I see the nail prints in His hands and put my finger into His side, I will never believe!” John 20:25.

Thomas had doubts, but he had more—bitterness, the grief of a lost friend and lost dreams. It was a crushing blow. Thomas is too hurt to think clearly.

Perhaps the name “Doubting Thomas” should be changed to “Grieving Thomas.”

To me, he is not so much an overly rational skeptic as he is a deeply emotional man who has just buried the Man he hoped would change the world.

Jesus understands and seeks out Thomas personally.

“Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and touch my side. Be not unbelieving, but believing.”

Thomas responded, “My Lord and My God!” John 20:27-28.

Sometimes our hurt keeps us from faith. Shattered dreams leave us afraid to hope. And let’s be honest—bitterness feels good. To wallow in your hurt, your injustice, your entitlement to that which was taken from you—it feels good to tell yourself you’re special, that you have a right to your bad feelings, to your self-centeredness, your self-worship.

But Jesus offers something better. Himself. Maybe the others did not need to see His hands and feet or to touch His side. But He offered it to Thomas.

What does Jesus need to offer you before you will believe?

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YOU CAN WRITE. 1 John 2:12-14.

Most of those who wrote the Bible probably did not know they were writing scripture. They wrote histories or song lyrics or letters without knowing their words would be read for thousands of years in the greatest best-seller of all time.

But why write? John, one of the more poetic, “writerly” writers, gives answers. He says, “these [miracles] have been written so you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing, you may have life in His name” John 20:31. John writes so readers will be saved.

Then John adds that as a writer, he is limited: “But there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I suppose even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” John 21:25. (That’s a lot of miracles!)

His letters add more insight:

“We are writing these things so our joy may be complete” 1 John 1:4.

“I am writing so that you may not sin” 1 John 2:1.

“I have WRITTEN to you, children, because you have come to know the Father. I have WRITTEN to you fathers, because you have come to know the One who is from the beginning. I have WRITTEN to you, young men, because you are strong, God’s word remains in you, and you have had victory over the evil one” 1 John 2:12-14.

“I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” 1 John 5:13.

Could you ever be a writer? No? Neither could John! He was NOT a writer, he was a fisherman. When Jesus met him, he was mending nets.

Why would a fisherman pick up pen and paper? Based on the passages above, the reasons John became a writer are: 1) So readers will be saved; 2) for the joy of sharing the message; 3) to discourage sin; 4) to encourage people; and 5) so readers could have assurance of their salvation.[1]

God, never let us believe that we cannot write, or that you cannot use us—we surrender our reading and writing to you.

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[1] John also wrote Revelation. But each reference John makes to his writing of the book of Revelation indicates that he was told what to write, for example: “He who sits on the throne said, … “Write, for these things are faithful and true” Revelation 21:5. John does not speak of his personal motivation the way he does in his other books.

GOD CARES ABOUT THE LITTLE THINGS. Acts 12:7-8; Philippians 4:6.

Sometimes we don’t pray about the “small stuff” because we don’t want to bother God. But God has infinite time—and there is no “small stuff.” (Or rather, to an infinite, omnipotent God, there is no big stuff.) God made ALL of life—He knows you need clothing, food, water, shelter, medicine, that new toothbrush—and a hundred other things. God cares about the small stuff, including clothing, shade, food, and shoes:

When Adam and Eve sinned, God provided clothing: “The Lord made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them” Genesis 3:21. When Jonah was discouraged under the blazing sun, God raised up a plant to “shade his head and provide relief from his misery” Jonah 4:6. When Elijah ran for his life, God sent an angel: “And the angel said, ‘Get up and eat.’ And there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals and a jar of water” 1 Kings 19:5-6. When Peter was in jail, an angel woke him: “Quick, get up! Get dressed and put on your sandals. Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” Acts 12:7-8. The angel understood a man’s need for clothes and shoes. I like to think about that—God knows you need shoes and a warm jacket.

One motif tying together Jesus’s final days seems like more small stuff: meals. But Jesus took meals seriously. First came the Last Supper, where He transformed the Old Testament Passover into a New Testament sacrament. Then He explained the scriptures while walking to Emmaus, an amazing account that ends with Him praying over a meal, Luke 24:31. Ten verses later, He meets 11 shocked disciples and says, “Let’s eat” v.41. A few days later, the disciples were fishing (catching nothing) and He filled their net with 150 huge fish. Then He said, “Come and have breakfast,” and Jesus fed a dozen men a meal He had cooked for them on the beach. Finally, He ascended to heaven, where He is preparing for us the Greatest Wedding Feast of all time.

God cares about the things we think are trivial—food, clothes, broken shoestrings, daily errands—all the little hassles.

SO PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING!  Philippians 4:6

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CAN YOU READ? Luke 24:45.

Reading is easy, right? Children pick it up early and love books. Some even become “million-word readers.” Then parents give them phones and their reading level hits a plateau. (Okay, it’s not that simple: research says texting is actually good practice for low-level fundamentals, but too much “screen time” becomes a problem later, slowing or preventing the development of deeper reading comprehension skills.)

Still—everyone THINKS they read well. It’s not true.

Many read—many can interpret written symbols and sound-out the words and sentences they represent. But true comprehension requires the mind to go so much deeper, to grasp a deep river of thought, often following several “idea currents” at the same time.

Whether non-fiction or fiction, reading requires a good memory of what has come, the ability to anticipate what is coming, and the ability to move easily from one plot line and set of characters and symbols to another, while keeping some attention on all the other people, plots, ideas, and symbols.

Reading well is a sophisticated task.

And the Bible is a sophisticated text.

While its books contain many passages that are “easy reading,” they also contain many that are difficult. Consider the number of people who have started reading the Bible, versus the number who have actually finished. Lifeway research says only 9% of Americans claim to have read the whole Bible. It is a challenging read.

But don’t go it alone! The Holy Spirit will help you. When Jesus spoke to the men on the Road to Emmaus (great story!), the Bible says:

“He opened their minds to understand the scriptures” Luke 24:45.

Ask Jesus to OPEN YOUR MIND! He will. Frankly, the God-fearing Jews of Jesus’s day were wrong on many issues. They were literate, skilled readers. But until God blessed them with salvation and the Holy Spirit, they did not understand.

Jesus, OPEN OUR MINDS TO UNDERSTAND the scriptures.

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ABLAZE. Luke 24:32.

After Jesus had what must have been an amazing conversation with two obscure disciples on the seven-mile walk to Emmaus, He entered their house as if to spend the night. At the meal, He took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread—and suddenly the men recognized him. Then He disappeared. And what did they say? This must have been the most amazing moment of their lives, right? They saw the Resurrected Messiah—in THEIR HOUSE!

“They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32.

The Holman translation says:

“Weren’t our hearts ABLAZE within us while He was talking with us …?

This is a clue to help us recognize God’s voice: Is your heart ablaze? People are always saying they heard God say this or that. People who NEVER pray, who don’t even believe in Jesus, will tell stories about times when God told them this or that. God certainly CAN speak to anyone. But people often give God credit for things He did not say. How do I know? Because God would NEVER say something that contradicts His word.

TIPS on how to know God’s voice:

  1. Read the Bible. When you are spending time in the Word, He is speaking to you. That is the #1 way to learn His voice.
  2. When you face a fork in the road and need God to show you His will, lay down ALL your options. Make yourself truly willing to accept ANY answer from God. Only THEN will He speak.
  3. If you have ANY doubts, tell God and keep waiting. Say, “God, I’m listening, but I need you to make it more clear. I’m not sure.” It our job to listen; it is His job to speak clearly—but you MUST be patient! WAIT ON THE LORD.
  4. Is your heart ABLAZE? No, I mean really—the way it was for these men in Luke 24? If your heart is on fire as if God is scorching words into your heart with a white-hot branding iron, well, then that might be God’s voice.

*Remember—God will NOT contradict His word!

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ON THE ROAD. Luke 24:25-27.

One of my favorite unrecorded conversations happens on the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24.

After the death of Jesus, two followers were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were debating about all that had happened and Jesus began walking with them, but His identity was concealed. He asked what they were talking about and they were shocked. “Are you the only one in Israel that does not know?” And they told him about the prophet they had hoped would be the Messiah, but the Romans crucified Him. The dead man had said He would rise on the third day, and some women claim to have seen Him, but we don’t know what to believe. And Jesus said,

“‘Oh, foolish men, slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Don’t you understand that the Messiah had to suffer these things?’ And beginning with Moses and the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in the scriptures” Luke 24:25-27.

I wish I could hear THAT podcast! Can you imagine? Jesus explaining the Old Testament and the way all of it points to Him, that the Messiah had to die, and that some prophecies point to His first coming—as a Suffering Servant, others to His second coming—as a Conquering King. This was a revolutionary understanding of scripture, and who could have explained it better than Jesus? After Jesus revealed Himself (and disappeared) the two men walked right back to Jerusalem to tell the others!

That night Jesus appeared to the eleven and—

“He opened their minds to UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES” Luke 24:45.

Ask Him to do that for YOU! And for me, for all of us!

We need Jesus to open our minds to understand His word. Some of the deepest thoughts in life are in the Bible—you need God to help you understand it. ASK HIM. Pray for wisdom. Read the Bible, of course, but don’t forget to ask God to bless you and teach you things as you read. Have you read it today?

Read Luke 24.

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The Incredible Story of the Emmaus Road. Luke 24:13-35.

There is an amazing scene in the book of Luke that reads like something out of a spy novel. After Jesus’s resurrection, He appeared to a pair of His followers as they were traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus (a 7-mile walk)—but they did not know who He was. He asked what they were talking about and they said, “How do you not know? These things are all anyone is talking about!” (I’ll include the whole story because it’s so good.)

And He said to them, “What things?”

And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.

But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive.

Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”

And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”

Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.”

So He went in to stay with them. When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.” Luke 24:13-35.

Can you imagine that conversation on the road? A seven-mile walk with Jesus and He spends the whole trip explaining the Old Testament, and all the prophecies and how they were fulfilled in this first coming of Christ, and the other prophecies foretelling a future second coming of Christ. (He came first as the Suffering Servant, the Son of Man who is the Sacrificial Lamb of God; He will come a second time as Reigning, Conquering King.)

What an amazing conversation! Oh, to have been a fly on the wall! Imagine how many sermons have been built on truths He explained that day. Surely Paul and Peter and John and all the apostles studied for the rest of their lives the truths Jesus explained during that one hour.

Pray. Ask Jesus to give you more love for the Bible, a hunger for His Word. Ask Him to help you read it, study it, love it, and memorize it. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to submit yourself to the authority of God’s Word.

Ask Him to teach you the same way He taught those two men on the road to Emmaus.

What an amazing story!

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HE IS WITH YOU ALWAYS. Acts 17:22-28; Matthew 28:20.

Do you ever feel alone? Have you ever felt abandoned by God?

One of the last things Jesus told His disciples was: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20. If you are a believer, He promises that He is always with you. But it is interesting—God is also with NON-believers—whether they realize it or not.

Consider the Greek world of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle—thought leaders in a culture that alternated between philosophies and idol worship including the entire pantheon of Greek gods. Paul walked through Athens and “his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was filled with idols” Acts 17:16. Later that day in his sermon to the philosophers of Athens, Paul argued:

“Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it—He is Lord of Heaven and Earth and does not live in shrines made by hands…. He Himself gives everyone life, and breath, and all things…. He is not far from each of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being, as even your own [Greek] poets have said, ‘for we are His offspring’” Acts 17:22-28.

He gives EVERYONE life and breath and “is not far from us. In Him we live and move and have our being.” –And these are LOST PEOPLE! God is so near the lost that He supplies their every breath.

As one of God’s children, you should never feel alone. Jesus promised to be with you ALWAYS. He is with you EVERY MOMENT.

Thank God that you are NEVER ALONE. Ask Him for faith to believe He is with you, even when you can’t FEEL Him.

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THE COMFORT FOR EVERY ACHE. Psalm 22:3; 1 Thess. 5:16.

Do you know the wonder drug for hurting hearts? The universal cure that can replace grief with JOY? There is something you can DO.

When life dumps you into an ocean of sorrow, you can sink or you can swim. You swim through worship. How? You lose a loved one, and go off somewhere to sing “ever be on my lips, ever be on my lips”? Or you lose your job, so you turn on the radio: “you never stop working, never stop…”

Music might help. But singing can be passive and it is easy for your mind to wander. When you are dying inside, use your own words. Speak to God. Tell Him about Himself and His greatness:

“God, I trust you. You love me! You died for me. You have a perfect plan for my life.” And when key scriptures come to mind, quote them through your tears: “I KNOW that my Redeemer LIVES! And that in the end, He will STAND upon the earth… And in my flesh I will see YOU! I will see You with my own eyes!” Then go on talking about God’s attributes, because worship (from two words, worth & ship) is attributing to God His WORTH, giving Him credit, recognizing Who He is, how Great He is, how LOVING He is:

“God, you are Holy, you are the Creator of the universe, you are in TOTAL CONTROL of this situation, nothing happens that you did not allow. I know that you will cause all things to work together for good in my life. Thank you for loving me! I praise you because you are here, and the darkness trembles.”

Make praise part of your day, like prayer and Bible reading. Tell God His traits even when you are NOT hurting.

“Rejoice always.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16.

“He inhabits the praise of His people.” Psalm 22:3 (God will SHOW UP and dwell in your praise.)

Nothing will fill your life with DEEP JOY more than giving God your praise and your thanks.

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The Role of Praise. Psalm 100.

Christians know they should pray. Most of us confess sins now and then. We talk about reading, studying, and memorizing the Bible.

But do you think about PRAISE?

The Book of Psalms reminds us that we are here to praise God, and when we spend time praising Him, it blesses Him and it blesses us. I once visited a pastor in his hospital bed, and he got excited talking about it: “Did you know that YOU can bless GOD? The Bible says, ‘Bless the LORD, oh my soul!’ [Psalm 103:1.] We all want God to bless us, but it’s time for us to bless GOD!”

God draws near when you praise Him.

“The Lord inhabits the praise of His people” Psalm 22:3. Consider Paul and Silas—singing to God while bound in prison. God showed up and they were miraculously released, Acts 16:25-26. When we praise God, we are drawn closer to Him.

Praise can be singing, but praise can also be talking to God, telling Him how great He is—which will also remind you! Read the Psalms aloud. Talk to God through those words of praise, through 150 chapters, 150 lyrics. God must value praise—the longest book in the Bible is this book of praise. Psalm 23 may be best known. But the second most popular may be Psalm 100, a psalm often read from the pulpit during the worship portion of church services:

Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

Know that the Lord He is God:

It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise:

Give thanks to Him and bless His name.

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting;

And His truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100.

Now read the psalm again—read it to yourself, but also read it to God, talking to Him through these words, praising Him for His many great attributes.

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