Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 New Sunday: Jesus Christ, Our Lord and God

John 20:24-29
V28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God.”
 

The Sunday after Easter is called New Sunday. We meditate on one of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. The appearances including the one mentioned in this passage serves the following purposes:
 

  1. Confirms the reality of the resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our faith. The chief priests and elders among the Jews would do all in their power to negate the resurrection of Jesus and hence they would try to spread a story about the disciples stealing the body of Jesus (Matthew 28:13). That rumor would affect the credibility of the ordinary women and other disciples who were witnesses to his resurrection. That is why Thomas would not believe such reports even when he heard it from the mouth of the other disciples. That necessitated the personal appearance of Jesus when Thomas was present. By showing his wounds, Jesus conveys that the risen man standing before Thomas is the same Jesus who was crucified. That is the most irrefutable testimony that Thomas required. In fact, the Bible doesn’t even say that Thomas actually touched those wounds to verify it for himself. He was convinced that this risen Jesus is the same Savior that he had followed till now.
Even today this passage conveys to us the reality of Jesus resurrection.
 
  1. Heals the crisis of faith

Thomas’s doubt about Jesus’s resurrection was not merely intellectual. His relationship with Jesus was very personal. So, when Jesus was crucified, Thomas’s entire concept of how the messiah must be was broken down. He would have felt that his decision to follow Jesus and to put his faith in Jesus was all in vain. He would be very dejected with himself and with life. He would never be able to trust his anybody as his Savior or feel that its worth spending one’s life to follow the Savior. But the appearance of Jesus heals the crisis of faith that Thomas was going through. Jesus conveys the truth that, even today, it is worth trusting in Jesus as our Savior and spending our life being his disciple and follow him with all that we have. Even today, Jesus is with us in our crisis and proves to us that when we trust in Him, He will work wonders in our life.

 
PRAYER
Lord, when I face my crisis of faith help me to feel your healing touch, Amen.
 
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Where there is crisis, there is Christ.
 
Rev. Thomas John
Carmel MTC, Boston

Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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