Eastertide

April 11, 2021

Scripture Reading:
John 20:19-31

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.‘—John 20:24-29

Thomas would have been an empirical scientist today. He wanted to see the facts of Jesus’ Resurrection. Jesus understood Thomas and responded by showing him the nail holes in Jesus’ hands and the place where the spear stabbed him in the side. Thomas gets a bad rap for wanting proof. We need to remember that upon receiving the news that Lazarus had died, Thomas was the one who said we must go and die with Jesus if necessary*. Thomas loved Jesus with all his heart.

God created diverse people because a wealth of wisdom is required to properly care for the earth while living together within a loving framework. I learned a lot from studying the Myers-Briggs personality types. Sixteen different types are identified from combining various traits. There are other such tests, but most conclude that it takes a wide range of skills working in harmony to maintain a peaceful society. I think that achievement is what Jesus promised and described as abundant life.

Living together in community requires us to learn to love and trust one another. Evil wins by divide and conquer. It studies our weaknesses and pounces on them. Jesus admonished us in Matthew 10:16, See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  Jesus called us to be one. To do that, we must intentionally turn the energy of evil into a power source of love. Maintaining our relationship with God is fundamental in accomplishing that feat.

Prayer: Lord, fill us with your love and light as we work to replace evil with love. Amen.

*John 11:16

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.