Place yourself, if you would, with the disciples.
Yesterday, they had seen their friend, their Rabbi, their Messiah return from the grave! Their joy was overwhelming but there was still an undercurrent of fear.
The soldiers said the disciples had stolen the body. Would anyone believe them? Would the religious leaders come to their homes with arrest warrants? Would they be hauled off to prison?
Oh, but the joy!
This morning they are having their coffee and biscuits. In their excitement, no one really took time to cook and prepare for today. I imagine them sitting around a big table, deep in their own contemplation of the day’s events, looking up and seeing their friends doing the same and the burst into spontaneous laughter.
Jesus, who had died, was alive and He had appeared to them. There are so many they need to tell of this great miracle. People need to know. Thomas needed to know.
“After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, ‘I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me.’ 22 Then he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they will be forgiven. But if you don’t forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven.’
24 Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn’t with the others when Jesus appeared to them. 25 So they told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’
But Thomas said, ‘First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won’t believe unless I do this‘!” John 20:21-25 CEV
But let’s not be too hard on Thomas. For we often express some of the same doubt when it comes to things of the Lord. We doubt the things we haven’t seen or those we can’t understand. And, in spite of our doubting, Jesus meets us where we are and reveals Himself to us in our time of need.
“ We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us. This is why we must give our lives for each other.” I John 3:16 CEV
Today’s not just another Monday. It’s the Monday after we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord! Make today a celebration filled with overwhelming joy!