April 26, 2020 Scripture Lesson

Scripture Lesson                               April 26, 2020                                     John 20: 19-31

20:19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."[A]
20:20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.[B]
20:21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."[C]
20:22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.”[D]
20:23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."[E]

20:24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.[F]
20:25 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."

20:26 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."

20:27 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."

20:28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

20:29 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."[G]

20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.

20:31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.[H]

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[A] Jesus passes through locked doors to be among the disciples.

[B] What Jesus shows to the disciples is exactly what Thomas is going to demand to see. 

[C] Jesus uses this language a lot through the gospel of John, from Father to Son to disciples and back again.

[D] When I read this, I was reminded of God breathing on the dirt from which Adam was formed, bringing it to life at the beginning of Genesis.

[E] This is the basis of a theological position called “Apostolic authority”, by which churches throughout history have claimed Jesus’ authority over people.

[F] He is known to Sunday School kids everywhere as “Doubting Thomas”.  We do NOT know whose Twin he was.

[G] I have always looked at this verse as referring to the later generations of the church, like ourselves, who did not have this moment directly.  But I also think of the women who came to the tomb and believed before Jesus appeared to them, as in our Easter Passage.

[H] This is NOT written as an “unbiased” historical account.  John is presenting a historical, faith-based truth.  Jesus is Messiah, Jesus is Son of God, believing in him we may have life eternal.  Amen.

Rev. Peter Hofstra