Signs and Wonders

John 20:19-31:

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to 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 into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Blog:

We hear in the Gospels how They (the Gospels) were written so that we, “may come to Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this Belief [we] may have life in His Name.”  Wow…let that sink in for a minute.  The Holy Spirit is letting us know that everything written in the Bible is so that we “may come to Believe”.  What a Gift!  But it’s a Gift that must be opened by us or It will just remain an unopened Gift underneath a Christmas tree.  You see, the Bible is a great Book to have lying around our homes, but, if all It does is serve as a decoration, It remains just that; a decoration.  The Gift (the Bible) from our Eternal Giver needs to be opened by the earthly receiver in order for It to be enjoyed; for It to be absorbed; and, for It to change us.  We have lots of beautiful Bibles around our home.  But my favorite one is the one that I open each day to spend time getting to understand and know the Gift a little better a little bit at a time.  You can tell just by looking at a Bible if it’s being read or not – you’ll either see a Book that looks brand new or One with a worn binder and pages showing their age by the number of times they’ve surely been turned.  So, if we find our Bibles a little too dusty or a little too pristine, it’s time for us to start marinating in the Word of God.  While the Bible is but a brief glimpse into the magnitude of Who Jesus Christ really is, It has all of the answers and will lead us to the path of Eternal Life with Him.