John 20:19-31 (NRSV)
Read John 20:19-31 on biblegateway.com
Verse 19When 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." Verse 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Verse 21Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Verse 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Verse 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Verse 24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. Verse 25So 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."
Verse 26A 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." Verse 27Then 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." Verse 28Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Verse 29Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Verse 30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. Verse 31But 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.
Devotion
Three times in our gospel reading, the resurrected Jesus shares the words, “Peace be with you”—first addressed to the disciples locked fearfully in an upper room, second when he sends them in mission out into the world, and third when he encourages Thomas to believe by touching his crucifixion wounds.
We too can be strengthened by the knowledge that Jesus gives us the words of peace time and time again. We share the gift of peace of the risen Jesus with our troubled world when we follow Jesus’ command to go with the power of the Holy Spirit to be messengers and doers of peace. Doers of peace are vital in this time with war raging in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world. We can go fearlessly knowing that Jesus goes before us to proclaim God’s peace.
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Prayer
God of peace, be with us in these troubled times when there is so little peace. Let us go forth, fearlessly, to be the messengers of peace, remembering Jesus’ words of peace to his disciples. Amen.