John 20 (NRSVue)
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.” 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.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 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.”
Trust in Christ is fuel for transformation.
Here are some questions for discussion:
1. Where do you see yourself in this week’s passage—in the waiting or the questioning? What kinds of experiences have shaped your beliefs? If you were in that room, what questions would you be carrying with you?
2. The doors are locked, yet Jesus is present—what might this say about barriers or the removal of barriers? What kinds of barriers (physical, emotional, intellectual) appear in this story? How are they challenged and where do they seem to persist?
3. Living your belief can look different for each of us. It’s not just taking a seat in that chair, it can be much more. How does your belief manifest in the way you live your life day to day? or in a bigger picture of your life?
If you’d like to dig a little deeper, consider the following:
1. Jesus responds directly to Thomas’s exact words when he appears to him. How does that kind of specific response shape trust? What changes when someone feels completely seen, even in their doubts?
2. Jesus spent His ministry time preaching non-violence and radical love, the disciples all professed a verbal confession and performed agreement but still were unsure when it mattered most. How might His death at the hands of Rome have lead to (more) doubt? How did His return erase those doubts? How impactful was it for the disciples, and for you today, that Jesus remained peaceful?
3. Thomas’ journey looks different than the other disciples, what does this suggest about individual paths within a shared faith? How should community hold space for different timelines of belief? What tensions might arise when people move at different speeds?
4. After a week they were still in the house. Has there been a time in your life when your faith instructed you to wait before stepping out? What were you waiting on before you stepped out?
For further contemplation, consider these prompts:
1. In verse 29, Jesus says, ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ This speaks directly to future believers—including us. What kind of faith—and even what kind of access—is envisioned for those who will never physically see Jesus?
2. For their whole lives the disciples were instructed in the faith in one way but Jesus came to turn that upside down in a few short years. Consider the amount of belief needed to deconstruct all you know and reconstruct a new understanding. Has there been a time in your life when you had to radically rethink what you had been taught?