First Baptist Church Ottawa

Our Online Church School Lesson - April 7, 2024

Just Believe - John 20:19-29

Today’s Scripture: John 20:19-29

Today’s Theme: Just Believe

Opening Prayer: Dear God, thank you for allowing us to gather here today to learn more about Jesus. Please help our ears to listen, our minds to learn, and our hearts to love as we hear the stories of His work. Amen.

Today’s Lesson: In last week’s lesson, we read from the Book of Mark about the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’s body was placed in a tomb on a Friday, his friends mourned him on Sabbath Saturday, and then three of his women devotees discovered the miracle of his resurrection on Sunday morning. You might remember from our reading that the women did not tell anyone about what they found at the empty tomb. They remained quiet because they were afraid. Even though they believed in Jesus as their Saviour, they still had enough doubt about the truth of his resurrection that they chose to keep the information to themselves at first. Their fear and doubt held them back, just as a stone slab in front of a tomb would hold back mortals who wanted to go in, or mortals who wanted to come out.

Today’s lesson continues to describe the events of Resurrection Sunday and how Jesus encouraged his disciples to cast aside their own doubts and fears and to truly believe in him as the Saviour of humankind. This process required the showing of Jesus’s wounds to his disciples before they were convinced that he really was the Risen Christ. And this display had to repeated again for the benefit of Thomas the following week. Once Jesus removed these obstacles of doubt, however, the disciples could not be stopped on their path of spreading the teachings of Jesus far and wide:

John 20:19-29:

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.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 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.”

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.”

Have you ever had doubts or questions about Jesus and Christianity, or about anything else, for that matter? Sometimes it can be challenging to know what to believe or trust. How can you make sure that things are true?  Or can you?  It can be challenging to believe or understand Scripture at times. Doubting is healthy and natural but there is an element of faith that involves trusting God without having every fact. The story to explore in this lesson involves someone who doubted the Resurrection, but reminds us that we are called blessed when we believe without sight.

Despite the testimony of witnesses and the words of Jesus Himself, the disciples were still not quite certain that He had risen from the dead. In fact, they were hiding out in fear when Christ came to them. Notice the first thing that Jesus does: He calms their anxieties and invites them to be at peace. He shows them His hands and side to prove that it really is Jesus, not a ghost or a strange vision, but the Messiah. Jesus again reminds the disciples to have peace.

What brings you peace? Have you ever felt extremely nervous about something, and then somehow been calmed?  

Jesus gives further peace with this comforting Holy Spirit assurance. He breathes on them and grants the power to forgive and be forgiven. Surely this was a comforting and remarkable moment for the disciples as they not only saw their Lord alive again, but received His strength and authority to forgive. However, one of the followers was absent. We don’t know where Thomas was. Maybe he went out for supplies. But he didn’t see Jesus when the others did, and refused to believe.

Thomas was a skeptic. He might have thought he was doing the right thing in having suspicion, or perhaps he was just stubborn. But he was also demonstrating a lack of trust in others and ultimately in Jesus. He demanded proof. Sometimes we demand proof, too, and that’s okay. Some things do need to be certain and proved. However, part of our faith involves trusting in God without absolute proof. We don’t always have the answers we want or hope for, but we can still rely on God. That’s what faith means, ultimately, “the assurance of things unseen.” We may or may not always have feelings that we think should have, but we trust in God’s power and work in our lives.

Where do you think faith comes from? Can we increase our own belief or force others to believe in Jesus?

Thomas missed out, but Jesus humored him, in a sense. The Lord allowed Thomas to see Him and touch Him. At the end of this passage, though. Jesus calls Thomas out, to an extent, for believing only by sight. He then says “blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” This “blessed” number would include us! We have not seen or touched Jesus in the flesh, but we do believe in Him.
Even our faith comes from God. It isn’t something that gets left behind in a lost and found. Nor is it a thing we can conjure up on our own, drawing from some deep inner well of belief. We rely on the Holy Spirit to grant belief. It’s not just up to us. We can pray when we struggle, and even if we don’t feel emotionally drawn to God, we can ask for help with our doubts and unbeliefs. We can pray also for those around us who might be facing challenges with faith.

How would you respond if someone asked you why you believe in Jesus, or who you believed Him to be? What would you say if faced with a peer who claimed that we cannot prove Christ’s life or resurrection?

The final words of this chapter close the Gospel by reminding us that Jesus did even more than we can know or imagine.

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  -John 20:30-31

Why is it important to believe in Christ and His work? What would you do if you felt uncertain about your faith?

Remember that doubt is acceptable and normal. In fact, it is better to doubt and then return to God than to go through the motions without authenticity. In times of struggle, it’s important to talk things over with trusted adults like parents or leaders, and maybe even with other friends. Know where to look to search Scripture. Research if needed. More than anything, pray and humbly come to God, trusting in Him for strength and for faith.

Closing Prayer: Dear God, thank you for helping us move out of doubt and for encouraging our faith. We ask for your help so that we might trust and believe without sight. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.