After the tomb of Jesus was found empty, his special followers were afraid that Jesus' enemies would hurt them, too. So they went into a house and locked the doors and windows to hide. They were all there except Judas, who had hanged himself, and Thomas.

As they prayed and asked God to show them what to do and to protect them from Jesus' enemies, suddenly Jesus was standing right in the middle of the group. He hadn't opened any doors or windows, he just appeared. They had heard that others had seen him, but this was the first time they had seen him themselves. Now they KNEW that he was really alive.

They couldn't wait to tell Thomas what had happened, but when they did he didn't believe them. "I know I can trust your word," he told them. "But unless I see him and touch his hands and his side, I won't believe. I really want to believe, but it seems just too good to believe that Jesus is really alive!"

Later, when they were all together in another place, Jesus appeared to them again. This time he went straight to Thomas. "Thomas," he said gently, "look at my hands; touch them. It is really me. Reach your hand and put it in the place where they put the spear in my side. Believe, Thomas. Believe and don't doubt."

Thomas fell to his knees in front of Jesus and cried, "My Lord and my God! Now I believe because I have seen."

Jesus said to him, "Thomas, you believe because you have seen me. Blessed are the ones who have not seen me and still believe."

We have not seen Jesus as Thomas did, but God will bless us if we believe in Jesus as the Son of God and obey what he tells us to do.

Copyright Ó Larry Platt - Used by permission

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Page updated 05/29/99.