Easter Monday: Jesus offers purpose and a hopeful future

We've come to the end of John's gospel and the end of the Easter 2025 blog. 

So what happens after the resurrection? On the first day of the week, Jesus has met Mary Magdalene. Yet the disciples are skeptical of her eyewitness account.

Then Jesus approaches the disciples in a personal and loving way, affirming that he is alive and that he still cares about them. Now they have a story to tell -> Good News for the whole world. This will spread and transform history.

The resurrection of Jesus will render public sacrifices and temple rituals obsolete. The disciples will be persecuted and sent into foreign lands. And history will mark the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as a pivotal event.

What a gracious way to give his followers purpose and next steps. Jesus tenderly speaks his peace and comfort over the shell-shocked disciples. He gives them hope and an assignment: go tell everyone what you have experienced, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’

> Sometimes it's easy to respond to Good News. "Jesus is alive!!"

> But at other times, our pragmatic or traumatized self demands proof beyond faith. Does Jesus condemn Thomas or us for that? No. Our God of mercy provides the evidence we need to get unstuck and move forward.

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’

But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’

Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’

Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’

> John wraps up his eyewitness account with the purpose of his gospel (or "good news").

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

> Do you believe? Do you have life in his name? If so, rejoice in your salvation and determine to follow him and share the assignment of the disciples: tell the Good News everywhere you go.

> If you have further questions about what it means to know and follow Jesus, please contact me. I'd love to chat with you.
> If you followed this Lenten journey, I'd appreciate your comments and suggestions. 

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