Lesson 10 – Jesus Appears to Thomas

We, like Thomas, doubt what we can’t see. Through His Spirit, God gives us eyes of faith that we might see Jesus in Word and Sacrament and believe in Him..

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Discovery Guide and the Lesson 10 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover shows how the artist sees Jesus talking with Thomas. Also paper and pencil or crayons will be needed.

Read the Faith Words on page 4 of the leaflet.

Listen to the hymn  "I Am Jesus' Little Lamb”

God Speaks

The disciple Thomas often has a nickname. Do you know it? "Doubting' Thomas”

Why did he get that nickname? He didn’t believe that Jesus was alive.

This lesson is about what took place on Easter evening (John 20:19-23) and eight days after Easter (John 20:26-28). The disciples are still in Jerusalem.

Read John 20:19-31 then answer the questions on page 2 of the leaflet.

 

When does this event take place? Easter evening. Jesus rose from the dead early Easter morning; then, He went to speak to His disciples in the evening.

• What did Jesus show the disciples? He showed them His hands and His side. Why would He have done that? Jesus showed the disciples His scars so they would recognize that He was really who He said He was.
• How did they react to seeing Jesus? They were glad to see the Lord.
• What did Jesus say after He breathed on the disciples? "Receive the Holy Spirit."
• What does Jesus say will happen if the disciples forgive the sins of anyone? "lf you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld". Jesus gave the disciples authority to forgive in His place, to offer people Christ's own forgiveness of their sins. This is why pastors today forgive sins "in the stead" of Christ. That means that they are forgiving sins as Christ's representative-they stand among us as Christ would, forgiving our sins and assuring us of God's love.

• Which disciple was not there on Easter evening to see the resurrected Jesus? Thomas
• What did he say about believing in Jesus? Thomas said, "Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe". What is Thomas relying on here-his own reason or faith? His own reason. Thomas sinned by relying on instead of believing in his Savior. He doubted that Jesus rose from the dead. He doubted that Jesus was truly God. What does Jesus do for Thomas? Jesus shows Thomas His hands and His side. He addresses Thomas's need without judging him.
• What was Thomas's reply to Jesus' invitation? "My Lord and my God!"

After Jesus allowed Thomas to see His hands and side, Thomas uttered a wonderful statement of faith. He called Jesus his Lord and God. Thomas doubted that Jesus was alive before he saw the resurrected Jesus, but after he saw Him, Thomas's doubt melted away, and in its place, he expressed great faith.

The Holy Spirit strengthened Thomas's faith. Thomas could boldly proclaim, "My Lord and my God!" Thomas was blessed, but more "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" .

Why, according to John, is this story about Thomas included in his Gospel? The miracle of

 Jesus' resurrection and all these events in John 20 are written by John as inspired by the Holy Spirit so we may believe in Jesus Christ and have eternal life.

We Live

We might have trouble believing one another because we know that we are all sinners, and we, like Thomas, doubt what we cannot see. Through His Spirit, God gives us eyes of faith that we might see Jesus in His Word, believe in His resurrection from the dead, trust in the promises attached to the Lord's Supper and Baptism, and believe in Him. When we have doubts, the Holy Spirit moves us to repent and ask God to help us in our unbelief. Because of Jesus, God forgives our sins of doubt and worry and helps us to trust in our Savior, Jesus.

Solve the math problem on the Adding it Up Student Page at the end of the lesson.

The answer is "Peace be with you."

Our sin blinds us from believing in Jesus as our Savior. Because of our sin, there is no peace. The Holy Spirit gives us eyes of faith to believe that Jesus died and rose for the forgiveness of our sin and for our salvation. Three times in John 20, Jesus told the disciples and us, "Peace be with you." We have peace in Jesus' presence-in the Word and Sacraments. We are assured of forgiveness through Jesus' death on the cross. The Holy Spirit promises to strengthen our faith in the Word and Sacraments.

Complete the Faith as a Gift activity on page 3 of the leaflet.

The Holy Spirit works faith in us through God's Word, through the Lord's Supper, through Baptism, and through God's forgiveness announced to us in the Absolution.

People in Jesus' day might have used the rooftops to create extra living space, the kind of space where Jesus and His disciples would have celebrated the Passover meal together when Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper and where the disciples gathered after the resurrection when Jesus appeared to them.

Read through the first portion of page 13, entitled "Rooftop Dwelling" in the Bible Discovery Guide.

What do you think it would have been like to live on your rooftop in those days? The houses were built differently in that climate. The roofs of our homes are usually slanted.  But the flat roofs in Jerusalem actually created a nice place to sit and rest, in much the same way we might use our patios or decks today.

Finish reading the remainder of page 13.

What did some people do with their upper rooms in Jerusalem? They rented them to people who came for the Passover festival.

Look at the map of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus on page 3 in the Bible Discovery Guide. Find the possible location of the Upper Room.

Note: Although it's not completely clear, it is speculated that the disciples met the resurrected Jesus at the same Upper Room where they celebrated the first Lord's Supper, just four days before this event.

Closing

On page 4 of the leaflet:

• Review the Key Point of this lesson.
• Read the Bible Words.
• Read the Prayer. 

Listen to the hymn  "I Am Jesus' Little Lamb” again.

Prayer: Dear Savior, You are divine and omnipresent. You are our God, and You are with us always. Please forgive us when we doubt You. Strengthen our faith by feeding us with Your Word. Help us remember our Baptism and rejoice that You have made us Your children and have washed away our sins. As we confess our sins, help us to trust Your Word of forgiveness spoken through our pastors. Help us, like Thomas, to say of You that You are our Lord and our God. In Your name we pray. Amen.