The Resurrection Part 2

About This Week

This week continued our look at the resurrection in the Gospel of John. Last week, the disciples found an empty tomb. This week, we met two disciples who struggled in different ways after Jesus died: Thomas, who would not believe without proof, and Peter, who was carrying the weight of having denied Jesus. In both stories, Jesus meets them.

The big idea: faith does not demand that God prove Himself on our terms. Faith trusts what God has already revealed.

Passages: John 20:24-31, John 21:1-14

What Was Taught

How hard is it to convince you?

We opened with a question: are you hard to convince, or easy to talk into things? Some of us get set in our opinions and need a lot of evidence, plus the humility to set our pride aside, before we change our minds. It gets harder the bigger the claim is. Convincing someone of a minor fact is one thing. Convincing them of something big and controversial, like whether the moon landing happened, is another.

Then we put ourselves in the disciples' shoes. How hard would it be to believe Jesus was alive after watching Him die? Jesus had told them it would happen, and they were still shocked.

Thomas made his own rules

Thomas's name comes from the Aramaic word T'oma, which simply means "twin." That is why John calls him "the Twin."

We often call him "Doubting Thomas," but he was dealt a hard hand. He was not there when Jesus first appeared, and he had not seen what John and Peter saw at the tomb. When the others told him, he said he would never believe unless he could see and touch the nail marks and the wound in Jesus' side.

Thomas made his own rules. He would only believe if he saw it with his own eyes, and he put the burden on Jesus to make the move. Eight days later, Jesus appeared in the locked room and showed Thomas His hands and His side. There was no question this was the same man who had died. Thomas answered, "My Lord and my God!"

Then Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Do we put God in a box?

Many people say, "God, show me You're real," or "God, if You do this for me, I'll believe." When we do that, we put God in a box and tell Him to dance. The God of the universe owes us nothing, yet He gives us everything. He has already given us the greatest demonstration of His love in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Our faith was never meant to depend on God doing what we want. We may never touch His hands or see His side, but we have the testimony of those who did. Faith does not demand that God prove Himself. Faith trusts what God has already revealed.

Why John wrote it down

In John 20:30-31, John speaks almost directly to us and tells us why he wrote his Gospel. Jesus did many other signs that are not recorded. Think of the Avengers: we only have a handful of movies, but we can assume those were not the only missions they ever went on. What John did write, he wrote so that we would believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and have life in His name.

• Nothing is missing. What was written is what was needed. The Bible is not missing anything.
• It is eyewitness testimony. These words were not written as mere historical reference. They are testimony to the living God.
• The evidence holds up. We have four Gospel accounts of the same Jesus that agree, and thousands of manuscripts that carry these accounts with little difference between them.

The Gospel is not just about knowing more about Jesus. It is about believing in what He accomplished. So the question is not, "Can I see Jesus with my own eyes?" The question is, "Will I believe what God has already revealed about Him?"

Breakfast on the beach

In John 21, several disciples went back to what they knew: fishing. Put yourself in Peter's shoes. He had denied Jesus three times, and he was likely still grieving it. The disciples went out to support their families, lay low, or just pass the time, and they caught nothing all night.

At daybreak, Jesus stood on the shore and told them to cast the net on the other side. They caught so many fish they could not haul the net in, 153 large fish, and yet the net did not tear. Peter jumped into the sea to get to Jesus.

On the shore, Jesus had a fire going with fish and bread. He did not discipline Peter for his failure or ridicule him. He invited them all to come and have breakfast. None of them asked who He was. They knew it was the risen Jesus.

This is the Gospel, for them and for us. Without Jesus, we wander. When we try to do life our way, even the ordinary parts, we come up empty. Jesus is our path. He gives us meaning, shows us how to live, and most importantly, saves our lives. When we follow Him, He provides what we need.

Talk About It at Home

These are the questions your student discussed in small groups:

1. Why do you think Thomas had such a hard time believing that Jesus was alive?
2. Have you ever had a hard time believing something until you saw it for yourself?
3. What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and actually believing in Jesus? Why does that difference matter?
4. What are some areas of your life where you tend to say, "I can handle this myself"? How do you usually end up?
5. After everything Peter had done, Jesus still invited him to sit down and eat with Him. What does that teach us about how Jesus treats us when we mess up?

A few easier openers if you want to start smaller:

• Are you someone who is easy to convince, or pretty stubborn? What about me?
• What did you think about Thomas? Would you have reacted the same way?
• Why do you think Jesus made breakfast for His friends instead of giving Peter a lecture?
• Is there anything you've been trying to handle on your own lately?

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