At Christmas and Easter it’s common to return to passages that have special meaning for the season, and for the second Sunday in Easter, the Revised Common Lectionary takes us to the Gospel According to John 20:19-31.

You’ve likely heard the story even if you don’t remember the verses off the top of your head: Jesus appears to the disciples on the evening of Easter day, finding them terrified and hiding. 

He tells them, “Peace to you,” and then shows him his crucifixion wounds, which once were marks of terror and sorrow but which Jesus’ great power has turned into signs of hope and promise.

So, on this first day of the new world, Jesus brings pierced hands bringing peace and hope.

And — joy. Because, imagine the joy of those terrified disciples when they saw him again, real, touchable, and breathing new life into their lives — through the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

The disciple, Thomas, happens not to be there, and as the passage unfolds, Jesus will keep coming back until he connects with Thomas and gives Thomas what he needs, too — that life-changing encounter with the Risen Christ.

Traditionally, Thomas — who has gotten a bad rap by being remembered only for that moment of doubt in the midst of his terrible grief — gets most of the attention in this passage. Rather than “doubting Thomas,” we should call him “grieving Thomas.”

But, let’s go back and remember what else happens: Jesus breathes on his disciples and tells them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus is getting the disciples ready for the work that comes next in this new world that’s possible because God made it so. 

Jesus does not withhold the gift of the Holy Spirit due to fear or doubt, or to those hiding or those who denied him. 

No, if anything, the Holy One illustrates that we need the Holy Spirit even more, because we can tend to try to do it on our own. If we do that — going it alone — we can end up like Thomas, whose grief had stolen his faith and was drowning his hope.

“Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book,” the Gospel says. “These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.”

That passage is an excellent reminder of why we should be happy to revisit it every Easter — and not just at Easter, but whenever we feel our own doubt creeping in, darkening our hearts and stealing our joy.

Join us Sunday as we discuss this passage and then share fellowship and time together after worship.

We hope to see you there!