John 20: 19-31
Jesus Appears to the Disciples When
it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors
of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the
Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the
disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again,
‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When
he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the
Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;
if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’
Jesus and Thomas
But Thomas (who was called the Twin),
one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other
disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them,
‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger
in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not
believe.’
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was
with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among
them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put
your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in
my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord
and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have
seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to
believe.’
The Purpose of This Book
Now Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But
these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the
Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have
life in his name.