Ask a crowd of people, “Who is Jesus?”, and you are likely to get a host of responses. Some will call Him a great teacher, still others will call Him a gentle philosopher, and yet there are those who will call Him a fraud and a charlatan. The real question this Easter Sunday is not, “What do others think about Jesus?” The real question is, “What do you think about Jesus?”
In John 20:19-28 (NASB95) we read about some of the post resurrection appearances of Jesus. The Bible says, “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.’ But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’ After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
Thomas couldn’t imagine that Jesus was alive after He had been crucified and left in the grave for three days. But when Thomas saw the nail prints on the hands of Jesus, the place where the spear had entered His side, and heard Him say with His own lips, “Look at my scars and do not doubt but believe,” Thomas cried out, “My Lord and my God!”
Listen, when you see a man heal the sick, walk on water, change lives, and THEN rise from the dead, calling Him teacher, rabbi, or prophet just isn’t enough. Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!”
So, what do you think of Jesus? What do you call Him? Do you call Jesus, “My Lord and my God,” as Thomas did? Furthermore do you treat Him as your Lord and your God? Or is Jesus more of a heavenly servant you summon when a need arises in your life? I hope you see Jesus for who He is. The Christ. The Lamb of God. The Alpha and the Omega. The First and the Last. Immanuel. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Good Shepherd. The Bread of Life. The Savior of the World. The Chief Cornerstone. The Light of the World. Prince of Peace. Faithful and True. The Word of God. The Judge of all the World. My Lord and My God.
Thomas was never the same after that encounter with the risen Christ. Church historians believe Thomas “carried the Gospel as far as India.” Tradition then says that Thomas was martyred for his faith and preaching. A spear was thrust through him and he was buried on a small hill near Chennai, India.
Little did Thomas know when he placed his hand on the scar in the side of Jesus that one day he would have his own scar to match the Master’s. A scar that bore testimony to the truth of Thomas’ words, “My Lord and My God.”
When we come to see Jesus as “My Lord and My God” we will want to love and serve Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Our Lord and our God is worthy, dear friends. He is worthy of our best. May God bless you and yours on this Resurrection Sunday.
Bro. Shep