 | Despite the locked doors, there He stood, glorious in their midst, bringing peace where there had been only fear. |
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| Instead of rebuking them for cowardice, He breathes upon them the Spirit of mercy and commissions them to be ambassadors, indeed instruments, of His Divine mercy. |
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| Sinners, called to bring other sinners the Good News of mercy.Sinners, called to console others with the same consolation that they have received from the One without sin. |
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| Thomas proudly insisted on empirical evidence that he could personally inspect to his own satisfaction. |
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| So eight days later the Master once again defies the barred doors and appears in their midst. |
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| Jesus invites him to sate his appetite for proof and probe His wounds. |
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| Thomas decides not to explain, not to defend, but simply to surrender. |
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| Thomas’ confession of Jesus’ divinity can be seen as the climax, the punch-line, of the entire Gospel of John, a fitting confirmation of its very first verse: “the Word was with God and the Word was God” |
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| But he rises to the occasion to confess even more–that His master is not just Lord, but God. |
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| But eventually, brutal emperors dropped their pretensions, abandoned their pride, and confessed the very same faith as the formerly doubting Thomas. |
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| “the power that has conquered the world is this faith of ours |
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| It was the Spirit He breathed on them that Easter afternoon that had empowered the ten to believe and become themselves ambassadors of faith and mercy. |
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| Thomas was once known as the doubter.But he and his fellow doubters came to be called “the believers.” |
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| That should give us hope.If we desire it, the Spirit will strengthen the drooping hands and weak knees of our own imperfect faith to make us effective ambassadors to a skeptical world. |
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