easter 2 year b - john

John 20:19-31

¹⁹When 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 Judeans,

               Jesus came and stood among them and said,

                    “Peace be with you.” 

²⁰After Jesus said this,

     they showed them their hands and their side.

          Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Sovereign. 

²¹Jesus said to them again,

     “Peace be with you.

          As the Parent has sent me,

               so I send you.”

     ²²When Jesus had said this,

          they breathed on them and said to them,

               “Receive the Holy Spirit. 

                    ²³If you forgive the sins of any,

                         they are forgiven them;

                    if you retain the sins of any,

                         they are retained.” 

²⁴But Thomas

     (who was called the Twin),

          one of the twelve,

               was not with them when Jesus came.

     ²⁵So the other disciples told him,

          “We have seen the Sovereign.”

     But Thomas said to them,

          “Unless I see the mark of the nails in Jesus’ hands,

               and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in Jesus’ side,

                    I will not believe.”

²⁶A week later Jesus’ 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.” 

     ²⁷Then Jesus 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.” 

²⁸Thomas answered them,

     “My Sovereign and my God!” 

²⁹Jesus said to him,

     “Have you believed because you have seen me?

          Blessed are those who have not seen

               and yet have come to believe.”

³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of their disciples,

     which are not written in this book. 

     ³¹But these are written 

          so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah,

               the One born of God,

          and that through believing you may have life in Jesus’ name.

Queeries for the text:
What does peace mean in the face of fear?
Is Christ actually disabled?
How bad does Jesus return-from-the-dead morning breath smell?
What was brave Thomas doing outside the fearfully locked doors?
Is Thomas the only equal-opportunity disbeliever among the disciples?
Is Thomas (who was called the Twin) blind?
Is there a greater proclamation of faith in the gospels than Thomas'?
What were Jesus' other signs?
What is life in Jesus' name like compared with regular life?

What are your queeries?