In the second appearance,
our Lord appears to Thomas. Thomas wanted the certainty of seeing his risen
Lord in the flesh, as the others had. When he beholds the wounds in the One who
was crucified on our behalf, his faith is sure, and he confesses, ‘My Lord and My God!’ Thomas’s assurance
is ours also. We need never doubt that our Lord is truly risen from the dead, ‘the first-fruits of those who have fallen
asleep.’ (1 Corinthians 15:20)
The Savior promises peace to
His disciples See John 14:27; 16:33. This peace, “which the world cannot give,”
is established by the Savior’s sacrificial death in our place. In His
resurrection our Lord distributes and bestows His peace to the disciples even
to Thomas. The Lord’s wounds (Vv.20 and 27) are the visible tokens of His
peace. Peace between God and man is now a reality. See Luke 2:14; 19:38. The peace
on earth spoken on Christmas is now fully given and received on Easter. Both
Christmas and Easter is nothing but pure Gospel.
Almighty God
the Father, through Your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ You have overcome death
and opened the gate of everlasting life to us. Grant that we, who celebrate
with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of
sin by Your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and
reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. [2]–
22 April, 2022
[1]Image of Christ appearing to St. Thomas http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/Caravaggio_incredulity.jpg
[2] Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. St. Louis
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