Late on the first Easter Sunday, after the Lord had risen from the sepulcher, ten of the disciples gathered for the evening in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem (John 20). They were afraid and probably confused. Since their leader had been crucified by the Roman power, as organized by their own Jewish leaders, they feared that now his followers might also be hunted down and punished. They closed and locked the doors. Were any of the women there? The story does not say, but Peter and John were, who saw and talked with the angels that morning, and the stories of the women were known. Some time must have been spent wondering and perhaps arguing - was He really alive? How could they know it was really Him? This kind of thing, coming back to life after you’re dead, this doesn’t happen in this real world, there must be some mistake!

Then two of the followers, not of the twelve, but the two that had gone to the village of Emmaus, came in, excited and bursting with their news. They had seen Him! They had walked with Him for seven miles and He had told them wondrous things! They had only recognized Him when He broke bread and ate with them. "Don’t doubt us, it really was Jesus!"

And then as they all talked and argued, there He was, standing with them in the room. "Peace be unto you," He said, and He showed them His hands and feet and His side, where he was wounded. He calmed them, and told them that just as he had come down to mankind, so they must go out and teach to all people all the true things that He had taught in the years He was with them.

It was these truths about how to live one’s life that were saving, not the disciples themselves. These saving truths have the power to remit or retain sins, because they were from the Lord, the disciples only transmitted them from the Lord to those who would listen and take them to heart. Then He breathed on them - representing His holy spirit - so that they would not only want to pass these truths on to people, but would also be given the words to say whenever the times came. And then He was gone again.

Thomas was not there that night. We don’t know why. And Thomas, when he heard the story, just could not swallow it. "Except I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe", he said. (John 20:25.)

The next verse tells us that the next Sunday they gathered again, and that Thomas was present this time. As before, the Lord was suddenly there, saying again, "Peace be unto you", and then directly to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger… and reach hither thy hand… and be not faithless but believing". Now Thomas's response was, "my Lord and my God". It seems as if the Lord came this time just to convince Thomas, because it was Thomas who needed Him.

I think He does work this way. I am reminded of another story, from the gospel of Mark (Mark 9:17-27) where a father comes to Jesus with a young son who is possessed by a devil, and asks Jesus to cure him, and is asked in turn: "Do you believe I can do this?" In Mark 9:24 the father responds. Crying out, he said with tears, "I believe, help thou my unbelief."

I think many people have this conflict between lingering doubts and a desire to have the doubts taken away. If we carry on and make our decisions in life as if the doubts were indeed gone, then indeed they will lose their strength and actually will be gone.

These are the only details given of these two meetings in Jerusalem. Chronologically the next post-Easter stories are the ones that take place in Galilee.

John does go on to say at the end of his gospel "...many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God...." (John 20:30-31). Perhaps there were more post-Easter stories that weren't written down, but the ones we do have are strong. For the disciples who were involved, there was an unstoppable impact from the life and teachings of the Lord, and His crucifixion, and physical death, and now - in these stories - His resurrection. Hearing the Lord's charges to them, these Galilean fishermen and their colleagues launch out into the wide world, and work to achieve the Great Commission, enduring hardships and persecution, and succeeding - probably beyond their wildest dreams!

14. 12. The Word was with God, and God was the Word; and all things were made by Him. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men; He was the true Light which lighteth every man: and the Word became flesh (John 1:1-14).

This was He who was before me, for He was prior to me. Of His fullness we have all received (John 1:15-16, 27, 30).

No one hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son of God, who is in the bosom of the Father, hath made Him manifest (John 1:18).

Whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose (John 1:27).

The Son of man which is in the heavens (John 3:13-14). Light has come into the world. He who does evils hates the light (John 3:19-20).

He that hath the bride is the bridegroom. Spoken concerning Christ (John 3:29).

He came from heaven and is therefore above all (John 3:31). Spoken concerning Christ.

The Father gave not the Spirit by measure unto Him; the Father gave all things into His hands (John 3:34-35).

Jesus says that He is equal to the Father; in various places (John 5:18-23). That He quickeneth, and that He hath life in Himself, etc. (John 5:21, 26-27).

The bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world (John 6:33). He is the bread of life (John 6:35, 50-51).

Not that any one has seen the Father, save He who is with the Father, He hath seen the Father (John 6:46).

Jesus said I am the light of the world; he that followeth Me shall have the light of life (John 8:12; 9:5, 39; 12:35-36, 46).

Jesus said, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:56, 58). He came into the world that the blind might see, and that they which see might become blind (John 9:39).

Jesus said, I and the Father are one (John 10:30).

The Father and He are one (John 10:30).

He is in the Father and the Father in Him (John 14:10-11; 10:38; Philippians 1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:3).

That ye may believe that the Father is in Me and I in the Father (John 10:38; 14:10-11).

He that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me (John 13:20).

Jesus said, Believe in God, believe also in Me (John 14:1).

Jesus is the way to the Father (John 14:4-6).

He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).

Jesus said, He that seeth and knoweth Me, seeth and knoweth the Father (John 14:7-9).

If ye shall ask of the Father in My name, I will do it (John 14:13-14).

Jesus said, Because I live, ye shall live (John 14:19). He and the Father will make their abode with them (John 14:21, 23).

God and Christ [mentioned] together; that I and the Father will come to him (John 14:23). I and the Father are one (John 10:30).

He that hateth Me hateth My Father (John 15:23-24). All things that the Father hath are Mine (John 16:15). Jesus goes away to the Father (John 16:5-7, 16-17, 29), which is to be united to Him.

They should pray in His name, I say not that I will pray the Father for you; the Father Himself loveth you because ye have loved Me (John 16:26-28). He often says, In His name.

I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again I leave the world and go to the Father (John 16:28-31). Jesus said, the Father had given Him power over all flesh (John 17:2).

Jesus will give to them eternal life (John 17:2) also, the Son from the Father.

God and Jesus Christ [mentioned] together, namely that they both know each other (John 17:3).

Father glorify Thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify Thee. Now therefore do Thou, O Father, glorify Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was (John 17:1, 5).

N. B. Arcanum. By "to glorify" is meant to unite the Divine Truth with the Divine Good in the Human. The Lord in the Father from eternity was the Divine Good and thence the Divine Truth, wherefore when He descended He was the Divine Truth from the Divine Good; a reciprocal union, or that of the Divine Truth with the Divine Good, was effected by the Lord in the Human while He was in the world: and it was accomplished successively, especially by redemption and by the fact that He did the will of the Father, and then fully by the last temptation, which was that of the cross, for temptation unites. Then was accomplished the reciprocal union of the Divine Truth with the Divine Good, thus the Father and Son are one, thus one Person like soul and body. All Mine are Thine and Thine are Mine, but I am glorified in them (John 17:10).

I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified in the truth (John 17:19).

That they may be one in Jesus as the Father is in Him (John 17:21-23).

Thomas said, my Lord and my God (John 20:28).