April 17, 2025
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Lenten readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Lent 2025 – Day 28 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Last Forty Days
Read Sections 6.5 through 6.8 (pages 186-190)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
Certainly this was an incredible thing they were seeing and hearing about. The appearances of Jesus must have been shocking but actually expected if they had remembered Jesus’ words telling that this would happen. Thomas provides us a great faith lesson here. He needed to see and touch Jesus in order to believe. True faith is believing without seeing. We hear His words and we believe but sometimes, like Thomas, we struggle with that. Not that we struggle to believe there a is a God and that He sent His Son to die, but we doubt He is with us in our hard times, we doubt that He can move the mountains in our lives that seem so hard, we say we believe but we turn to other things and other voices because in our hearts we have limited God and put Him in a box. We need to have true faith that He is always there and we can do ALL things with Him.
Thank you, Kelly! I’ve been struggling with this!
The 2 disciples. There’s so much in this. Looking at the events in the past few days from a worldly perspective. To begin with they were heading the wrong way. Too focused on their disappointment and feelings to recognize Jesus. Same as many today. Jesus opened up the scriptures to them about himself. Starting a burning in their soul. Jesus tests them by heading away and they respond correctly. Jesus is at their house. And he is serving. Let that sink in.
Doubting Thomas. Greater is he who has not seen me but believes. So many people today as scripture says could have a relative return from the dead and still not believe. All that has been written is enough. My 2nd love in my life has always been the ocean and all it has to offer. Fishing at a very early age As a believer many times have I prayed Lord bless me as I cast to the other side of boat. Nope! Love Peter. John sees the risen Lord. Peter hears jumps out of boat and swims 100 yards in excitement to see Jesus. Like to think I would have done the same. No other religion can compare with the excitement to come before a risen savior at any time. Correction. Those are religions. This is a relationship with the true eternal God.
Amen, Mark!
Lent Day 28
They Explained to Jesus that they had looked in the tomb and realized he was not there. It
was just as the women had told them.
The 2 men you are foolish and slow to realized what is true. You should believe everything the prophet said. They had said that the messiah must suffer these things. Before he begins his time of glory, he then explained to them. And talked about what the prophet said about him. When Jesus appeared again, the doors were locked. Yes, as they were fearfull of the Jewish leaders, Jesus said to them peace be with you.
Jesus asked them. Why are you troubled? Why do you doubt what you see? Look at my hands, my feet, it’s real you may touch me. You can see that I have a living body.
Actually showed them his hands and his feet and the side.
Again, he said peace be with you. It was the father who sent me and I am now sending you in the name in the same way. Then he breathed on them and said receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, your sins are forgiven. If there is anyone who sins you don’t forgive your sins are not forgiven. Thomas did not believe any of this had happened. He said he would need to see the palms of his hands, the feet and his side.
Jesus appeared again to Thomas.Put your fingers here, look at my hands.Put your hand here in my side stop doubting and believe. Thomas said my lord and my God. Jesus said blessings belong to the people who believe without seeing me. This was the third time Jesus appeared to his followers after all the fish were brought in.
And Jesus said come eat.
This was the third time Jesus appeared to his followers after he was raised from the dead..
Lent Day 28
Lent 2025 – Day 28
Day 27 and Day 28
Lent 2025 – Day 28
”Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.“
Luke 24:30-32, 44-48 NKJV
Jesus ties it all together. He explains the purpose of his death and resurrection. I often wonder how much prophecy we are misunderstanding that will be fulfilled very differently than we expect…and yet still be perfectly accurate. I’m thinking about this now as people say, “we are in the end times”, but no one is referencing any clear “signs”. I’ll just keep watching and waiting for Jesus.
These stories of Jesus’ appearances are truly amazing. What great confirmation that He is actually alive. It is interesting to consider why these followers were kept from recognizing Jesus. Did Jesus want to hear how they internalized everything? Did He want them to believe what He said without knowing who was saying it? Regardless, how amazing and regretful when Jesus reveals who He is and then disappears. They very much regretted not recognizing Him sooner. And I guess we can all understand Thomas doubting but all those doubts go away when Jesus appears before him. And I just love Peter’s enthusiasm to see Jesus and am amazed that Jesus already had fish cooking. Just goes to show that Jesus doesn’t need to fish to have fish.