Jesus With Us!

Discipleship Group Questions for April 3, 2005

Scripture:

John 20:19-31

John 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Discipleship Questions:

1. In today’s Gospel reading we see Jesus wanting to reveal Himself especially to doubting Thomas – God in flesh wants to show His “realness,” His substantialness, to this doubting world. Please reflect upon this fact and discuss it in your group.
2. Reflect upon and discuss how much Thomas is like many of us today.
3. What was it that brought Thomas to declare Jesus Christ his Lord and his God?
4. Can you see that our Lord wants to come to us – to all of us, even those who doubt and in the most practical ways to convince us that He is real – He is real – He is real – not a phantom or a fairy tale on the order of Santa Clause or Mickey Mouse – but real! Please discuss.
5. Pope John Paul II just died yesterday. In a terribly cynical world a man like John Paul was a living breathing testimony to the reality of Jesus Christ! And he was a living breathing indictment of the cynicism that would deny holiness in flesh – that would deny the reality of a real Jesus Christ. But John Paul betrayed that terrible cynicism and showed us what God in flesh looks like. And he like Jesus walked in our midst and invited people to look and see Jesus alive and well in him – Please discuss.