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Mark 16:9; John 21; John 20:19-31
After the resurrection the disciples were probably thinking , "what just happened?" They saw the man they thought would overturn Rome be murdered by the Roman authorities. Their three years of dreaming about being rescued from this oppressive regime was over and now they would just go back to the lives they led before they met Jesus.
This is exactly what Satan wants to see happen to us. Once we have walked with Jesus, Satan brings doubt into our hearts. If you are a believer, Satan is out to make you doubt. Satan wants your life to be even more miserable than the person who never believed in Jesus as God and the Savior of all people who choose to follow him. Satan wants your faith to falter. Satan wants you to stop trusting God and start trusting yourself.
The rumor had spread through the country that Jesus' body had been stolen from the tomb. Shocked, sad, and burned out, the disciples did what a lot of men do, they went fishing. After and entire night of catching nothing, they started back and from shore they heard a man say, "try casting your nets on the other side of the boat." Just to give themselves one more chance so they might not have to return empty handed, they did what the stranger suggested. John 21:6 says, "All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren't strong enough to pull it in."
Next John recognized the man as Jesus then Peter dove into the water to swim to Jesus. Peter could not wait for a slow boat ride to get to Jesus. Devastation turned to delight. When the other disciples arrived with the fish, Jesus told them to cook some fish and bread then they all ate together.
John 20:24-29 tells the story of Thomas and how we have come to know him as, "Doubting Thomas." Don't be hard on Thomas as he was just like us, human. When some of his trusted friends told him that they had seen Jesus, Thomas said, "I will only believe he is alive if I can put my hand on the nail holes in his hands and stick my hand into his side." We all tend to want proof when we hear about something that sounds too good to be true. We don't want to depend upon hearsay.
The disciples were gathered together in a locked room and Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them and said, "Peace to you." Then he spoke and he invited Thomas to touch him. Thomas called Jesus, "My Master! My God!" So Jesus gave Thomas what Thomas said he needed and that was an eye-witness experience with the risen Lord. It was a mixed blessing though because Jesus told Thomas, "You believed because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."
So, NOT seeing Jesus is a blessing! Don't let doubt sway you, let it re-establish your faith.
