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1. Resurrection Changes Everything

  • After Jesus' resurrection, everything shifts—how we see God, ourselves, and the world.

  • Jesus’ resurrected body is a preview of the new creation and our future hope.

2. Christianity Is Embodied

  • We are not “brains on a stick” but whole, embodied beings.

  • The Old Testament reflects this with 600+ laws that involve physical practices to maintain holiness (e.g., dietary laws, touch restrictions).

3. Old Testament and the Body

  • Touching a dead body made someone unclean (Numbers 19).

  • Thomas’ desire to touch Jesus post-resurrection is shocking—he risks becoming unclean.

  • Jewish understanding included fear of touching the divine (e.g., Uzzah dies when he touches the Ark in 2 Samuel 6).

4. Jesus Turns That Fear into Intimacy

  • Jesus invites Thomas to touch him: “Put your finger here.”

  • The untouchable God becomes touchable, intimate, present.

  • The resurrection transforms God’s relationship with humanity—from distant to near.

5. Communion as Intimacy with God

  • At the table (Communion), we don’t fear death—we receive grace.

  • God gives his power to us in love, not wrath.

6. From Law to Love

  • The law was a babysitter (Galatians) preparing us for Jesus.

  • Now, we live not under law, but under grace.

7. Jesus' Blessing Extends to Us

  • “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

  • That blessing includes us—Jesus had us in mind even 2,000 years ago.

8. Our Response: My Lord and My God

  • Like Thomas, we are invited into belief—even in our doubt.

  • Jesus’ power doesn’t push us away; it welcomes us home.

 

Reflection Questions

  1. What does Thomas’ desire to touch Jesus teach us about faith and doubt?

  2. In what ways have you viewed God as distant or untouchable? How does Jesus' invitation to Thomas challenge that view?

  3. How do you experience God’s presence in your body—through communion, worship, breath, or movement?

  4. What do you think it means that Jesus had “you” in mind when he said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”?

  5. How might your relationship to God change if you truly believed he welcomes you rather than condemns you?