Monday – The Empty Tomb and Our Doubts

John 20:1-9
The Empty Tomb20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

John 20:24-29
Jesus Appears to Thomas24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), 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.”  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.”

Reflect

The empty tomb is the foundation of our faith, yet even the disciples struggled to believe. When Mary Magdalene saw the empty tomb, she assumed someone had taken Jesus' body. Thomas refused to believe until he saw Jesus for himself. Sometimes, we experience seasons of doubt, questioning God’s presence in our lives. Yet Jesus meets us in our uncertainty, offering proof of His love and inviting us to trust Him.​

Action Step:
Bring your doubts to God in prayer today. Ask Him to strengthen your faith, and then take a step forward—whether that means reading His Word, speaking with a mentor, or simply choosing to trust Him in an area where you feel uncertain.