I started this blog when I was following the Life Journal Bible reading plan on YouVersion. (I've since completed that plan.) At that time, YouVersion didn't provide any way for people to respond to my notes, other than to "like" them. So this blog is here to remedy that problem. You may comment on my notes here in the comment section.
I also have a general blog.
24 Now Thomas (also known as
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.”
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 performed many other
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 Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have
life in his name.
O: We usually think of this incident when we think of
Thomas. “Doubting Thomas,” he has been called through the centuries.
But remember—this twin (for that’s what “T’oma” means in
Aramaic, reinforced by the Greek Didymus) was the one who earlier said
in John 11:16, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” That’s
not doubt—that’s devotion.
In fact, it is Thomas who utters one of the clearest and
most powerful confessions of Jesus’ divinity in the whole Gospel: “My Lord
and my God!”
Church history tells us that he eventually preached the
Gospel in India, where he was martyred for his faith. The Mar Thoma
Church and other ancient Indian Christian traditions honour him as their
founder, and he’s still revered in Kerala and beyond.
A: Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have believed.” That’s us.
So, like Thomas—and like others after him who also believed without seeing
(such as Nokseng, whom I discussed in my previous blog post)—let us
courageously be Jesus’ witnesses, confessing him to the world.
P: Father, sometimes I am also a Doubting Ian. May I also be
a Courageous Ian, a Confessing Ian, and a Witness Ian. In
Jesus’ name, amen.
Note: I wrote most of these words, but took some formatting and phraseology improvements from ChatGPT.
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked
Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly
because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came
and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by
Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus
brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking
Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of
linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At
the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a
new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because
it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was
nearby, they laid Jesus there.
O: Sometimes we want to follow Jesus, but we are afraid,
because of the people around us. We of course hear awesome dramatic testimonies
about the people who stood up anyway, and are sometimes martyred for it, for example,
the testimony of Nokseng, the Garo tribal man in Assam, India back in the 19th
century that was put into a song, often attributed to the 19th
Century Indian evangelist Sadhu Sundar Singh, but perhaps more likely it was Garo pastor Simon K. Marak who wrote the original Assamese song. Later, the song was translated into English, and popularised by Billy Graham. You know the song: I have decided to follow Jesus.
But most of us don’t face such dramatic situations. Instead,
many of us struggle quietly, like Joseph and Nicodemus. But this doesn’t mean
that if you’ve let Jesus down like that, God can never use you again.
God used Joseph and Nicodemus, even in their cowardice. Jesus
called Peter to feed his sheep, even after he denied him 3 times, restoring him
with a 3-fold question-and-exhortation, “Do you love me? Feed my sheep.”
A: God is a god of second chances. If you’ve let Jesus down
before, that’s not the end. Come back and stand up for Jesus!
P: Father, when I am afraid, give me courage to stand for
You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to
the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid
ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be
able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What
charges are you bringing against this man?”
30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would
not have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by
your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected.
32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he
was going to die.
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned
Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others
talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and
chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it
were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But
now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the
reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone
on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went
out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge
against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at
the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!”
Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
O: My wife pointed out to me the irony in the crowd asking for Barabbas’s release—an actual rebel who had participated in an uprising—after earlier saying it would be better for one man (Jesus) to die than for the whole nation to be crushed by the Romans (John 11:50). They justified Jesus’ execution to “save the nation,” yet chose to release someone whose actions risked inviting Roman retaliation.
That’s a sobering insight into how fear, tribalism, and a desire to maintain control can blind people to God’s truth—even religious people. It’s also a warning about how the appearance of spiritual concern (like the leaders avoiding ceremonial defilement in v.28) can mask deep moral and spiritual blindness.
Jesus declared that His kingdom is not of this world. If it were, His followers would fight to defend Him. But His reign is from another place—a kingdom defined not by violence, coercion, or worldly power, but by truth, love, sacrifice, and a cross.
And yet, across the centuries and even today, we still wrestle with the temptation to co-opt Christianity into political movements. This is visible in both the MAGA movement and some anti-Trump Christian activism—where political identity can become so enmeshed with faith that Christians lose sight of Jesus' upside-down kingdom.
I’m personally very much in the anti-Trump camp, but even so, I must remember that many on the other side are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Christians of differing political views are sometimes tempted to think their particular platform is the only faithful witness. But the cross stands as a rebuke to all political idolatry.
The Kingdom of God has always been uncomfortable with human power structures. It refuses to align neatly with either left or right, liberal or conservative. When it tries to, it inevitably becomes distorted.
Jesus’ words—“Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (v. 37)—cut through the confusion. But it’s important to recognize: truth in this context isn’t merely sincerity or moral clarity. Jesus is the truth (John 14:6), and truth is defined by Him—His teachings, His life, His death, and resurrection. The truth to which we are called includes unpopular moral convictions, countercultural love, and the call to pick up our own cross.
The question we must constantly ask ourselves is: how do we engage in public life without letting our faith become partisan or corrupted by political power?
Throughout history, Christians have courageously entered the public square not to seize control but to prophetically witness to God's truth and justice:
Telemachus, the monk who gave his life to stop the gladiator games in Rome.
William Wilberforce and Frederick Douglass, who labored to abolish slavery not because of political fashion but because they believed all people bore the image of God.
Martin Luther King Jr., who preached justice rooted in the Imago Dei and the prophetic witness of Scripture.
Pro-life advocates who see every human being—even unborn children—as sacred.
None of these movements avoided politics entirely. But they weren’t driven by party allegiance. They were driven by allegiance to Christ, and a willingness to suffer if necessary for the sake of truth.
Perhaps the difference between faithful public witness and politicized religion is this: Are we willing to speak the truth, even when it costs us influence with our own side? Are we willing to love our enemies and advocate for the vulnerable, even when it's politically inconvenient?
The moment with Barabbas reminds us how easily fear and tribal identity can override justice. Choosing what feels safe or strategic over what is true and right is a temptation for every generation of believers.
A: As a follower of Christ, I need to hold my political views loosely, but my Gospel convictions tightly. I must be willing to critique my own tribe and avoid reducing discipleship to activism or withdrawal. My witness must be shaped by love, even for my political enemies (Matthew 5:44). If my political engagement produces more resentment than compassion, more mockery than mercy, then I need to stop and reassess.
Christianity is deeply public, but it must remain prophetic, not partisan. Jesus' kingdom is not advanced by winning elections, passing laws, or silencing opponents. It is advanced when the Church is salt and light—engaged but distinct, truthful yet merciful, and always willing to lose power rather than betray the cross.
The cross reminds us: Christian witness is costly. It will often mean standing alone, being misunderstood, and loving those who hate us. But it is through this cross-shaped love that God transforms the world.
P: Father, guide me by your Spirit as I live in a world where truth is often politicised or buried under noise. Help me to seek your kingdom first, not the dominance of my political tribe. Give me courage to speak the truth in love, to defend the voiceless, and to love even those who oppose me. Keep me from cynicism. Shape me by the cross. May my words and my life point to Jesus — the way, the truth, and the life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Note: I used ChatGPT to help improve the text, as well as generate the picture for illustration.
