Can You Believe It" John 20

Devotional

Day 1: The Empty Tomb Invites Our Belief

The women arrived at the tomb expecting to perform a final act of love for their teacher. Instead, they were met with a startling and confusing reality: the stone was rolled away and the body was gone. This emptiness was not a theft but a divine declaration. The carefully placed grave clothes were not signs of a crime but evidence of a miracle, pointing to a truth far greater than they could have imagined. The empty tomb stands as the first and most crucial piece of evidence, inviting a response of faith. [30:25]

John 20:6-8 (ESV)
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed.

Reflection: When you consider the evidence of the empty tomb, what is the primary question or doubt that arises in your mind? What would it look like for you to honestly investigate that question this week?

Day 2: Jesus Meets Our Fear with His Peace

The disciples were hiding behind locked doors, gripped by fear and confusion after the traumatic events of the crucifixion. Their world had been shattered, and they had no reason to expect anything but more danger. Yet, Jesus appeared among them, not with condemnation for their abandonment, but with a gentle offer of peace. He showed them his wounds, not to shame them, but to prove his identity and his love, transforming their fear into gladness. [38:16]

John 20:19-20 (ESV)
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Reflection: Where in your life are you currently hiding behind locked doors of fear or confusion? How might Jesus be inviting you to receive His peace and presence in that specific situation?

Day 3: Patiently Addressing Our Honest Doubts

Thomas was not present when Jesus first appeared, and he refused to believe based solely on the testimony of his friends. He demanded tangible proof, setting a condition for his faith. Jesus, in His patient grace, did not reject Thomas for his doubts. A week later, He returned and personally offered Thomas the exact evidence he had requested, meeting him right where he was in his skepticism. [43:09]

John 20:27 (ESV)
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

Reflection: What is a specific area of your faith where you, like Thomas, struggle with doubt and feel you need more evidence? How can you bring that honest doubt to Jesus in prayer this week?

Day 4: The Resurrection Demands a Response

The empty tomb is not merely a historical fact; it is the pivotal event that validates every claim Jesus made about Himself. If He remained dead, He was just another teacher. But if He conquered death, He is truly the Son of God. This reality cannot be ignored—it demands a personal response. The resurrection calls each person to investigate its truth and decide what it means for their life. [48:58]

John 20:28 (ESV)
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Reflection: If you were to discover that the resurrection of Jesus is an undeniable historical fact, what difference would that truth actually make in your daily decisions and priorities?

Day 5: Belief Leads to Life in His Name

The entire account was written for a clear and beautiful purpose: to lead people to faith. This faith is not about earning God’s favor through our own efforts, but about receiving the life that Jesus offers as a gift. It is a simple, yet profound, invitation to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and in doing so, to find eternal life in relationship with Him. [50:26]

John 20:31 (ESV)
but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Reflection: Having considered the evidence and the invitation, what is the next step of faith Jesus is asking you to take in order to more fully receive the life He offers in His name?

Sermon Summary

John's account of the first Easter morning emphasizes the physical reality and the theological weight of the resurrection. The narrative opens at the garden tomb where the stone sits rolled away and grave clothes lie folded, provoking confusion, fear, and investigation. The empty tomb functions not as a neat proof checklist but as a disruptive fact that forces reorientation: witnesses run, examine, and begin to assemble prior words and prophecies into new understanding. Encounters inside locked rooms continue the movement from sight to conviction—Jesus appears amid fear, greets with peace, shows his wounds, and breathes the Holy Spirit into those who recognize the risen life now present among them.

A recurring strand runs through the chapter: belief. Variants of that term punctuate the story—sight leads to belief for some, skepticism persists for others, and encounter produces confession. Thomas’s demand for hands and sight models honest doubt; Jesus’s patient invitation to inspect the wounds responds to that doubt without shame. Thomas’s subsequent cry, “My Lord and my God,” functions as a pivot: belief redefines identity, allegiance, and future hope. John frames the entire record as purposeful testimony—these signs and encounters are written so that readers might believe that Jesus is the Messiah and, by believing, receive life in his name.

The chapter treats resurrection as both historical event and existential offer. The empty tomb proves that death does not have the final word over the one who claimed to be the Son of God; it also becomes the hinge on which human response turns. Belief here is not mere intellectual assent but a personal reorientation toward the risen Lord that promises new life and a transformed relation to God. The narrative balances honesty about human fear and doubt with the seriousness of the claim: if the resurrection is true, it demands decisive response. Practical invitations and resources follow the account, urging investigation and thoughtful engagement rather than cultural assumptions or inherited rituals. The story insists on proof, invites scrutiny, and extends a clear offer—life in Jesus’s name for those who believe.

Key Takeaways

1. The empty tomb changes everything The physical absence of the body reframes prior events; it forces theological questions about who Jesus was and what his death accomplished. The empty grave undermines the notion of Jesus as merely another moral teacher and centers him as the one who defeats death. The implication reshapes hope, ethics, and ultimate destiny for those who accept that fact. [28:28]
2. Belief appears as decisive response Repeated references to believing show that response matters more than mere curiosity or nostalgia. Belief in this context means reorienting one’s trust and identity around the risen Christ, not merely approving a set of facts. The narrative links belief to reception of life and to participation in the mission he commissions. [49:52]
3. Resurrection bestows new life in name John connects seeing and confessing to the promise of life: the resurrection offers a present and future reality that redefines existence. This life is not abstract moral improvement but relationshipal renewal—life anchored in the person and name of Jesus. That offer stands apart from systems that demand earning divine favor. [50:55]
4. Doubt can lead to authentic faith Thomas’s skepticism models honest struggle instead of performative certainty; his encounter with the risen Jesus turns demand into confession. Jesus meets doubt with patience and evidence rather than rebuke, suggesting that rigorous questioning can be part of the path to conviction. The outcome reframes doubt as a possible bridge to deeper commitment. [43:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:03] - Worship and Call to Worship
[20:55] - Easter Context and John 20 Intro
[26:59] - Kids Video Transition
[27:48] - Theme Introduced: Belief Repeated
[28:28] - The Empty Tomb Discovered
[29:34] - Peter and John Investigate
[35:02] - John Sees and Believes
[37:34] - Jesus Appears to the Disciples
[43:37] - Thomas’s Doubt and Encounter
[49:52] - John’s Purpose: Believe and Live
[60:49] - Resource Giveaway: The Case for Easter
[63:16] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: John 20:1-10, 19-29 (ESV)

Observation questions

What details did the disciples find when they first arrived at the tomb that morning, and what was their initial reaction?
When Jesus appeared to the disciples in the locked room, what was the first thing He said to them and what did He show them? [37:34]
What specific evidence did Thomas say he needed in order to believe Jesus was alive? [42:06]
What was Thomas's immediate response when Jesus offered him the exact evidence he had asked for? [43:37]

Interpretation questions

Why do you think the folded grave clothes and the empty tomb were enough for John to believe, even though he didn't yet fully understand the scripture about the resurrection?
Jesus appeared in a locked room and showed His wounds to address the disciples' fear. What does this tell us about how Jesus responds to our fear and doubt? [38:54]
Jesus told Thomas, "Do not disbelieve, but believe." Why do you think Jesus responded to Thomas's doubt with an invitation rather than a rebuke? [44:21]
John states that his purpose for writing was so that people "may believe... and have life." What kind of "life" do you think he is referring to here? [50:55]

Application questions

The empty tomb forces a reorientation of everything we thought we knew about Jesus. If the resurrection is true, how should that fact change the way we view our problems, our purpose, and our future?
Belief is described as a decisive reorientation of trust and identity, not just agreeing with facts. What would it look like this week to more fully reorient your trust and identity around the reality of the risen Christ? [49:52]
Jesus met Thomas's honest doubt with patience and evidence. When you have doubts or know someone who is struggling with doubt, what is a practical way to follow Jesus' example of patient, evidence-based engagement? [43:37]
The resurrection offers a new kind of life anchored in a relationship with Jesus, not in earning favor. In what areas of your life are you still trying to "earn" God's favor rather than resting in the life given to you "in His name"? [50:55]
John's belief came from seeing the evidence, and Thomas's belief came from an encounter. What are some ways you can investigate the evidence for the resurrection or seek a fresh encounter with the living Christ to strengthen your own belief? [59:22]

Sermon Clips

47s

#WhoIsJesus

“Because the whole point of Christianity is is tied up in this one question, who is Jesus? If Jesus is who the Bible says he is, who I'm standing here saying that he is this morning, it needs to change everything in your life. Everything hinges on this fact. If if he is who he said he was, it makes a difference in the world. It makes a difference in our life, and and and it gives us hope for the future. Eternal life is available to us if we would just believe, just like the disciples believed in the passage today, just like the final verse of our passage said today. Verse 31, John said, I have written these things so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name.”

49s

#EmptyTombMatters

“It hinges on the crucifixion. It hinges on whether or not that this story that we're talking about today, whether it happened or not, is the basis for everything else that we do. I'm not being hyperbolic right now. I it's absolutely serious. This is important. If Jesus isn't alive, if the tomb isn't empty, snack time's great. Right? It's wonderful when we have snack time in classes. I I I see how empty the buckets are every week. Right? Anybody likes snack time in their classes? I know you guys. Donuts are are wonderful reason for us to get together. There's a lot of things that we we enjoy singing. We I I like the people that are sitting in this Right? It's fun for us to get together, but but none of it matters if the tomb is not empty.”

37s

#EyewitnessesAndDoubt

“Because the whole point of Christianity is is tied up in this one question, who is Jesus? If Jesus is who the Bible says he is, who I'm standing here saying that he is this morning, it needs to change everything in your life. Everything hinges on this fact. If if he is who he said he was, it makes a difference in the world. It makes a difference in our life, and and and it gives us hope for the future. Eternal life is available to us if we would just believe, just like the disciples believed in the passage today, just like the final verse of our passage said today.”

41s

#HolySpiritAffirmation

“I hope I'm never named after the worst eight days of my life, but doubting Thomas was. Anyways, if we echo the words of believing Thomas here in verse 28, when Thomas looks at Jesus and he says, my Lord and my God. If you will believe in Jesus as your Lord and your God, John tells us that by believing, you will have life in that name. You will have life in Jesus. There is no other religion in the world that can make you that same offer. Right? Everybody else says, you have to work your way up to God. And Christianity, Jesus says, if you will simply believe, by believing, you may have life in his name.”

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Can You Believe It" John 20 - Easter 2026