While the two were telling them this, suddenly the LORD himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

They were terrified, thinking that they were seeing a ghost. But he said to them, "Why are you alarmed? Why are these doubts coming up in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet, and see that it is I myself. Feel me, and you will know, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see I have."

He said this and showed them his hands and his feet. They still could not believe, they were so full of joy and wonder; so he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of cooked fish, which he took and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, "These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms had to come true."

Luke 24:36-44

The disciples were skeptical, as we should be. It proves that neither we nor they can be easily fooled. As a result, their testimony and our testimony carries more weight. Their desire for truth helps us to be sure that Jesus actually did rise from the dead. God does not want us to be gullible. Even Thomas said, "My LORD and My God."

Honest skepticism can be the first step to a strong faith.

Our Daily Bread – November 2, 2002