“Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
The week passed away, and the first day of another week came. The eleven apostles were again assembled together. Thomas was with them. As they sat at meat, the doors being shut, Jesus came, and said, “Peace be unto you.” Then, turning to Thomas, he said, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.”
Jesus rejoined, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
Again Jesus disappeared. John writes, “Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.”[80]
The apostles now, in a body, “went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.” This was probably the Mount of Transfiguration. Very brief is the record of what ensued, which is given by Matthew alone: “And, when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,――
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”[81]
Soon after this, Jesus revealed himself to several of his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, under the following circumstances:――
“There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a-fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
“But, when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he saith unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast, therefore; and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord.
