2026 Reading Plan Reflections - Day 163
Life in His Name
John 20:1–31
“But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name.” John 20:31 CEB
John closes this very full chapter by telling us exactly why he wrote his Gospel. The verse above serves as both a conclusion to the chapter and a reminder of everything we’ve been reading since John 1.
John has shown us water turned to wine, the blind receiving sight, Lazarus walking out of a tomb, and ultimately Jesus walking out of His own. He has introduced us to Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and Thomas. Every story has been moving toward the same destination: belief in Jesus. But belief, in John’s Gospel, is never just agreeing with a set of facts.
Our passage today begins on “the first day of the week.” That’s not an accidental detail. John wants us to see something bigger than an empty tomb. This is the beginning of a new creation. The darkness that entered the world in Genesis has been confronted and defeated. Death no longer has the final word.
Mary Magdalene is the first to discover it. Through tears and confusion, she encounters the risen Christ and becomes the first witness of the resurrection. Thomas arrives at belief from a different direction. Full of questions and doubts, he refuses to accept secondhand testimony. Yet when he finally encounters Jesus, he makes one of the most powerful confessions in all of Scripture: “My Lord and my God!”
Mary and Thomas remind us that people come to faith in different ways. Some arrive through wonder. Others arrive through questions. But both ultimately encounter the same risen Savior... and that's the encounter that changes everything.
The resurrection is the announcement that God’s new creation has begun. Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on His disciples, echoing God’s breath of life in Genesis. He speaks peace over fearful people. He sends them into the world just as the Father sent Him. The result is more than forgiveness of sins. It is new life.
That has been John’s message from the beginning. “In him was life” (John 1:4). Now, after twenty chapters, John tells us that this life is available to us as well.
The goal of the Gospel is not simply that we know more about Jesus. The goal is that we trust Him, follow Him, and experience the transforming life that comes through His name.
The same risen Christ who called Mary by name, welcomed Thomas’s questions, and breathed peace upon frightened disciples still meets people today. And believing in Him is still the doorway to life.
John has shown us water turned to wine, the blind receiving sight, Lazarus walking out of a tomb, and ultimately Jesus walking out of His own. He has introduced us to Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and Thomas. Every story has been moving toward the same destination: belief in Jesus. But belief, in John’s Gospel, is never just agreeing with a set of facts.
Our passage today begins on “the first day of the week.” That’s not an accidental detail. John wants us to see something bigger than an empty tomb. This is the beginning of a new creation. The darkness that entered the world in Genesis has been confronted and defeated. Death no longer has the final word.
Mary Magdalene is the first to discover it. Through tears and confusion, she encounters the risen Christ and becomes the first witness of the resurrection. Thomas arrives at belief from a different direction. Full of questions and doubts, he refuses to accept secondhand testimony. Yet when he finally encounters Jesus, he makes one of the most powerful confessions in all of Scripture: “My Lord and my God!”
Mary and Thomas remind us that people come to faith in different ways. Some arrive through wonder. Others arrive through questions. But both ultimately encounter the same risen Savior... and that's the encounter that changes everything.
The resurrection is the announcement that God’s new creation has begun. Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on His disciples, echoing God’s breath of life in Genesis. He speaks peace over fearful people. He sends them into the world just as the Father sent Him. The result is more than forgiveness of sins. It is new life.
That has been John’s message from the beginning. “In him was life” (John 1:4). Now, after twenty chapters, John tells us that this life is available to us as well.
The goal of the Gospel is not simply that we know more about Jesus. The goal is that we trust Him, follow Him, and experience the transforming life that comes through His name.
The same risen Christ who called Mary by name, welcomed Thomas’s questions, and breathed peace upon frightened disciples still meets people today. And believing in Him is still the doorway to life.
Faith In Action
Spend a few minutes today reflecting on John’s words in verse 31. Ask yourself: Am I only learning about Jesus, or am I increasingly experiencing life in His name? Identify one area of your life where you need to trust Him more fully and surrender it to Him in prayer.
Risen Lord, thank You for revealing Yourself through the pages of John’s Gospel. Thank You for meeting people like Mary and Thomas in their confusion, grief, and doubt. Help us not just know facts about You, but to believe in You with our whole hearts. Fill us with the life, peace, and power of Your Spirit so that we may faithfully participate in Your new creation. Amen.
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