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October 27, 2025 16 mins

In this Bible Story, Jesus restores the faith of Thomas and the failures of Peter. As these two men come in contact with the risen Lord, their lives are renewed and filled with purpose. This story is inspired by John 20:24-21:19. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Luke 21:15 from the King James Version.

Episode 215: Thomas and the disciples were arguing about the reality of what they just saw. Ten of them were in an upper room when they saw Jesus before them and had a meal together. But Thomas was not there that day and refused to believe such a thing. Eight days later, the disciples gathered together again and this time Thomas was with them. But there was another man who entered the locked room. Jesus. He had heard Thomas’ doubt and came to comfort him. Meanwhile, Peter and some of the other disciples were on the sea fishing. As they were getting ready to come ashore, a voice called to them. The voice of Jesus waiting for them on the shore.

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Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard

Producer: Ben Gammon

Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham

Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith

Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. So when they had dined, Jesus saith
to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me
more than these? He said unto him, yea Lord, thou
knowest that I love thee He saith unto him, feed
my lambs. John twenty one fifteen. Thank you, Jesus, that

(00:27):
you use broken people to do mighty things. As I
look at the life of Thomas, he represents the areas
in my life where I have doubt and fear. He
represents the areas in my life where I begin to
question whether or not the promises will come to pass
in my life. However, through Thomas, I also see the

(00:52):
goodness of the Lord, and that you are not taken
back or angered by my moments of doubt, but instead
you feel compassion and provide ways for me to lay
hold of and to put my hands on the truth
of your word. Through Peter, I see that you give

(01:12):
me many chances to regain my position and my honor
within your kingdom. And like Peter, I will not miss
my opportunity to proclaim your goodness and your love to
the entire world. With each opportunity of open doors that
you bring me. I realize it is you asking if

(01:34):
I love you enough to walk through them and give
you glory in all that I do, And to that
I say yes. I say that I am ready to
represent you, Jesus with all of my heart. I realize
that my time has come. I realize that the days

(01:54):
of being afraid are gone. And I realize and I
realize I'm ready for what's next in Jesus' name. Amen,
thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.

(02:15):
To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story,
brought to you by Bible in a Year dot.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Com Do you Love Me?

Speaker 3 (02:33):
In our last story, Jesus revealed himself on the road
to Emmaeus. He spoke of the entire Word of God
and how every story and prophecy pointed forward to his death, burial,
and resurrection. Now Jesus restores the faith of Thomas and
the failures of Peter. As these two men come in
contact with the risen Lord, their lives are renewed and

(02:54):
filled with purpose inspired by the Gospels.

Speaker 4 (03:00):
Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
to let you know about a unique ebook that's yours
to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress,
and my prayer is that it will help you conquer
the daily task and pressures and burdens that bring stress

(03:21):
in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
from Stress today by visiting Jack Graham dot org slash stress.
That's Jack Graham dot org slash stress. In yesterday's episode,
we heard how Jesus appeared to two disciples on the
road to Emmaeis. While the men did not initially recognize him,

(03:42):
Jesus explained how God's word pointed to the coming of
the savior Jesus himself, and even spoke of his death
and resurrection. Jesus showed them in all the scriptures that
things concerning himself. Finally, these two men's eyes were open
to see Jesus as their savior, and they quickly ran
to tell others the good news that Christ is alive.

(04:06):
Today we'll hear how Jesus restores a disciple who's holding
on to the guilt and weight of failure, and another
who is filled with doubt. So let's listen with joy
to the stories of the resurrection in God's word.

Speaker 3 (04:22):
We have seen him, Andrew yelled, we saw him with
our own eyes. Thomas shook his head, unable to believe
that Jesus had risen from the dead since he and
Peter were away. When Jesus revealed himself in the home
of the disciples, he was skeptical and unable to accept
the truth. Unless I see him with my own eyes,
I refuse to believe you. Thomas's doubt revealed a deep

(04:45):
hurt within him. He had ran when Jesus was taken
by the temple guards. He was ashamed and broken. Unless
I put my fingers through the holes in his wounded hands,
I cannot accept that it is Jesus had passed and
Jesus was about his own business revealing himself to people
all over the land. Thomas remained unwavering in his skepticism.

(05:09):
That was until the disciples were back in their homes
with the doors locked. Peace be with you, Jesus said,
as he had before. Jesus entered the room without a door.
He sat in the corner of the room, smiling at
his friends. The disciples erupted in cheers, surrounding Jesus to
hug him. Thomas was frozen in his seat. He looked

(05:29):
at Jesus with tears rolling down his eyes. Hello, Thomas,
Jesus said, with a grin. The Lord stood up and
walked over to him. Go ahead, he said, feel my hands,
see how they were pierced. Thomas ran his fingers across
the Lord's scarred hands. His lower lip quivered, and more
tears streamed down his cheek. Thomas looked up into Jesus's eyes.

(05:53):
My Lord, he wept, My God, he cried. Thomas embraced
Jesus like a wounded child, into his father's arms. Jesus
held him, allowing his comfort to wash over him. Blessed
are you, Thomas, for you have seen and believed, Jesus said,
But even more blessed are those who have not seen

(06:15):
yet still believe. After this, Jesus vanished again. Thomas wiped
his eyes and was renewed with purpose and vision once again.
Peter sat by the shore by the seas of Tiberius.
He still had yet to see the Lord. The others
had told him, but he had yet to look him
in the eye. Is he ashamed of me? Peter thought

(06:39):
to himself. Is it because I denied him? Peter looked
over at the other disciples who were lingering near the docks.
Peter stood to his feet and said, I'm going fishing.
Some of the others decided to join him. Thomas, Nathaniel, James,
and John boarded the boat with him. Night had fallen
over the sea. As Peter and the disciples lay in

(07:00):
the boat with their nets cast out, Peter felt the
ocean breeze caress his face. Usually the sea brought him peace,
but nothing could quiet his guilty soul. He was filled
with regret and could not forgive himself for abandoning Jesus
in his final hours. All night they waited for a catch,
but the nets remained loose, as did Peter's wandering mind.

(07:23):
The dawn broke and the sun bounced off the calm
waters a couple hundred yards off shore. Peter awoke to
see the sun rising in the east. An entire night
with no fish. It vexed Peter to catch nothing. To him,
it was just another failure to add to the list.
As Peter and the others began to bring in the nets,
a voice cried out from shore. Cast your nets on

(07:45):
the right side of the boat, the voice suggested, so
they cast it and immediately the net was filled to
the brim with fish. The disciples laughed and John looked
under shore. It's him, he shouted, It is the Lord.
Peter rushed to the front of the boat to see
Jesus walking on the shore beside him. He wasted no
time and threw off his outer clothes and jumped into

(08:06):
the water. Peter swam as fast as he.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
Could to see Jesus.

Speaker 3 (08:10):
He ripped at the water until his feet finally hit
the sand. Dripping wet, Peter saw Jesus tending to a
charcoal fire, cooking some fish. Shivering, Peter warmed himself by
the fire, looking at Jesus. The coals were the same
as when Peter denied Jesus by the fire in Jerusalem.
The smell of the burning charcoal brought back memories of
his failure. Simon, son of John, Do you love me,

(08:36):
Jesus asked. Peter rose his head and looked deeply into
Jesus's eyes. Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,
Peter answered, Then feed my lambs. Jesus asked a second time, Simon,
son of John, do you love me? This time Peter
paused and considered the question, Yet his answer was the same. Yes,

(08:58):
you know that I love you. Then tend to my sheep,
Jesus said. The fire cracked and the coals burned brightly.
Jesus asked the same question, saying, Simon, do you love me.
Peter's heart broke as Jesus asked a third time. Memories
of denying Jesus three times flooded his mind. Peter, a

(09:18):
tough man forged by the sea, wept before Jesus. His
eyes streamed with tears, and he covered his face with
his hands. Yes, Lord, you know all things. You know
that I.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
Love you, Peter answered.

Speaker 3 (09:32):
Jesus stood up from across the fire and sat next
to Peter. He put his arm around him and said,
then feed my sheep. When we were young, you did
as you pleased. But now that you have matured, your
actions are no longer your own.

Speaker 2 (09:46):
You will be taken.

Speaker 3 (09:47):
Places you do not wish to go. This is your calling.
Peter was restored by Jesus that morning by the fire.
All his past burdens were wiped away by the forgiveness
of Jesus. All that remained was the future ahead. Peter
would soon rise up to lead thousands to the feet
of Jesus. The same voice that denied Jesus three times

(10:09):
would declare his truths for all to hear. This was
the will of God to use broken people to achieve
mighty things.

Speaker 4 (10:22):
We opened today's scripture with new spreading of the resurrection
of Jesus. The disciples and others who followed Christ are
filled with a new sense of hope and joy. But
some were not so quick to believe. Thomas, one of
the Twelve Disciples, remained skeptical, doubtful. He had seen Jesus beaten,

(10:42):
mock whipped, and raised up on a cross. He knew
that the Roman soldier had pierced his side, and there
was blood and water pouring out, proving that he was
indeed dead. How could it be that Jesus was back.
He wasn't there when Jesus appeared to the others on
the day of his resurrection. You might say he missed
that first Sunday, He missed church, and he missed the resurrection.

(11:05):
He simply would not believe, not unless he saw Jesus
with his own eyes and touch the nail prints in
his hands and feet and the scar in his side. Then,
one day, eight days after he had appeared to the others,
Jesus was right there with them again, and there was Thomas,
And rather than shame Thomas and turn him away because

(11:27):
of his doubt, Jesus called him over allowing him to
touch the scars and feel his body. You see, God
is not afraid of or offended by our doubts. We
can still have faith and yet wrestle with doubt and
fears and questions. What matters is are we sincere doubters
or are we dishonest doubters? Do we really want to

(11:50):
know the truth? Do we trust our doubts to God
and let him speak to us and show us what
we need to know, or do we run away and
reject him and go our own way simply because we
have questions. Thomas doubted, and yet he showed up, and
Jesus met his need and restored his faith. And he
will do the same for you when you come to

(12:10):
him in humility and faith. There was another who needed restoration,
Simon Peter, who had pledged undying fidelity to Jesus, but
had denied him three times when Jesus was on trial.
Peter was a coward, and therefore he was surely plagued
with feelings of failure and doubt. Could Jesus ever use

(12:31):
him even though Christ was alive. Would it ever be
the same after all that he had done in denying
the Lord? Could Peter recover Because he thought that Jesus
would never forgive him, he went back to his old
boat and old nets and his old life. But as
we hear in this reading, that's not where Jesus wanted him.

(12:52):
Peter still had a place in God's plan. Jesus had
prayed for him that his faith would not fail, but
his faith needed to be restored. Lord, He needed to
be restored. Peter and his companions other disciples as well,
had been fishing all night with nothing to show for it,
much like they had done years before. After hours of frustration,

(13:13):
they hear a voice calling them, telling them to cast
their nets on the other side of the boat. When
they did, they pulled up a bounty of fish, just
as it had happened before when Jesus first called them
to be disciples. John immediately knew who the voice was.
It was Jesus. Peter rushed out of the boat swam

(13:34):
to the shore to see his master. Jesus then asked
Peter if he loved him, and Peter said, of course,
you know I do. Jesus answered, then feed my sheep.
He then asked him a second time, do you love me?
And Peter responded, yes, Lord, I love you, and Jesus
once again said, then feed my sheep. Then in John

(13:56):
twenty one, verse seventeen, we read this he said to
him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you
love me. Peter was grieved because he said to him
the third time do you love me? And he said
to him, Lord, you know everything, you know that I
love you. Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. Three times.

(14:20):
Peter in Cowardice had denied Jesus, but now Jesus was
restoring his man his disciples and gave him three opportunities
to confess his love and devotion to the Savior. Jesus
then told Peter that he would soon go to places
he did not choose to go. It was a prediction
of the trials that Peter would soon face because of

(14:43):
his calling and the purpose for which God would use him,
a purpose that would ultimately bring glory to God and
draw countless others to confess their faith in Jesus. Finally,
Jesus simply said, follow me. It was an invitation to
walk away from the past and the failures and the
denials and begin a brand new relationship with the Lord.

(15:05):
It's never too late for a new beginning in Christ.
Peter had felt his sin and his shame, but now
he finds forgiveness with the Lord, and he begins again
to walk with Jesus and became the great Apostle, filled
with the spirit, who preached the Gospel to the whole world.
It was an extraordinary calling to an ordinary man who

(15:28):
followed a supernatural savior, the risen Christ. It's a powerful
word that we could either let our failures define us
and destroy us, or we can allow Jesus, our Savior,
to redeem, restore us, and refresh us. Jesus stands willing
to forgive you that you could find his love and
experience his grace in your life. Dear God, how we

(15:50):
thank you for today's reading and the example of Peter's life.
And though we fail you time and time again, even
to the point of denying you, that we can experience
renewal and faith in ways that we cannot ever have imagined.
Thank you for your grace, Thank you for your mercy,
for your healing and your hope, and that when we

(16:10):
fail and fall, you lift us up and give us
the strength to begin again in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank
you for listening to today's Bible Any Year podcast. Before
we go, I want to let you know about a
unique ebook that's yours to download absolutely free today. It's
called Breaking Free from Stress, and my prayer is that

(16:34):
it will help you conquer the daily task and pressures
and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download your
free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by visiting
Jackgraham dot org slash stress. That's Jagraham dot org slash
stress
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