20:24-29  All of us, like Thomas, want “proof” that Jesus is who he says he is, though the proof is all around us each day.  Also, all of us experience spiritual highs and lows, but don’t despair;  Thomas( and Peter!) recovered to be a Church pillar, and you can recover, too, with prayer!

20v30-31 and 21v25 refutes the Protestant idea of “Sola Scriptura”, the idea that all we can know about our faith and life in Christ is found explicitly in the bible.  There was also Oral Tradition passed down long before the books of the New Testament were written or agreed on.  The Church existed for decades BEFORE ANY of the books of the New Testament were even written.

Jesus’ (“The Good Shepherd”) “Feed My Sheep” statement, specifically to Peter, shows that Jesus intended to start an actual, visible, organized Church, with Peter at the helm.  Since His Church was meant not just for Jesus’ time on earth, but for all-time, Jesus provided a mechanism (Ordination by previous Apostles and their successors) by which the faith would be passed down.