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Pastor Chuck’s Message
Sunday, May 10, 2020
“The Next Forty Days”
When You Miss the Meeting
Sunday, May 10, 2020
“The Next Forty Days”
When You Miss the Meeting
John 20:19-29:
“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This morning, as we continue our series “The Next Forty Days,” we will consider another significant and emotional event in the life of the disciples as Jesus continued His post-resurrection appearances which occurred after His death, burial and resurrection, but prior to His ascension to the right hand of the Father in heaven. As we have seen, Jesus continued to appear at various times to show Himself alive and instruct His disciples. In our Scripture this morning, we find that Jesus not only appears to His disciples again on the evening of His resurrection but Thomas missed the meeting.
Unfortunately, we often judge people by one mistake and we never let them forget it. This is what happened to Thomas. No doubt he showed great faith many times, but we remember him because of his doubt. Today when someone is skeptical about something, we call that person a “doubting Thomas.” How many times have we wrongly judged someone?! Isn’t it amazing how names stick? In reality, Thomas was one of the most steadfast and loyal apostles among the Twelve.
We will get back to Thomas in a moment but first I want you to note when Jesus appeared to His disciples, minus Thomas: “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders…”
(John 20:19a)
John tells us that when the disciples gathered for dinner, they made certain “…the doors were shut….” The word “door” is thura, which lets us know this was a door that was large and solid. But, as if this were not enough, the verse tells us that these doors “were shut.” The word “shut” is the Greek word kleio, meaning locked. Doors of this kind were usually locked with a heavy bolt that slid through rings attached to the door and the frame, like the deadbolts we use in doors today, only heavier. This door would be difficult, if not impossible, to break down. “The fact that it was locked “for fear of the Jews” tells us that the disciples had moved into a mode of self-preservation and protection” (Renner).
But although the doors were shut and locked tight, “Jesus stood among them…” Luke tells us that with this sudden appearance, “… they were startled and frightened, thinking they had seen a ghost ... [Jesus] said, ‘Peace be with you! ... Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself!’” (Luke 24:36-39a NIV). In this moment, Jesus revealed a very powerful dynamic about Himself, and that is about His glorified body. After His resurrection, Jesus didn’t have the same limitations as His earthly body possessed before His resurrection and glorification.
Notice Jesus said, “‘Touch me [handle me] and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.” The Greek word “to handle” is psilaphao, which literally means to touch, to squeeze, or to feel. He gave the disciples permission to examine His resurrected body to see that it was a real body and not a spirit.
“And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence” (Luke 24:39-43).
In His glorified (resurrected) state, Jesus was able to appear, to disappear, to travel great distances, and to even supernaturally pass through a wall or the locked door of a house (John 20:26). Jesus eats with them, demonstrating that He is flesh and bone, not a spirit or ghost.
After eating the fish and honeycomb, Jesus began to speak to them from the Scriptures, pointing out key Old Testament prophecies having to do with Himself. Luke 24:45 says, “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.” Jesus explained to the disciples as He did to Cleopas and Mary on the Road to Emmaus, that repentance would have to be preached in His name among all the nations, but that it was to begin in Jerusalem. This is when He told them, “…As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21).
Our Future with Christ
As Jesus was changed, so we will be changed also! John writes, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
At this point, I must pause to remind you that Jesus in His glorified state processes the same glorified body God has promised to all Christians after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:26-57; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:4-5, 18). Just as our earthly bodies are perfectly suited to life on earth, our resurrected bodies will be the same for life in heaven and on earth during the reign of Christ (2 Timothy 2:12; 1 Corinthians 6:1-3; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:1-6). We will have form and solidness to the touch, yet with no hinderance to travel (John 20:19, 26; Luke 24:39). We will be able to enjoy food, but will not be driven to it by necessity for nourishment nor fleshly desire (Luke 24:40–43). Author Randy Alcorn writes, “And like Moses and Elijah, we will be able to bathe in the glory of our Maker in the fellowship of His dear Son (Matthew 17:2–3; Philippians 3:10). The bodies we inherit will be more like what God had originally made us to be, rather than what we now abide in through the infirmity and weakness of our sinful flesh. We will be glorified with Christ, and that glory will extend to the bodies we will inhabit.”
Paul writes, “I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:50-53).
This is the power of Jesus’ resurrection! Our spiritual, glorified bodies, will be one with the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit and our weakness will no longer exist! John tells us in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Can you not help but shout “Hallelujah! Praise God!”
Paul writes “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, … But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God’”
(1 Corinthians 2:7-10 NKJV).
Jesus said, “Behold I am coming soon! ...” The Spirit and the bride [the Church] say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” The Apostle John replied, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:12-20)
As you behold this wonderful and powerful truth, the promise of God, I pray that as the Church, the bride of Christ, our hearts will be focused on the coming of the Lord, for the translation, the out-taking of the Church, the rapture, and the Second Coming of Christ to reign is to be the desire of the Church! This is our hope of glory! This is our salvation! This is our redemption and deliverance from sin and unrighteousness! This is our forgiveness! This is our restoration and this is our future in Christ! How can we not but fall on our knees before the living and almighty God in pure and unending adoration and worship? Are you excited yet?!
As you can see, during Jesus’ 40 days before His ascension, Jesus showed Himself to be alive but He revealed to His disciples and to us our future state, He performed miracles, and He commissioned the Eleven, soon-to-be Apostles and other disciples to go and make disciples of all people [nations] and to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Why Didn’t Thomas Believe?
According to the Apostle John, Thomas was not present on that first Easter Sunday evening when Jesus appeared to the other disciples and the other devoted followers of Jesus (John 20:24). Later that evening, perhaps by divine delay, when Thomas came back to the upper room where they were staying, Jesus had left. As Thomas listened to what the others had told him about what had happened, he refused to believe that Jesus had risen, regardless of what they told him. Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).
Why did Thomas respond to the other disciples this way? Perhaps the answer can be found in Thomas’s own words when he said, “unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails.” This by the way, is the only time nails are mentioned in the Gospels as part of Jesus’s crucifixion. Most of what we know about Roman crucifixion we learn from other sources.
Author Jon Bloom writes, “The slaughter of Jesus outside Jerusalem had been so gruesome that it was all but humanly impossible for Thomas to imagine a resurrection of Jesus’ body. True, Thomas had seen Lazarus’ resurrection. But Lazarus had died of an illness, and Jesus had been there to raise him. But Jesus had been [brutally beaten, crucified and died].”
None of us can truly know or feel “what Thomas saw, felt and heard as he actually watched Jesus die. Thomas did not just suffer doubt, his was beyond doubt; Thomas didn’t doubt the resurrection, he actually rejected any possibility of Jesus being risen from the dead, he refused to believe and he was emphatic about it … To say that Thomas doubted would be a misrepresentation of Thomas’ unbelief” (Renner). Perhaps we should probably stop calling Thomas a doubter – his was total unbelief.
In reality, we all suffer doubt from time to time, that is after all, a part of our humanity and spiritual growth. Doubt is not opposed to faith but it should cause us to seek the answers to our struggle with our doubts. Thomas’ reaction wasn’t right but, given the circumstances, would we have responded differently? Was Thomas a doubter? No, Thomas was still where he had left off that morning with the other disciples, they hadn’t believed the women’s report that they had seen Jesus and now, upon his return to the upper room, all of Thomas’s closest friends claimed that Jesus had suddenly appeared in the middle of a locked-door meeting where he spoke and even ate with them. A meeting Thomas missed as he struggled with the pain of his disappointment and grief, alone and away from them all. Is it possible that Jesus understood that Thomas needed some time and space to sort through it all? Truly God understands the uniqueness of who each of us are, what we need the most at the time and how we need to heal.
David wrote, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me … Where can I go from your Spirit? ... For you created my inmost being.” (Psalm 139:1,7,13)
Seeing is Believing
A week later, the disciples were behind locked doors again but this time Thomas was with them. John 20:26,27 says, “… Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas believed! Thomas repented of his sin of unbelief! “Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus was everything to Thomas and he understood it now more than ever.
Thomas’ struggle with unbelief is understandable but it is not commendable - it was and is sin. Jesus forgave Thomas for his failure of faith and restored Him. Then Jesus said something to Thomas that was not meant for his ears only. Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The struggle of faith is real. “… Jesus’s rebuke is clear enough. There were others who had not yet seen Jesus, but still believed in his resurrection. And their believing was more blessed than Thomas’s seeing. Why? Because those saints relied on their eyes of faith more than the eyes in their heads — and faith-seeing, in this age, results in more joy than eye-seeing” (Jon Bloom).
Peter reminds us, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9 ESV).
Conclusion:
Throughout the centuries, Thomas has been labeled and criticized as a doubter. In my heart, I do not believe that the Holy Spirit inspired John to include the account of Thomas in Scripture in order to embarrass Him. Rather, I believe it is recorded because God has important things to teach us about our own struggles with faith and what kind of “seeing” is really important in our life of faith and truth in the living and Almighty God.
Faith is not blind but unbelief is. Faith sees a reality beyond what our eyes can see, a reality that only God reveals to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The Psalmist writes, “Open mine eyes that I might see, the wonderous things in your [Word]” (Psalm 119:18).
Even though Jesus is seated right now at the right hand of the Father on high, you can know Him intimately through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Great Revealer of Jesus Christ. Just ask the Holy Spirit to show you Jesus, and He will be faithful to make Jesus real to you!
Prayer:
Lord, I want You to be so real in our lives. I know that You are willing to make Yourself known and felt in any and all parts of our live that we surrender to You. Help us to choose right now to surrender more of ourselves so we can experience more of You in every aspect of our lives. Jesus, please have Your way. Do whatever You deem necessary to make us the kind of people we need to be in order to know and experience You in greater and more powerful ways. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Resources
Heaven by Randy Alcorn
The Last Days of Jesus by Thomas V. Moore
Twelve Ordinary Men by Dr. John MacArthur
Never Beyond Hope by J.I. Packer
The Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus Christ by Rick Renner
International Standard Bible Dictionary by James Orr, John Nelson, Edgar Young Mullins
Through the Book by J. Sidlow Baxter
Doubting Thomas by Glenn W. Most
The Fate of the Apostles by Sean McDowell
Faith & Doubt by John Ortberg
Jesus Helps Our Unbelief – An article by Jon Bloom @desiringGod.org
“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This morning, as we continue our series “The Next Forty Days,” we will consider another significant and emotional event in the life of the disciples as Jesus continued His post-resurrection appearances which occurred after His death, burial and resurrection, but prior to His ascension to the right hand of the Father in heaven. As we have seen, Jesus continued to appear at various times to show Himself alive and instruct His disciples. In our Scripture this morning, we find that Jesus not only appears to His disciples again on the evening of His resurrection but Thomas missed the meeting.
Unfortunately, we often judge people by one mistake and we never let them forget it. This is what happened to Thomas. No doubt he showed great faith many times, but we remember him because of his doubt. Today when someone is skeptical about something, we call that person a “doubting Thomas.” How many times have we wrongly judged someone?! Isn’t it amazing how names stick? In reality, Thomas was one of the most steadfast and loyal apostles among the Twelve.
We will get back to Thomas in a moment but first I want you to note when Jesus appeared to His disciples, minus Thomas: “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders…”
(John 20:19a)
John tells us that when the disciples gathered for dinner, they made certain “…the doors were shut….” The word “door” is thura, which lets us know this was a door that was large and solid. But, as if this were not enough, the verse tells us that these doors “were shut.” The word “shut” is the Greek word kleio, meaning locked. Doors of this kind were usually locked with a heavy bolt that slid through rings attached to the door and the frame, like the deadbolts we use in doors today, only heavier. This door would be difficult, if not impossible, to break down. “The fact that it was locked “for fear of the Jews” tells us that the disciples had moved into a mode of self-preservation and protection” (Renner).
But although the doors were shut and locked tight, “Jesus stood among them…” Luke tells us that with this sudden appearance, “… they were startled and frightened, thinking they had seen a ghost ... [Jesus] said, ‘Peace be with you! ... Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself!’” (Luke 24:36-39a NIV). In this moment, Jesus revealed a very powerful dynamic about Himself, and that is about His glorified body. After His resurrection, Jesus didn’t have the same limitations as His earthly body possessed before His resurrection and glorification.
Notice Jesus said, “‘Touch me [handle me] and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.” The Greek word “to handle” is psilaphao, which literally means to touch, to squeeze, or to feel. He gave the disciples permission to examine His resurrected body to see that it was a real body and not a spirit.
“And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence” (Luke 24:39-43).
In His glorified (resurrected) state, Jesus was able to appear, to disappear, to travel great distances, and to even supernaturally pass through a wall or the locked door of a house (John 20:26). Jesus eats with them, demonstrating that He is flesh and bone, not a spirit or ghost.
After eating the fish and honeycomb, Jesus began to speak to them from the Scriptures, pointing out key Old Testament prophecies having to do with Himself. Luke 24:45 says, “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.” Jesus explained to the disciples as He did to Cleopas and Mary on the Road to Emmaus, that repentance would have to be preached in His name among all the nations, but that it was to begin in Jerusalem. This is when He told them, “…As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21).
Our Future with Christ
As Jesus was changed, so we will be changed also! John writes, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
At this point, I must pause to remind you that Jesus in His glorified state processes the same glorified body God has promised to all Christians after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:26-57; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:4-5, 18). Just as our earthly bodies are perfectly suited to life on earth, our resurrected bodies will be the same for life in heaven and on earth during the reign of Christ (2 Timothy 2:12; 1 Corinthians 6:1-3; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:1-6). We will have form and solidness to the touch, yet with no hinderance to travel (John 20:19, 26; Luke 24:39). We will be able to enjoy food, but will not be driven to it by necessity for nourishment nor fleshly desire (Luke 24:40–43). Author Randy Alcorn writes, “And like Moses and Elijah, we will be able to bathe in the glory of our Maker in the fellowship of His dear Son (Matthew 17:2–3; Philippians 3:10). The bodies we inherit will be more like what God had originally made us to be, rather than what we now abide in through the infirmity and weakness of our sinful flesh. We will be glorified with Christ, and that glory will extend to the bodies we will inhabit.”
Paul writes, “I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:50-53).
This is the power of Jesus’ resurrection! Our spiritual, glorified bodies, will be one with the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit and our weakness will no longer exist! John tells us in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Can you not help but shout “Hallelujah! Praise God!”
Paul writes “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, … But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God’”
(1 Corinthians 2:7-10 NKJV).
Jesus said, “Behold I am coming soon! ...” The Spirit and the bride [the Church] say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” The Apostle John replied, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:12-20)
As you behold this wonderful and powerful truth, the promise of God, I pray that as the Church, the bride of Christ, our hearts will be focused on the coming of the Lord, for the translation, the out-taking of the Church, the rapture, and the Second Coming of Christ to reign is to be the desire of the Church! This is our hope of glory! This is our salvation! This is our redemption and deliverance from sin and unrighteousness! This is our forgiveness! This is our restoration and this is our future in Christ! How can we not but fall on our knees before the living and almighty God in pure and unending adoration and worship? Are you excited yet?!
As you can see, during Jesus’ 40 days before His ascension, Jesus showed Himself to be alive but He revealed to His disciples and to us our future state, He performed miracles, and He commissioned the Eleven, soon-to-be Apostles and other disciples to go and make disciples of all people [nations] and to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Why Didn’t Thomas Believe?
According to the Apostle John, Thomas was not present on that first Easter Sunday evening when Jesus appeared to the other disciples and the other devoted followers of Jesus (John 20:24). Later that evening, perhaps by divine delay, when Thomas came back to the upper room where they were staying, Jesus had left. As Thomas listened to what the others had told him about what had happened, he refused to believe that Jesus had risen, regardless of what they told him. Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).
Why did Thomas respond to the other disciples this way? Perhaps the answer can be found in Thomas’s own words when he said, “unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails.” This by the way, is the only time nails are mentioned in the Gospels as part of Jesus’s crucifixion. Most of what we know about Roman crucifixion we learn from other sources.
Author Jon Bloom writes, “The slaughter of Jesus outside Jerusalem had been so gruesome that it was all but humanly impossible for Thomas to imagine a resurrection of Jesus’ body. True, Thomas had seen Lazarus’ resurrection. But Lazarus had died of an illness, and Jesus had been there to raise him. But Jesus had been [brutally beaten, crucified and died].”
None of us can truly know or feel “what Thomas saw, felt and heard as he actually watched Jesus die. Thomas did not just suffer doubt, his was beyond doubt; Thomas didn’t doubt the resurrection, he actually rejected any possibility of Jesus being risen from the dead, he refused to believe and he was emphatic about it … To say that Thomas doubted would be a misrepresentation of Thomas’ unbelief” (Renner). Perhaps we should probably stop calling Thomas a doubter – his was total unbelief.
In reality, we all suffer doubt from time to time, that is after all, a part of our humanity and spiritual growth. Doubt is not opposed to faith but it should cause us to seek the answers to our struggle with our doubts. Thomas’ reaction wasn’t right but, given the circumstances, would we have responded differently? Was Thomas a doubter? No, Thomas was still where he had left off that morning with the other disciples, they hadn’t believed the women’s report that they had seen Jesus and now, upon his return to the upper room, all of Thomas’s closest friends claimed that Jesus had suddenly appeared in the middle of a locked-door meeting where he spoke and even ate with them. A meeting Thomas missed as he struggled with the pain of his disappointment and grief, alone and away from them all. Is it possible that Jesus understood that Thomas needed some time and space to sort through it all? Truly God understands the uniqueness of who each of us are, what we need the most at the time and how we need to heal.
David wrote, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me … Where can I go from your Spirit? ... For you created my inmost being.” (Psalm 139:1,7,13)
Seeing is Believing
A week later, the disciples were behind locked doors again but this time Thomas was with them. John 20:26,27 says, “… Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas believed! Thomas repented of his sin of unbelief! “Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus was everything to Thomas and he understood it now more than ever.
Thomas’ struggle with unbelief is understandable but it is not commendable - it was and is sin. Jesus forgave Thomas for his failure of faith and restored Him. Then Jesus said something to Thomas that was not meant for his ears only. Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The struggle of faith is real. “… Jesus’s rebuke is clear enough. There were others who had not yet seen Jesus, but still believed in his resurrection. And their believing was more blessed than Thomas’s seeing. Why? Because those saints relied on their eyes of faith more than the eyes in their heads — and faith-seeing, in this age, results in more joy than eye-seeing” (Jon Bloom).
Peter reminds us, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9 ESV).
Conclusion:
Throughout the centuries, Thomas has been labeled and criticized as a doubter. In my heart, I do not believe that the Holy Spirit inspired John to include the account of Thomas in Scripture in order to embarrass Him. Rather, I believe it is recorded because God has important things to teach us about our own struggles with faith and what kind of “seeing” is really important in our life of faith and truth in the living and Almighty God.
Faith is not blind but unbelief is. Faith sees a reality beyond what our eyes can see, a reality that only God reveals to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The Psalmist writes, “Open mine eyes that I might see, the wonderous things in your [Word]” (Psalm 119:18).
Even though Jesus is seated right now at the right hand of the Father on high, you can know Him intimately through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Great Revealer of Jesus Christ. Just ask the Holy Spirit to show you Jesus, and He will be faithful to make Jesus real to you!
Prayer:
Lord, I want You to be so real in our lives. I know that You are willing to make Yourself known and felt in any and all parts of our live that we surrender to You. Help us to choose right now to surrender more of ourselves so we can experience more of You in every aspect of our lives. Jesus, please have Your way. Do whatever You deem necessary to make us the kind of people we need to be in order to know and experience You in greater and more powerful ways. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Resources
Heaven by Randy Alcorn
The Last Days of Jesus by Thomas V. Moore
Twelve Ordinary Men by Dr. John MacArthur
Never Beyond Hope by J.I. Packer
The Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus Christ by Rick Renner
International Standard Bible Dictionary by James Orr, John Nelson, Edgar Young Mullins
Through the Book by J. Sidlow Baxter
Doubting Thomas by Glenn W. Most
The Fate of the Apostles by Sean McDowell
Faith & Doubt by John Ortberg
Jesus Helps Our Unbelief – An article by Jon Bloom @desiringGod.org
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