24 But Thomas, one of the twelve,
called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore
said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, 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. 26 And after eight days again his
disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being
shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be
unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, 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. 28 And Thomas answered and said
unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:
blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 30 And many other signs truly did
Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye
might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye
might have life through his name. (John 20:24-31)
There is no great preponderance of evidence to suggest Thomas was any more of a
doubter of the Resurrection than all of the others. You will recall in previous
verses of this chapter when Jesus appeared to the disciples behind closed doors
that Jesus openly showed them the nail prints in His hands and the stab wound
in His side – THEN they were glad! For some unknown reason, Thomas was not with
the other disciples at the first appearance of Jesus to the disciples. Many
speculate that Thomas was doubtful of any good outcome from the crucifixion of
our Lord, but that is nowhere expressed in Scripture though, perhaps, implied
by the narrative. But there is no question that Thomas doubted that Christ had
arisen. We do not know how far the doubts of other disciples extended, but we
do know that Thomas doubted. Peter and John had already seen the empty tomb,
and heard the account given by the women of the appearance of Jesus; yet, they
were fearful and not glad to see the Lord until after Jesus had showed them His
nail-scarred hands and the wound in His side: 20 And when he had so said,
he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad,
when they saw the Lord. (John
20:20)
Though witnesses had seen Christ, the disciples were slow to believe – not just
Thomas – for we read: Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at
meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because
they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. (Mark
16:14) But, though
the others doubted, they do not seem to have doubted to the same degree as
Thomas. We are well-advised to limit our beliefs to the express teachings of
the Apostles and not doubt. The Lord’s Table of every traditional Anglican
Church has at least two candles displayed at Communion. The candle on the right
(facing out) is the Gospel candle representing the Gospel Light of Jesus Christ
and His teaching. The candle on the weak side (left) represents the Apostolic
Light and their teaching concerning Christ. Both the Gospels and the Epistles give
balance and perspective to the teachings of Christ and His Church maintained in
truth through the apostolic authority that resides therein.
Continuing with our study of Thomas, he had heard the report of the
Resurrection from those who were in the locked room at His first appearing to
the disciples there; but it was not the first reports of His resurrection.
These same disciples, ere the appearing of Christ among them, had ALSO received
reports from the women of His resurrection. It did not seem that they were
totally convinced until Christ appeared to them in Person. The other disciples therefore said
unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, 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. Moreover, Thomas was just as thoroughly
convinced at the appearance of Christ when he came face-to-face with Him as was
the others. There is no evidence Thomas had to place his hands in the stab
wound to believe though he had averred the same earlier. There is something of
greater persuasion involved in coming face-to-face with the Lord. We must all
do so to know Him well.
You will remember the woman who came to the Well of Jacob at noonday outside
the gate of Sychar. It is true that the beginnings of faith are sown by the
testimony of others, but the testimony of others are the lower lights that
guide the great ship of the soul into the safe harbor, but it is the Great
Lighthouse of God’s Word (Jesus Christ) that saves them from the ravaging
storms of the sea of life and beckons them to the safety of the harbor of God’s
Grace. And many of the
Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified,
He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto
him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two
days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman,
Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and
know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. (John
4:39-42) The first
evidences of faith may come from others, but the fullness of faith that stakes
its soul thereon comes from a direct encounter with the Word.
One point of great gravity: The apostles Woman at the Well was never the same
after encountering, first hand, the Lord Jesus Christ! Her life changed from
that of an adulterous woman to a woman of virtue. The apostles, too, were
radically changed by their encounter with the risen Savior. No longer were they
timid and fearful. No longer were they, along with Thomas, doubtful and
uncertain. From the moment of their meeting with the risen Christ, they were
fearless, courageous, and full of a burning desire to share the Gospel. If we
lack that desire, we need to re-examine our testimony, and get a double serving
of our daily bread – the Word of God.
26 And
after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then
came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Apparently Thomas has dried his powder a bit, for he is,
at least, among the disciples eight days later, perhaps tantalized by their
witness if not fully believing it. Jesus comes to them in their private
gathering even though the doors are shut. There is a mystery we cannot know
about His glorified body for it was able to pass through material barriers at
ease. The tomb was probably already empty when the angel rolled the stone away
for the world to witness the empty tomb, not to afford Jesus a means out of it.
He “stood in the midst” of them. In Anglican churches, the pulpit is
always shifted to the right side of the sanctuary (facing the congregants). The
Lord’s Table and Cross are at the center rear of the sanctuary. Why is this so?
Because the Lord’s Table represents the place of Christ, and His place is
always in the midst of the worshippers and at the honored place. The pulpit is
never at the center of the sanctuary because man cannot usurp the place of
Christ in the center of worship. For where
two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
(Matt 18:20) Other Reformed churches follow
this example as well.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, 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. There is no evidence that Thomas
followed through with his former claim of faith – that he must see the nail
prints and thrust his hand into the wound in the Lord’s side. Christ uses
Thomas’ own words to shame him for his little faith. “Do not require,
Thomas, a visible sign, for every act of faith.” Faith is more than visual
sight – it is heart knowledge.
28 And Thomas answered and said
unto him, My Lord and my God.
Now overcome with the glory and overpowering presence of Christ, Thomas drops
his pre-condition of faith and claims the Person of Christ in awe and astonishment.
When the overpowering Presence of the Lord overshadows our souls, we need no
visible proofs of the Presence.
29 Jesus
saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen
me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have
believed. Jesus delivers a mild rebuke to
Thomas for his lack of faith, and confers an honor upon those who believe the
Gospels and Apostles in their testimony of Himself without physical evidence.
Have we, too, believed the Word of the Gospels and the Epistles as read on
appointed days? Can there be any cause not to believe? Did the villagers of
Sychar believe the words of a woman of documented ill-repute when she carried
the news of Christ from Jacob’s Well to her former courtiers and others? And
many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the
woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans
were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he
abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said
unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard
him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the
world. (John 4:39-42) We are drawn to Christ by the
Words of His Gospel and the testimony of the Apostles (Epistles), but then we
must digest those beautiful Words of Truth so that we, too, may know the object
of the Word (Jesus) in a personal way.
30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his
disciples, which are not written in this book.” The Apostle of Love freely admits that there are
many other works what Christ did that are not recorded by him or any other. And
there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be
written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the
books that should be written. Amen. (John
21:25) These are
the Words with which John concludes his record. He apparently intended to say
that those things that Jesus did in His earthly ministry were so numerous and
of such magnitude that they could not be included in any single book, or
collection thereof, of writing. He was absolutely correct in saying that - even
if speaking allegorically! Certainly, if all the works of Christ in Creation
were to be enumerated, the world itself could not hold them for, even that, was
made by His divine Hands.
31
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. This kind of belief is a
contrast to that belief averred by Thomas. It
is believing the testimony of Christ and His Apostles. And John insists
that in believing we must go beyond simple belief of circumstances – we must
believe unto Eternal Life in Christ. Believing is one thing, acting upon that
belief is another in allowing the Word to sink deep into the hidden chambers of
one’s heart, and being transformed into the likeness of Christ. Have you
believed and been thus transformed, beloved friend?
Conclusion
We have a greater cause to believe than did the disciples on
the day of the resurrection. They had only a few witnesses, at first, upon
which to believe. But we have a Great Cloud of Witnesses – even secular history
itself bears a reluctant record. But greater than all of these, we have the
inward testimony of the Holy Ghost which was lacking on the Day of
resurrection.
Do you have that witness within?
