JOHN 20:24-31 THE PROOF IS IN THE BELIEVING
24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 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 it.”
26 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!” 27 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.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Preachers often categorize Thomas as one of us; a doubter, and one who demands proof before he will believe. Certainly we can all identify with Thomas, since we live in a skeptical culture and find it hard to believe anything out of the ordinary. We go so far as to doubt the “hidden” motive behind even those actions we can see. The label of naïve, or even ignorant, is applied to those who do not question appearances or believe something without tangible proof. This approach certainly makes for an engaging sermon, but actually our connection with Thomas lies elsewhere.
We, like Thomas, were not present with the rest of the disciples when Jesus first appeared bodily after the resurrection. As such, again like Thomas, we only hear of the experience second hand. Jesus’ statement, “Because you have seen me, you have believed,” could have been directed at all the disciples present. His message to us is contained in the second half of this quote: “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The experience of Thomas becomes an assurance to us that a tangible encounter with the physical body of the risen Christ does not convey a special status in the kingdom. Citizenship in the kingdom is predicated on faith and faith alone. Thus, those who were present for the appearances have no advantage over those of us who were not. The proof is in the believing.
Thank you, Lord for sharing with me the experience of Thomas so that I might be assured in my decision to follow you. Thank you also for the gift of the Holy Spirit through which I can be convicted of the truth and have faith in you as my Lord and my God. Amen.