Wednesday in the Word...John 20:26-29...An important conversation between Jesus and Thomas...sermon post too

Back in the saddle again at MVBC!  Last week's sermon is included at the end of this blog post.  I pray for us all to keep in the saddle with our time with the Lord.  It has been easy to fill our days with news of the day rather than the words of our Savior.  May reading this post help us all keep focus to what our true mission is as followers of Jesus Christ.

This is such an important conversation between Thomas and Jesus.  It is more than just Thomas' proclamation, "My Lord and My God."  Jesus prepares Thomas and us Christians for what is to come next, people who will believe who have not seen.  

Today's Wednesday in the Word covers John chapter 20 and verses 26 through 29, which read,

v.26 - After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them, Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."

If we remember back a couple weeks, Jesus made His first appearance to His disciples minus Thomas.  The Apostle John makes note that Thomas was not with them and when he did hear the news of a risen Lord, he insisted that he would not believe unless he saw Jesus himself.  Jesus met them on Resurrection Day, on a Sunday, and now it is eight days later so it is either another Sunday accounting days by Jewish standards or a Monday accounting days by Roman standards.  

Thomas is with them and the doors are secured.  The doors typically had no knobs on the outside so whatever was put in front of the door on the inside had to be removed before someone was able to come in.  The door was shut so that means it was secured so that no one could come in.  It would seem that the disciples are still fearful of what might happen to them even though they have had this first appearance of Jesus.  No mention is made of opening the door by any disciple so the indication is that Jesus miraculously appeared again among them as He did before.  Jesus also says the same words as before "Peace be with you" as in verses 19 and 21.

v.27 - Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving but believing."

The first thing to note is that Jesus goes from speaking to all the disciples to specifically directing His words to Thomas.  The second thing is that we have no record of Jesus meeting with His disciples between these accounts so Thomas' demands were not communicated to Jesus.  When Jesus produces these very demands that Thomas commanded, it seems another time that Jesus shows His all-knowing quality.  He did this many times throughout the gospels with producing what others were thinking before they ever said it.  Thomas is given his words right back at him that were said outside of Jesus' presence.

Jesus produces what Thomas asked for but His teaching is not done with this act.  Jesus provides the proof because at that time, the disciples were to be eyewitnesses of the resurrected Lord.  They were to be able to say, "We have seen the Lord!  We are eyewitnesses of Him!"  What did Thomas have at this point to believe that Jesus rose from the dead?  He had 10 other disciples telling him the news and probably some of the women who also went to the tomb.  He had the word of eyewitnesses and he also had Jesus' words prior to His death that He would rise again on the third day.

He had what we have.  We have the words of Jesus; we have the words of eyewitnesses; and add to this others who have responded to this call comprising God's church who are living lives in relationship to a risen Lord.  Thomas spends this week probably repeating over and over, "Until I...I will not believe."  I think many of us are like Thomas in this week of unbelief.  We drive in our heels and resist even though the gift of God's grace is presented to us.  Jesus wants Thomas to do something different than what he had been doing all through that week.  "...do not be unbelieving but believing."

v.28 - Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God."

First off, this is the answer each person should give when they stop unbelieving and believe.  This is what a Christian believes that Jesus is his or her Master and his or her God.  Jesus has the position of Lord and the position of God in the life of the Christian.  We put ourselves under and in submission to God's will and His words.  We will see that this confession of Thomas plays right into the purpose of John's gospel that we will look at next Wednesday.  The whole purpose of Christ's coming, the witness of the eyewitnesses to experience His resurrection and recording it for us, and the continual witness of others who have said, "My Lord and my God" is for others to respond the same way.  Instead of digging in your heels for any second longer, you lunge to the feet of Jesus with this proclamation.  

I can't help but think that Thomas had some regret.  He went a whole week unbelieving when that week could have been lived believing.  It is a common response of a true convert of Jesus.  We look back and say, "I wish I would have done this sooner."  "Why did I resist so long?"  "I see how God was calling me through so many people and events."  Knowing our natural resistance leads us to proclaim all the more the need for repentance so that others can experience this restoration into God's family.  God re-tools us to do this work in His name.

v.29 - Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed?  Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

What about all of Jesus' words and Jesus' miracles?  What about all the time spent with Jesus over the last 3 years?  What about the one-on-one conversations with Jesus?  It seems to be a little jab at Thomas or a correction to him because there is coming a time soon when Jesus would not be seen.  Jesus would ascend into heaven and what would Thomas have to share with others about Jesus?  He would have his own eyewitness accounts and also the words of Jesus.  He would call upon others to believe in one who they have not seen and Thomas would see them believe without seeing.  

Peter expresses this action later in 1 Peter chapter 1 and verses 8 and 9, which read,

"...and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls."

Do you see the old hymn there?  "It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, full of glory, full of glory..."  Those who would come to believe in the risen Lord after the eyewitnesses of the resurrected Lord would not be less than them.  They would be blessed.  They would receive the same salvation of the eyewitnesses.  The salvation is not diminished with each successive generation.  God's salvation through His Son Jesus Christ is in full effect to this day and therefore we who have not seen and yet believed are to continue on with Jesus' words to the world.  More are to be blessed until the day of His returning.  More are to hear of the One who died on the cross and rose from the grave.  More are to experience God's calling and go from digging in their heels to lunging to His feet.  We, believers, have the opportunity given to us by our Lord and our God to proclaim and live this life before them.  Let's be about that this day!

Pastor Adam