150412 The Journey From the Cross

John 20:24-31 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although 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, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

When Jesus was taken down from the cross and placed in a borrowed tomb his disciples were all defeated and in despair. During the time between Jesus’ burial and his resurrection he had gone into Paradise. Now we find Jesus meeting with the disciples one week after his resurrection. Thomas had been separated from his brothers and sisters in the Lord when Jesus first came to meet with them. Now Thomas is present and about to be joyfully brought to belief.

The only things we know about Thomas, from the Scriptures, is found in John’s Gospel. In the other three Gospels, Thomas is just a name in the list of the twelve. John gives us a brief look into his character when he shows us that…

Thomas had been willing to die with Jesus. Let’s go back to Lazarus’ tomb at John 11:11-16. After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” ¹² The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” ¹³ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. ¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ¹⁶ So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus and his disciples had been waiting, many miles away, for the Passover. Jesus knew that he would be arrested, reviled, and crucified. However, he knew that had to happen at Jerusalem and it had to happen at Passover. Jesus is our Passover lamb, he is “the Lamb of God” who takes away the sin of the world.

Thomas, and the other disciples, were with Jesus on the east bank of the Jordan River. They knew that the Jewish leaders were prepared to take Jesus’ life. When Jesus said that he was determined to go to the tomb of Lazarus it was Thomas who said to the other disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” He was the bold one…

Now, he demanded evidence. He would not just take the word of the other disciples. Thomas would have to see his hands and side. Thomas said he would never believe unless he could touch the Resurrection body of Jesus Christ. The other disciples could hardly argue with him since they had not believed in the beginning either.

Apparently, the other disciples made a sincere effort to bring Thomas into the circle of those who believed. During the week after Resurrection Sunday someone persuaded him to come back to the group. I don’t believe they could have promised that Thomas would see the Lord because they could not demand that Jesus appear. They could pray and talk as well as search the Scriptures to see what was said about the Messiah.

I cannot imagine the confused emotions the disciples must’ve had. They had seen the Lord in the upper room and he had commissioned them to go, as he had gone, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus had left them and they did not know, or did not record, where he went. They could not have known how long he would be gone or when he would return. All they could do was come together and wait to see what Jesus would do. Then on the eighth day…

Once again Jesus came into a locked room. Let’s look back at John 20:19. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

We can see from this passage that the first time Jesus came to them they were in a locked room. John said simply that Jesus came and stood among them. He doesn’t say anything about Jesus’ method of coming into their presence so we can make whatever assumptions we choose. Many people like to believe that Jesus simply walked through the wall. That was pretty much what I believed for a long time. Now I have a different opinion. I do not believe that Jesus disappeared and reappeared. I believe that when Jesus approached the locked door it simply opened.

When Jesus ascended into heaven he actually was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. (Acts 1:9) Stephen saw Jesus in a vision when he was martyred. (Acts 7:56) Saul of Tarsus, who would later be Paul the apostle, saw Jesus in the air above him. (Acts 9:3-6) And at a later date, while he was imprisoned at Caesarea, the book of Acts tells us that “the Lord stood by him”. (Acts 23:11) That very likely was a time when Jesus actually appeared without being able to physically enter the scene. After all, Jesus is God and can do as he chooses. Having arrived in the room with the disciples…

Jesus offered Thomas proof. Let’s go back to John 20:26-27. Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although 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, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

Jesus’ challenge to Thomas was all the evidence he needed. The doubts that Thomas held were all shattered by this appearance of Jesus. There is no rebuke in the words of Jesus. He spoke to all who were present with, “Peace be with you”. Then he turned directly to Thomas and said. “do not disbelieve.” Jesus had often had to deal with the doubt and confusion his disciples had.

Once when Jesus was traveling by boat he went to sleep. And suddenly there rose a great storm. The disciples, many of whom were boatmen, were struggling to keep the boat from sinking. Jesus was asleep and apparently unconcerned. The disciples woke him and asked, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus immediately awoke and took care of the necessary business. He spoke to the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And immediately there came a great calm. Jesus then asked the disciples why they were so afraid. He said to them, “Have you still no faith?” They had been afraid before but now we’re told that they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:36-41) Once when Jesus had been on the mountain meeting with Moses and Elijah his disciples had been unable to heal an epileptic. When he was brought to Jesus he said, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring them to me.” (Matthew 17:14-21)

So we see that throughout his ministry Jesus had to deal with the doubts of his followers and, when necessary, he had produced evidence to calm their doubts. They had witnessed sight being restored to the blind; the lame made able to walk: the dead being given back their life and restored to their families; thousands of people fed from one small boy’s lunch and on and on, yet they did not understand. With all his doubts put aside…

Thomas confessed Jesus as Lord and God.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have an answer for those who say, “Look, Thomas called him God.” The witness will answer that Thomas simply blurted out those words in surprise. In other words, Thomas took the Lord’s name in vain. Please don’t ever think that this experience went that way at all. Thomas had been willing to die with Jesus because he believed in him. After Jesus’ crucifixion Thomas, along with the others, were confused and frustrated. Now, Thomas could see clearly who Jesus really was. In that boat, after the calming of the storm, the disciples had “marveled, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?’” (Mark 4:41) Nathaniel had called Jesus “the Son of God” the first time he met him because Jesus had been able to say where Nathaniel was at when he was alone. Jesus assured him he would see greater things than that. And he certainly did! (John 1:43-51)

Jesus lovingly settled the doubts of Thomas just as he will settle the doubts of anyone who is willing to believe. And then…

Jesus blessed those who believed without seeing. Let’s look back to the high priestly prayer found in John 17:20-23. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Jesus has been praying for his disciples and now he expands the prayer to include us! This passage was first brought to my attention by a pastor friend who had been visiting an elderly man who could no longer read due to the loss of eyesight. The pastor asked if there was a particular passage the man wanted to hear and he said, “Read where Jesus prayed for me.” At first, my friend was confused by this statement and then after a few questions he was led to this passage of Scripture. Jesus actually prayed for us! Look at it! Jesus was praying not for “these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,” That’s us. We believe in Jesus through the testimony of the disciples written in the Bible. The Holy Spirit takes the word revealed through these men and causes us to respond to the truth in such a way that we are born again.

Jesus’ prayer was that we would all be one throughout history. All of this was so the world may believe. In fact that is…

The reason for this book. Let’s read on in John 20:30-31. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John wrote his gospel so that the readers may believe that Jesus is the Christ! So that we may believe that he is the Son of God! So that we may have life in his name!

The entire Gospel of John was written to persuade people everywhere to imitate Thomas and proclaim Jesus as the Christ. And, if he is the Christ, it follows that he is God.

In the Old Testament Isaiah 9:6 predicts, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, mighty God.’” And in Isaiah 40:3 we find this, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God,”. This verse is quoted by John the Baptist in preparation for the coming of Christ. There is no doubt that the New Testament clearly refers to the Christ as fully God! Paul wrote to the Colossians, “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,”. (Colossians 3:9)

Not only did John want us to believe that Jesus is the Christ and therefore the son of God he wanted us to have life in his name! It was John who remembered the words of Jesus, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Nearly fifty times in his gospel John referred to “life” and always it is connected to Jesus. Beginning in John chapter 1 verse four, “in him was life, and the life was the light of men. Chapter 3 verse 15, “whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” And of course, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus called himself, “the bread of life” (John 6:35); and he said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

I believe that John, the beloved disciple, had studied the written Gospels and concluded that there needed to be more information. This led him to think about the kinds of things that needed to be shared. He began this gospel with the very beginning when Jesus, as the Word, was one with the Father. He then gave several stories from the life of Jesus and explained what they taught us. In the next couple of weeks we will look at John’s last record of a visit Jesus had with his disciples at the seashore. Meanwhile, we all need to be grateful that Jesus took our sins to the cross. And even more grateful that he, in the power of the Holy Spirit, was raised from the dead to live eternally as our Savior and Lord! Is he your Lord? If you sense him calling you to salvation you can come to him and he will not turn you away.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.