Thomas, and the Risen Lord

GOLDEN TEXT: “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” —John 20:29

JOHN 11:14-16

THE Scriptures furnish very little information concerning Thomas, except that he was chosen by Jesus to be one of his twelve apostles, that he had an ardent and genuine love for the Master, and was of a doubting disposition. This latter trait manifested itself in his refusal to believe that Jesus had been raised from the dead unless he could see the nail prints in his hands and the sword wound in his side.

The great love Thomas had for the Master is manifested in his statement to the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (vs. 16) This was when Lazarus of Bethany had died, the two sisters, Martha and Mary, having previously sent word to Jesus that he was ill. At the time, Jesus and his disciples had gone “beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized.”—John 10:40

Jesus went there to escape the wrath of his enemies in and about Jerusalem, for “they sought again to take him.” (John 10:39) After receiving the word that Lazarus was ill, the Master waited for two days and then said to his disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.” (John 11:7) His disciples questioned the propriety of this, saying, “Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?”—vs. 8

Jesus’ reply seems somewhat ambiguous, but is evidently intended to convey the thought that there is a “due time” for everything in the Father’s plan—“Are there not twelve hours in the day?” Jesus had not fled from his enemies because of fear, but because he knew that the proper time for his death had not been reached. But now it was so near that there was no point in further avoiding his enemies.

It was when Jesus made the definite announcement that he would return to Bethany that Thomas replied, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (vs. 16) It is this statement that reveals his love for the Master, a love so strong that for the moment he felt willing to die with him if need be. And the disciples were not wrong with respect to the result of the Master returning to Judea. In fact, the awakening of Lazarus helped to stir up additional anger against him, and thus to hasten his arrest and crucifixion.

JOHN 14:1-6

THIS well-known passage sets clearly before us one of the great objectives of the Christian life; that is, to be with the Heavenly Father in that “place” which Jesus went away to prepare for all those who lay down their lives following in his footsteps. “I go to prepare a place for you,” he said. This is not one of the “many mansions” previously mentioned, for, as Jesus said, these already were in his Father’s house.

It was difficult for the disciples to grasp the spiritual truths which Jesus expressed to them, although at times Jesus seemed to imply that in his opinion they should be able to discern more than they did. “Whither I go ye know, and the way ye know,” he said to them. But Thomas replied, “Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?”

Jesus had just said that he was going to prepare a place for them, going, that is, to his Father’s house. But they did not grasp the significance of this; so, patiently, he explained, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (vs. 6) Jesus was going to the Father, and if they also wanted to be with the Father, the “way” was through him, and by dying with him.

We understand the “way” to signify that through the merit of his shed blood we have access to the Father; while the “truth” would indicate that through his teachings we are able to know God’s will in following the Master. Then, through his merit, and by faithfulness to his commands, we will eventually enter into life—the divine life, making possible our actual presence with the Heavenly Father. But Thomas, lacking spiritual understanding of what Jesus meant, was skeptical—“How can we know the way?”

JOHN 20:24-29

THIS familiar passage is the one which reveals most clearly the doubting characteristic of Thomas. At the same time, however, it shows, indirectly, his personal love for Jesus, for it indicates that at the time of the crucifixion Thomas was so close to the scene and so intently watching what happened to his Lord, that he had observed the wounds in his hands and in his side, and that he still carried these in his memory, refusing to believe that Jesus had been raised from the dead unless he could see them again, literally.

Jesus was sympathetic toward Thomas in his weakness, and accommodated him. Thomas was convinced, and exclaimed, “My Lord and my God.” The use of the word “God” suggests again the strong personal attachment Thomas had for Jesus, one which amounted almost to worship. And now that he had been convinced that his beloved Master actually had been raised from the dead, he could not hold back this expression of adoration and love.

Verse 30 explains clearly just what occurred in the upper room where Jesus appeared to Thomas and the others, referring to the demonstration as one of the “signs” which Jesus gave to establish the fact that he had been raised from the dead. Jesus had given his flesh for the life of the world. If he had been restored to life as a human being it would mean that he had not actually taken the sinner’s place, that the “ransom” had not been provided. But this did not hinder him from giving Thomas a “sign,” the one which alone would convince him that his Master had been raised from the dead.

Thomas was convinced, but Jesus observed, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” This principle holds true today in a special way. Many fail to appreciate the fact of Jesus’ second presence because they have not “seen” him, failing to realize that he is no longer flesh, hence cannot be seen with human eyes.

QUESTIONS

What two traits of character do the Scriptures reveal as being possessed by Thomas?

Does Jesus now possess a human body, marred by nail prints in his hands, and a wound in his side?

What is the explanation of the manner in which Jesus appeared to Thomas?

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