Key Text: Then saith Jesus 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 (John 20:27).
Thomas emerges in the New Testament as a man who is skeptical, pessimistic, and sometimes confused about Jesus’ teachings; however, once convinced, he becomes a steadfast follower. The first instance of his confusion occurred when he misunderstood Jesus’ intent in visiting the dead Lazarus in Bethany, two miles from Jerusalem (the religious center of Judea). The last time Christ was in Judea, the Jews tried to stone Him (John 10:31). Christ is happy that He was not with Lazarus when he died. Had He been there, He would have healed him and prevented death. Now Christ must perform a greater miracle that will increase the faith of the disciples. Thomas encourages the disciples to go with Christ, even though the outlook for safety is dim. Thomas feels that Christ will be killed, and as a result they will be killed as well v 16.
Following THE LAST SUPPER, Thomas sought clarification when Jesus spoke of events to come: His departure, its purpose, His return, and a perfect reunion with Him. “Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way v 5? Christ replied explicitly, “Whither I go ye know the way” v 6. And, slow to apprehend, Thomas stated “We believe that You will come back again, and we believe that we shall be together; but what about your absence should you go? It was a veiled invitation to the disciples to come to Him before He came back for them. The Christ who is absent is always present as the path to Himself. Although Thomas and others conversed with Christ before His journey to raise Lazarus, “they knew after a fashion,” but they did not know that they knew. They had heard much in the past as to where Christ was going and they should have known the way. So, the Master was saying: Take time! Do not be agitated and troubled in heart. And, think what I have told you over and over again, and you will find that you do know whither I am going, and that you do know the way!
After the RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, and when told about this event, Thomas refused to believe it “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finder into the print of the nails (20:25). Eight days later Jesus reappeared to the group, and He asked Thomas to reach out and touch His wounds, and to “be not faithless, but believing” (20:27). Thomas did so, and convinced, he responded with the strongest declaration of Christ’s divinity: “My Lord and my God” v 28. And Thomas was among the Apostles who saw the risen Jesus once more at the Sea of Tiberias (21:2), where Jesus performed a miracle by filling their nets with fish v 6. AMEN!
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