Stop doubting and believe

John 20:24~31

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.

I. Message:

Content:

1. Thomas (called Didymus) said, "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 in Jesus’ resurrection." (v. 24~25)
2. Jesus appeared to the disciples once again a week later to let Thomas examine His wounds so that he may believe (v. 26~27)
3. Thomas confessed his faith in front of Jesus, saying “my Lord and my God”, followed by Jesus’ encouragement (v. 28~29)
4. John points out the purpose of writing this Gospel is to bring people to believe in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God and to have eternal life. (v. 31)

Themes:

1. Stop doubting and believe
2. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed

II. Who is God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit?

1. Jesus Christ rose from the dead (v. 24)
2. Jesus Christ intimates, encourages and strengthens the disciples (v. 26)
3. Jesus Christ gives peace (v. 26)
4. Jesus Christ performs miracles (v. 30)
5. Jesus Christ, the Son of God (v. 31)
6. Jesus Christ gives eternal life to those who believe in Him (v. 31)

III. What does the passage teach us (about commands, promises, examples, exhortations and warnings)?

1. Reason and faith must balance

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."

Thomas believes in reason; he can hardly believe testimonies from others and trusts in his own experience alone. Therefore he said concerning Jesus’ resurrection, "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."

It is true that we must not deny the value of reasoning. Faith/religious beliefs have a rational basis. However it is necessary to have faith beyond rationality, as described by the author of the book of Hebrews, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) And in today’s reading, Jesus said to Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (v. 29)

Reflections: what is my attitude towards faith? Do I rely solely on reason? Or do I have to take a leap of faith?

2. Learn from Jesus’ compassion

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."

Jesus appeared to the disciples many times since His resurrection. This appearance was for Thomas. Jesus did not put him on the spot because of his reasoning, doubt and unbelief. Instead, He invited Thomas to touch His wounds to strengthen his faith. This act clearly shows Jesus’ compassion towards the disciples.

Reflections: how do I deal with weaknesses of brother and sisters in Christ? Have I lacked compassion?

3. Affirm Thomas’ sincerity

28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Most of times, Thomas serves as a bad example in his firm grip in reasoning, in his doubt and unbelief. However, if we look at him from another perspective, Thomas is not a hypocrite but a person of integrity. When he faced something he could not believe, he did not fake it as if he believed; when he is not certain, he digs deeper and seeks truth.

Once he saw with his own eyes, he believed without any more doubt. He confessed and said, "My Lord and my God!"

Reflections: how serious am I with my faith? Do I simply follow whatever other people say without questioning? Or do I look for truth, dig deeper is discussions and remain faithful to the Lord?

4. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed

29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

In our daily life, there are many situations where we need to have a certain level of faith without any means to verify: for instance, taking airplanes or taxis without knowing the probability of getting into an accident; consuming food product on the market without carrying out tests to verify its safety. The common point behind these situations is faith and trust. If we do not have such trust, we may be afraid to go out and starve because we dare not take taxis or planes or eat food on the market. Since our daily life is based on so much trust already, our faith journey requires such trust as well. If we do not have faith, but demand concrete and tangible proofs in all situations, we may lose many opportunities in receiving blessings. Little faith may lead to little blessings; no faith at all leads to loss of salvation.

Reflections: based on Jesus’ encouragement for Thomas, am I a blessed person?

5. The purpose of writing the Gospel

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.

This passage indicates that Jesus performed other miracles but these were not recorded in this book. This shows that the Gospel of John did not record everything in Jesus’ life but only part of it, may it be the more important part. Therefore, the Gospel is not intended to be a history book but to bring readers to believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God and to receive the eternal life through Jesus.

Reflections: have I believed in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God and received eternal life through the reading of the Scriptures?

Translated by Michael Y.