"Do I Believe?" - The question asked in John 20:19-29

Something was up! Jesus’ body was missing from the tomb. What was it that Jesus had said about rising from the dead on the third day? Could Jesus really have conquered death? And now Mary Magdalene was saying that she had seen Jesus, and she really believed it! You could imagine that a decent debate was going on amongst them all.

The Jewish leadership, not to mention the Romans, were going to be incensed that someone had stolen the body of Jesus so as to spread the rumour that he was alive. And the disciples were going to be on top of the list of suspects. No wonder they had their door locked in fear.

But now Jesus appeared to them all, with the exception of the missing Thomas. Jesus would use the same familiar words he used back in chapter 14, “Peace be with you”. Jesus had just made this peace possible by his sacrifice on the cross, and soon these same disciples would be empowered, and have the full potential of this peace within them, through the coming of the Holy Spirit.

How did Jesus appear to these disciples? We can see that Jesus was physically resurrected in a human form, as he was able to point out the wounds he had suffered during his torture. These wounds would be an important point of recognition for the disciples. But we can also see here a body already prepared for ascension and eternity, as Jesus was able to enter a sealed room without even needing to knock on the locked door. This would be an important indication of the presence of God.

As you would imagine, the disciples now rejoiced. Following Jesus’ death on the cross they would have felt defeated, hopeless, as if they had wasted a good three years of their life on a worthless cause. But now they probably wanted to throw a big party, and rub all their opponents’ noses in it! However, Jesus short-circuited these plans, by saying to them, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”. The disciples had to remember now about all of the training and guidance they had been given. Instead of going back to their former lives, they were confronted with the realisation that leaving everything to follow Jesus was an ongoing dynamic.

The purpose of Jesus’ incarnation was being passed on to these disciples. People in the disciples’ community (and then beyond) would find out about the forgiveness available to them through these Spirit-filled disciples, or, possibly not find out about this forgiveness – if these disciples (rather than accepting) retreated from their calling. This is how these disciples held the keys to God’s Kingdom – how many people could they introduce to the entrance door?

A very imperfect analogy would be this: If a person wants to sell their home, they employ a real estate agent to present their house in the best way possible to interested buyers. These agents promote the house and show people through it. Eventually they’ll close a deal with a formal contract.

Jesus’ disciples will be the agents of God (through the guidance of the Holy Spirit) in presenting and demonstrating the credibility of God to their community, causing people to commit themselves to the Jesus way.

Having introduced people to Jesus – some will accept the disciples’ testimony, respond positively, and experience God’s grace for themselves. Others will unfortunately walk away untouched and remain unforgiven and in spiritual poverty.

Thomas, who wasn’t around during this appearance, later came to hear about Jesus’ supposed resurrection. Where had Thomas been? Perhaps his level of disappointment and despair had taken him back to his former life with little thought of returning! Perhaps he just couldn’t face being with the other disciples, as they would continually remind him of his loss. But it may have only taken the slightest possibility of Jesus’ return that brought Thomas back to the fold. Perhaps this return was through the insistence of the others that the news was true, and the hope and joy they were portraying.

Thomas was one who was not easily convinced – he wanted absolute proof. He didn’t want all his hopes to be dashed again! Although Thomas may seem a difficult, conservative sort of guy, he had previously shown great character, courage and loyalty, when he was willing to accompany Jesus back to Judea even if this led to his own death (John 11). Thomas also showed the willingness to make himself vulnerable by exposing his lack of understanding, when he said – “Lord, we do not know where you are going – how can we know the way?” (John 14:5). But proof Thomas wanted, so proof he would receive! Thomas didn’t have to directly ask for this proof, Jesus knew Thomas’ heart!

Probably the best translation, at the end of verse 27, would be: “Stop becoming an ‘unbeliever’ and ‘believe’”. Thomas is not difficult, nor conservative, any longer. He is spontaneous and radical! Thomas may not have, in the end, even needed to touch Jesus’ scars, so overwhelmed was he with Jesus’ presence! He relates that he absolutely ‘believes’ by saying to Jesus – “My Lord and my God” – a statement of adoring faith.

This incident actually served to challenge those in the first century church, and each of us that followed, who would never have the chance to physically see and touch Jesus’ wounds. As an aside, we may sometimes think a little absolute proof would be handy, but don’t we receive regular proof anyway as we experience answers to prayer and changing circumstances. And as the text teaches, how blessed we will be, if we could just put our faith in the sure testimony of the disciples and the truth of God’s Word.

I know that the lectern I stand behind exists without having to think about it, there is no choice involved. How blessed we are when we internally experience the answer to our needs beyond our immediate ability to comprehend, and choose by faith to follow in that direction.

Thomas moved from ‘unbelief’ to ‘belief’ on the basis of overwhelming evidence. People of all subsequent generations will be so blessed in their lives if they can move from ‘unbelief’ to ‘belief’ through a step of faith. This step of faith involves an unsettling dissatisfaction with how life is panning out for a person, combined with a perceptible touch of God’s grace.

So the disciples of old, and modern-day disciples will have to live out the Jesus life with credibility and purpose and effectiveness – to aid this process of the realisation of need intersecting with the offer of grace. We will have to, in very natural ways, be about the following:
· bringing understanding to a person’s dissatisfaction with their life (after all, without God there can be no lasting satisfaction);
· providing a representation of how the grace of God effectively operates through the challenges and difficulties of everyday life.

This will all originate of course from our closeness with God. Have we moved from ‘unbelief’ to ‘belief’? Have we found ourselves so convinced of what Jesus is doing in our life that we want to see others experience this as well? What will we need to do to be truly on fire for God and His Kingdom?

Is it a first-time commitment to Jesus? Is it a most-needed re-commitment to God’s ways? Is it believer's baptism? Is it a new understanding of God’s commitment to all the people of the world? Is it the need for a new injection of compassion for the hurting? Is it an exploration of the gifts we are being given by the Holy Spirit?

Let’s pray to God in terms of our need, and then seek help from our brothers and sisters. The world needs us, our community needs us, everyone needs to be able to see and experience the wounds of Jesus as they look at us. Sounds too much to handle! So we pray, and we keep praying. So, we encourage each other, and keep encouraging!