← Christian Questions Bible Podcast
Loading summary
Transcript107 lines
- [00:02]
A
Think about the Bible like you never have before. You're listening to Christian Questions. Access more audio videos and Bible study resources@christianquestions.com Our topic is was Doubting Thomas really a Doubter? Here's Rick and Julie. Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Julie, a longtime contributor. Julie, what's our theme scripture for this episode?
- [00:27]
B
John 20:25 so the other disciples were saying to him, we have seen the Lord. But he said to them, unless I see in his hands the imprint of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.
- [00:43]
A
There are many Bible accounts that have gathered a lot of attention over centuries because of their dramatic content. Cain and Abel, Noah and the Ark, David and Goliath are all powerful and dramatic Old Testament accounts filled with action. Two New Testament examples are Jesus in the Manger and Jesus on the Cross. Now all of these name stories show us a hero in their experiences. And then we have doubting Thomas. Here was an apostle who did not betray Jesus and who was ultimately faithful to his calling. And yet we know him as the doubter. Is that a fair and unbiased way to be remembering one of Jesus closest followers was Thomas, that far off from faithful so as to be labeled as a doubter? It's a big question and stay with us because there's a big answer. Our consideration today will outline five belief lessons that Jesus taught all of us when he addressed Thomas's inability to comprehend his resurrection. First, let's take a little bit of a review of what we know about Thomas. Julie, what do we know?
- [01:50]
B
Well, you might be surprised to know that Thomas's words and actions are only recorded three times in the entire New Testament and all of them are in the Gospel of John. So the first comes in John 11 where Jesus announces his intention to return to Lazarus in Judea, even though the Jews there had recently tried to stone him. So the apostles are cautioning Jesus against going. And in John 11, 13 and 16 it says this. Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought he was speaking of literal sleep. So Jesus then said to them plainly, lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there so that you may believe, but let us go to him. Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, let us also go so that we may die with him. And just a quick note, Thomas in Aramaic and Didymus in Greek both mean twin, so it's thought that he was
- [02:47]
A
a twin so we've got Thomas saying, let's go that we may die with him. This is a statement of courage and connection. If Jesus is going. If Jesus is walking into danger, we let's go so we can walk into danger with him. See, this is helping us see that Thomas did not want to be separated from Jesus. Okay? That's the first time we hear from Thomas. The second time we hear from Thomas is in the upper room the night before Jesus's crucifixion. Let's go to John 14, verses three to six.
- [03:18]
B
And this is Jesus speaking. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I'm going. Well, Thomas said to him, lord, we do not know where you're going. How do we know the way? And Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.
- [03:43]
A
Now, look, when Jesus is teaching his disciples, it's rare that anybody comes up to say, well, wait, wait, wait, we need to fill in that detail. Thomas jumps into this and says, wait, wait, we don't know the way. And Jesus doesn't say, shame on you. He says, I am the way, I am the truth. I am the life. So you see that Thomas is reaching out because, wait, wait, wait. Don't go without me. So it's a statement of courage and connection. Thomas didn't want to be separated from Jesus. So we've got those first two examples that show us who he was. And so this is where we have our beginning, our foundation for understanding who Thomas is.
- [04:24]
B
Yeah. So this brings us to the resurrection appearances of Jesus. And this is where Thomas's reputation of a doubter is formed. So before we read this moment, it helps to remember what the disciples had just lived through. They were traumatized. They were hiding behind locked doors, trying to make sense of this crucifixion. And then suddenly, Jesus appears to the 10 alive, standing in front of them, speaking peace over their fear. It's overwhelming, it's unexpected. And it changes everything for them in an instant. But Thomas wasn't there, and we're not told why.
- [05:01]
A
So you've got this drama, the drama of the crucifixion and then the bigger drama of the resurrection and appearances. But Thomas wasn't there. So now we're going to drop into this account after Jesus had appeared to those 10 where Thomas was not present, here is their explanation to Thomas about what they experienced and this becomes an important baseline for us understanding what happens with Thomas here. John, chapter 20, verses 24 to 29.
- [05:30]
B
But Thomas, one of the 12 called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, we have seen the Lord. But he said to them, well, unless I see his hands, the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.
- [05:50]
A
Okay, let's pause there for a second, because you see those words and those on the surface without any other context sound like these challenging words of great doubt. It isn't going to happen unless it happens exactly the way that I say it has to happen. And that's part of this sense of doubting Thomas. We see that and go, whoa, those are pretty strong words for this guy who didn't see what they saw. Let's continue.
- [06:17]
B
After eight days, his disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. So Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, reach here with your finger and see my hands, and reach here your hand. Put it into my side and do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, my Lord and my God. And Jesus said to him, because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed.
- [06:52]
A
So you have this utterly dramatic turnaround eight days later. So you can say, well, he was this terrible, terrible, terrible doubter, and then suddenly he was converted. There's so much more to it than that. So what we need to do is we need to go through what we just read. Let's break down these verses. Let's break down this event piece by piece and get the understanding of. Of both where Thomas was in his mind and his heart and what Jesus did about it. So let's go piece by piece. Julie. John 20:24.
- [07:21]
B
But Thomas, one of the 12, was not with them when Jesus came.
- [07:26]
A
That's a simple statement of fact. Now, there may be several perspectives on why Thomas was not there because we're not told why he was absent. We can choose to speculate. So here's the question. Are we speculating from a positive or a negative perspective?
- [07:42]
B
So you mean like, was he grieving, or did he just have something more important to do?
- [07:46]
A
Yeah, yeah, exactly. So we can choose to speculate. Be careful when you start to speculate, because generally where you end up is in a place of fantasy, just saying, okay, hold that thought, let's go to John 20:25.
- [08:01]
B
Now, so the other disciples were saying to him, we have seen the Lord.
- [08:06]
A
Now this is beautiful. We have seen the Lord. While the Scriptures don't pinpoint when Thomas came to them, how soon after they, Jesus, how soon after did he show up? It seems likely that it was later that very same day. So it would have been very fresh in their minds. And Thomas shows up, and it's like, Thomas, we've seen the Lord. Why do we think that it was later that same day? Well, because the next verse in John 20:26, it says eight days later. And that brings us actually to the following Sunday. Let's look at this exclamation. We have seen the Lord. I mean, you think about it. What else are they gonna say? Hey, Thomas, guess who showed up? I mean, it's we have seen the Lord. While we don't know for sure, they likely told Thomas the whole story. Now, in John, it just says that's what they said. But can you imagine for a moment they wouldn't have been just gushing out all of the pieces of the story. The locked door, their fear, Jesus calming them. Let's go to Luke's description of what happened in that first encounter. Let's go to Luke 20:38 to 42. And remember, Thomas is not here with this.
- [09:15]
B
And this is Jesus speaking. And he said to them, why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet while they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement. And this was the kind of momentary disbelief when something is just too good to be true. He said to them, have you anything here to eat? And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and he ate it before them. So this proved to them that he wasn't some sort of vision or hallucination. He was physically resurrected. And standing right in front of them.
- [10:03]
A
He is present with them. And he expressed it to them in such a way that they could grasp it and understand. Yet. So again, that's what they experienced. And when they see Thomas, they would have likely told him about Thomas. He came in and he said, peace be to you. Then he would have told them about the commission for them to be sent, and telling about Jesus saying, and the comforter, the Holy Spirit is going to come, and the forgiving of sins. They would have told him everything, There would have been this excitement. They would have been talking faster than I'm talking. Okay. They would have been so overjoyed to share. We've seen him. This is what he said. This is what he did. This is who he is. So you get this sense. And then Thomas, of course, his reaction was, I can't believe it. I just can't believe it. Hang on to that. Let's look at the observation of the depth of doubt and the finding of the foundation for faith. So the depth of doubt and the foundation for faith, because as we look at the two, we're gonna see they are connected. Rather than speculating on the why of Thomas's doubt, it's far more productive to establish the groundwork of who Thomas was and what he may have needed.
- [11:11]
B
So when I see someone who's unsure and in doubt, is it easier for me to speculate, or is it easier for me to pause and consider the whole picture?
- [11:20]
A
Which do we naturally go towards? And then the next question is, what should we spiritually gravitate towards? That's where the difference lies. The more we're willing to pause and consider the whole story of Thomas, the more we will be able to see the blessings of his learning.
- [11:42]
B
Now we're ready to dive into the plainly stated doubt of Thomas. What will we find when we get there?
- [11:48]
A
What we will find is a very deep and emotional doubt. As we work at uncovering it, we will need to look under the surface and try to grasp not only why it was there, but what would be needed to handle it. And as we go through this exercise, it's imperative that we remind ourselves that Thomas's doubts were revealed to teach us powerful lessons of faith. So the question is, are we paying attention?
- [12:19]
B
So let's go back, because we're not told why Thomas wasn't with the other ten. Scripture never criticizes him for not being there, though. And based on what we do know, his courage, his loyalty, his desire here, never wanting to be separated from Jesus, it's very likely that he was just crushed by grief and he withdrew. You know, some people, they run towards community when they're hurting, but others pull away. So whatever the reason, he missed the moment that turned the others from terrified to joyful. So remember, we left off at John 20:25, where it said, so the other disciples were saying to him, we have seen the Lord, so let's continue. But Thomas said to him, unless I see his hands, the imprint of the nails, put my finger into the place of the nails and put My hand into his side, I will not believe. And that's where Thomas earns the nickname that has stuck for 2000 years.
- [13:13]
A
Thomas the Doubter Doubting Thomas. And many Bible commentaries keep reinforcing this myth of Thomas the Doubter doubting Thomas. The eclectic notes on the Bible read like this. I will not believe. And they say, slow of heart to believe. He missed the early taste of blessing and abode in the darkness of his own unbelief, whilst the rest were filled with gladness, you know, abode in the
- [13:42]
B
darkness of his own unbelief. This implies that Thomas somehow chose to be sitting in darkness.
- [13:49]
A
It does. And J. Vernon McGee, his commentary says and quoting, boy, is he a doubter. He has enough evidence to make him a believer, but he is not. But at least now it appears that he will stay with the other disciples.
- [14:03]
B
You know he has enough evidence. But did he? Thomas only heard traumatized men say something that was unbelievable. I think these commentaries are harsh. There's been this long tradition of interpreting Thomas through a lens of failure and not just his simple humanity. And two important points. The first thing is Thomas had just watched the one he loved be brutally killed. People in deep grief often need more assurance, not less. And number two, the assumption is made that he should have just believed the account of the other apostles who had that personal encounter with Jesus. But those others didn't believe a personal account either. The women Jesus first appeared to, they reported the resurrection, but the disciples didn't believe them. So Jesus appears, offers them his wounds for inspection, eats the fish, and then they believe Thomas wasn't there. So he's simply asking for the same experience.
- [15:01]
A
So there's a lot to this, much more than unless I see the wounds and I touch them and all of that, I won't believe there's so much more to it because the size of the trauma is overwhelming. We look at Thomas's strong reaction. What might be a more positive way to receive it for us to process it. And here's an opinion. Maybe he found it difficult to believe the words of anyone, that any person who he had three days before seen dead and laid in a tomb could possibly be alive again. Especially if that dead man was Jesus. Because Jesus was the only one who could raise people from the dead. So you have this drama where Jesus, before his crucifixion, raised Lazarus. He had been dead four days, so it could be done. But Jesus was the one who did it. He's the one who's dead. How could it possibly turn around? Perhaps this is what Thomas is thinking, and it's piled on top of that grief and that sadness and that overwhelming sense of leaderlessness that he would now have.
- [16:00]
B
Yeah. And when he says, I will not believe, we need to dig into that Greek phrase because it's a conditional expression that really means more like, I am not able to believe unless this is shown to me. So this isn't a defiant declaration. It is expressing the impossibility given the current conditions. So given what I know right now, belief is impossible.
- [16:25]
A
So really what it is, is I need help.
- [16:28]
B
Show me.
- [16:29]
A
I can't. I can't. I can't swim in this because it's overwhelming me. So let's go a little further. Next, we find that Jesus is ready and able to rise above any doubts at the appropriate time. So we've got this incredible doubt and this grief and this frustration and this questioning about everything. And now we're going to see Jesus deal with it. This is where the beauty of this account really begins to unfold. So, Julie, let's go to John 20:26.
- [17:00]
B
After eight days, his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. So this is eight days later. We're now on the next Sunday. And again the doors were shut. And this time the full strength 11 apostles are all there. This means if we put ourselves into Thomas's shoes, he had a whole week to replay the crucifixion question. If the others really saw what they said they did, feeling left out from all that joy that the others had, that excitement and probably kicking himself for, well, why didn't I just stick with them? And then Jesus recreates the event. The verse continues with Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, peace be with you.
- [17:47]
A
And again, just like the first time, that peace be with you is the introduction. And there is nothing better than being given peace by our Lord and Savior Jesus. And remember, that wasn't something that Jesus just made up in his resurrected appearances. Jesus had spoken about peace in the upper room before his crucifixion. He planted the seeds of peace in in their hearts and minds beforehand, before all of the tragedy happened. Let's look at John 14:27.
- [18:16]
B
Peace, I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
- [18:27]
A
Those were the seeds that Jesus was going to now draw on after his resurrection because they had seen the crucifixion and all of the horror of that. Jesus planted the seeds beforehand, knowing full well, that their belief would be profoundly challenged. So what happens now? Jesus? Now, in a very precise way, like you said, Julie recreated the initial event of 8 days previous, likely for the benefit of Thomas. Okay, I gave it for them. Here, I'm going to do this for you as well. And this is an incredible lesson in compassion and it's an incredible example of what faith is building actually looks like. And that's the point. Jesus is here not to crush or to correct. He's here to build faith. Let's look at John 20. Let's go to verse 27.
- [19:17]
B
We're going to read this from the King James Version throughout. Then saith he 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.
- [19:31]
A
Okay, so you've got a lot from Jesus. So let's take this apart. Here we have the upward steps of faith development and these are those five belief lessons we were talking about. So let's break this down and let's start even before Jesus says anything. It says. Then he said to Thomas, so that's our first belief lesson. Wait, wait, wait, is it that simple?
- [19:51]
B
I missed the lesson.
- [19:53]
A
Then he said to Thomas, the first lesson. Jesus first speaks directly to those who have experienced a lack of conviction.
- [20:01]
B
Oh, he's just going to Thomas even though all the rest are in the room, Right?
- [20:05]
A
It's peace be to you. And then he says to Thomas, he goes directly to the one who has the doubt. This is in direct contrast to his dismissing the fault finding doubt of the Pharisees. Remember they had lots of doubt and what did he do? He dismissed them. This is encouragement in the face of doubt. This is compassion in the face of weakness. This is Jesus building and not taking apart.
- [20:32]
B
So this is telling us that Jesus treats honest doubt different from hard hearted resistance. He's trying to steady Thomas's faith after trauma. The Pharisees were different. They weren't struggling to believe, they were refusing to believe. They were trying to trap and undermine him. So he exposed it for what it was and he moved on.
- [20:51]
A
And that's an important point. He treats Thomas in a highly compassionate and respectful way. And this is a lesson for us. Jesus assures his followers that their personal doubts and confusion are all individually important. And now look, Jesus isn't going to speak words to you. But as we unfold this lesson, we're going to realize that Jesus life and the Scriptures are going to be able to speak to us what we need to hear in relation to our doubts. So we had that first belief lesson that it's based on. Then he says to Thomas, and then the next part of the scripture is, reach here, reach hither with your finger. Okay, so there's the next piece. Reach here with your finger. Belief lesson number two. Jesus then invites the doubt to be removed. He's inviting the doubt. He's not taking it away. He's inviting the doubt to be removed. He's saying, reach here with your finger.
- [21:48]
B
And the Greek literally means, bring your finger here.
- [21:51]
A
Yes.
- [21:51]
B
It's not Jesus saying, well, fine, if you insist. Go ahead, touch me. It's an invitation. Jesus is drawing Thomas close, meeting him in his grief, giving him exactly what he asked for. You remember, that was his. That was his doubting without a hint of shame. So bring what you have. Bring your questions, your need, your grief. Come close.
- [22:13]
A
Bring your finger here to my hands. Come close. Jesus doesn't remove the doubt, but here's what he does. He intentionally looks for action from the doubter while giving the evidence that he needs. So the doubter has to put action into it. But Jesus is welcoming that so it can be put into place. There is both compassion and accountability in these doubts. Gentle instructions. There's no harshness. There's this gentle instructions from Jesus to Thomas. As Jesus reminds him of his doubts, he is simultaneously presenting evidence to dissolve them.
- [22:51]
B
Well, let's continue on again. John 20:27. Then he saith to Thomas, reach hither thy finger. The next part is and behold or see my hands. Now we were studying for this and we try to dig deep into the Greek here to get the full meaning. And we found that different study tool sometimes use different strong's concordance numbers for the words see or behold. The Greek has several verbs that all get translated into English in one or two ways. So the tools don't disagree with the verse. It's just about the Greek nuance. So we'll have more on this in this week's CQ Rewind show notes. But we just wanted to make a note of that with the beholds and the Cs.
- [23:31]
A
And really that behold really means to grasp. It's not just, oh, look, I saw something.
- [23:37]
B
It's eyeballs, right?
- [23:39]
A
It's to grasp. Behold my hands. This brings us to the third belief lesson. And that third lesson is Jesus then encourages those who doubt to perceive what they're experiencing. Why? So it will stay with them. It's not enough to just see it and say, okay, there's the solution. The remedy for doubt is to really, truly perceive and ingest what you are seeing and experiencing. So it is transformational and stays with you.
- [24:12]
B
It's one thing to have an experience and another thing for it to take root in you. And I think that's why Jesus waited a full week to go by. He let Thomas feel the weight of his questions so that when the answer came, it didn't just pass through him, as you said, it transforms him. And the delay prepares Thomas to be one of the clearest witnesses to the reality of the resurrection. The Thomas isn't just told the truth. He is standing in the presence of the risen Lord and believes it.
- [24:42]
A
Standing in the presence of the truth. Not just hearing it from an intellectual perspective, but it's the being present with it. Behold my hand. See, Behold the same result. As you talked about eight days earlier, the disciples, they saw Jesus. Remember John 20:20, said the disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. And this is interesting because this is eight days later. And you look at it and say, okay. He gives them time to cogitate over
- [25:10]
B
this whole thing, marinate in the grief.
- [25:12]
A
He's ruminating, trying to think, is it real? Is it not real? But there's much more to that. First of all, it's Sunday. It went from Sunday to Sunday. Now you look at this and say, well, Saturday is the Sabbath, and why wasn't it on the day of rest? And I think the answer to that is that was the day of rest, and that was in the Jewish law. Christianity now is a new age, and Sunday was the first day of a new week. It was a new dispensation for the world. It was the age of the Gospel, and it's showing the newness. And that's why Jesus was raised on a Sunday appeared to the 10 on a Sunday, and then the next Sunday appeared to the 11. He's showing them, he's teaching them, this is your new life. He does so much in these appearances. We have to pause and really, really consider putting this all together. Jesus is gently saying, bring your finger here to me so you can behold my hands. You can behold the wound so you can see with your eyes and feel with your own hand the evidence that you so desperately needed.
- [26:12]
B
When Jesus did appear to Thomas, he offered to have him touch the wounds. But this was unnecessary to convince Thomas. He never touched Jesus. He immediately on site, recognized him as the Lord. And in fact, there's no record that any of the disciples needed to actually touch the wounds. One of the most beautiful parts of this account is how personally Jesus responds to Thomas. It was that first belief lesson that you brought out. So far from being left out like he must have felt during those eight days, he's now singled out. But it's in a personalized, compassionate way. Jesus doesn't give him a lecture. He doesn't push him away. He doesn't shame him for struggling. He acknowledges that the doubt's real. Jesus brings it into the light and he dismantles it step by step.
- [26:59]
A
He singled out so he can be built up. So again, observing the depth of doubt and finding the foundation for faith for true believers, Jesus will always provide sufficient evidence for us to be able to let go of our doubts. However, sometimes our hearts are so burdened that we pile doubt upon doubt in our frustration. And Thomas seems to have done this eight days previous. The beauty is that this frustration does not lessen Jesus ability to solve our dilemmas. And that's the key. Whatever the dilemma is, whatever the size of the doubt or the magnitude of the frustration and the inconsistency in our own heads and hearts, he is not lessened in his ability to deal with those things. The power of doubt is a formidable foe. It is with a great sigh of relief that we can observe and embrace the compassion and wisdom of Jesus to handle it.
- [27:58]
B
Jesus is now dismantling Thomas's doubt small step by small step. How far would he go to rekindle Thomas's faith?
- [28:06]
A
Well, there is a humble and beautiful lesson unfolding here for every true believer who struggles from time to time with doubt. Jesus is plainly showing all of us that he will give us what we need, not only to face our doubts, but also to use them in a way that they will press us into a deeper and more active faith. Our job. Pay attention.
- [28:34]
B
Yes, because Thomas shows us that doubt isn't the opposite of faith. Doubt can actually lead to greater faith. You know, Thomas wasn't rebellious. He had been shattered by this violent trauma and everything that he knew was turned upside down. And that's the beauty of Thomas's story. When we bring our questions, our confusion, and even our pain to Jesus, he meets us with compassion. And for anyone struggling with doubt of any kind, we recommend listening to episodes 1302 and 1303. How can I doubt my doubts?
- [29:09]
A
Let's go back now. Now that we see what Jesus is doing with Thomas's doubts, let's go back to this account. Let's go back to taking apart John 20:27.
- [29:18]
B
And remember, we started with Then saith he to Thomas, hither thy finger. Behold my hands. Reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side.
- [29:28]
A
So now it's more than just the finger. It's now take your hand and put it into the larger wound in my side. So this brings us to belief. Lesson 4. Jesus further encourages those who doubt by giving them an even deeper ability to perceive what they're experiencing. Now you think, well, wait, why this step? He already showed them once. He already gave the evidence, and here's why. It shows that the truth and power of Jesus life is confirmed by overwhelming evidence. It's not just one thing, it's many things. And they're big and they're strong and they're powerful and they're life changing. This concept of reach your hand now, not just your finger, bring your hand here to this wound. Why? So you can be overwhelmed with belief. That's the point. I want you to be overwhelmed with belief. That's love, that's compassion, that's mercy, and that's wisdom. And it's all focused right on Thomas. What a beautiful response to his frustration and his grief. Remember, Jesus had already given the other ten apostles this exact same demonstration of his authenticity. Let's go Back to Luke 24:38, 40. This is when Jesus appeared to the 10 the first time.
- [30:43]
B
And he said unto them, why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet. That is I myself, handle me and see. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet.
- [30:57]
A
He gives them the opportunity. They were all invited to touch with their own hands so they could perceive and therefore they could believe. Thomas is given exactly what they were given, the same invitation. Jesus treated them all in the same way, which means Thomas was just like them. That's what this helps us to really, really see. What about me? Do we deeply examine the evidence of Jesus and the Gospel being absolutely present in our lives? I mean, we got to ask ourselves, what are we? Not Thomas, not the 10, but what are we actually perceiving?
- [31:38]
B
So where's Jesus? Offering evidence in my life is what you're asking. I may be only noticing it instead of truly perceiving it. So there's a big difference, like we've talked about, between knowledge and intellectual. Ah, feels good. But there's truth that actually transforms us because it's in our heart. Let's Finish up John 20:27, remember? Then he said to Thomas, reach hither thy finger. Behold my hands. Reach hither thy hand. Thrust it into my side and it ends with this. And be not faithless, but believing and
- [32:11]
A
so now we get to the fifth belief lesson, folks. The whole reason for our doubts is to teach us deeper faith. That's the whole reason that we have doubts. Jesus continues the lesson by summing up what's now obvious to those who have doubts. Here's what becomes obvious when you begin to have your doubts reconciled by Jesus in such a way. God's will, power, and providence are stronger than any human fear or imagination, Period. There is nothing that comes close to the strength of God's will, power, and providence in our lives.
- [32:47]
B
And the problem is, doubt tends to spiral and build more doubt and more doubt and more doubt. Which is why you said that there was the layers of doubt that had to be taken away. Thomas had fallen into this pattern of doubt just like the others did. So remember, none of them believe the reports of the women about Jesus's resurrection. Peter didn't believe after he saw the empty tomb, although John did. So Thomas was just the last of the 11 to be granted an overwhelming personal demonstration by Jesus that he was with them again.
- [33:19]
A
They needed something overwhelming. They needed something personal. And they needed something to guide them from point A to point B to point C to point D. And all of his appearances did exactly that. Now, here's the thing. This is not new for Jesus in the way he's teaching his followers. Jesus had all along, through his entire ministry, given his followers lessons on developing their faith all along. We're gonna touch on just two quick examples. First, let's look at Luke 17, verses 5 through 6.
- [33:53]
B
The apostle said to the Lord, increase our faith. And the Lord said, if you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.
- [34:06]
A
All right, so now Jesus's analogy here is, if you have faith like a mustard seed, notice it's not faith as small as a mustard seed. Oftentimes we look at these verses and we think as small as a mustard seed, because a mustard seed is teeny tiny. It's not about the size of the mustard seed. It's about faith as the seed of a mustard plant. And that is faith with incredible growth potential. That's the point of the faith. So all along, Jesus said, you need to have faith that has incredible growth potential. Jesus had all along allowed his disciples to have doubts. This wasn't the first time they had doubts. All along through his ministry, they had doubts. And the reason he allowed those doubts was so they could have opportunities to grow that mustard seed faith to a greater Magnitude. Let's briefly touch on the experience of Jesus calming the stormy sea. Remember, he's asleep in the boat and he calms the sea. It's in Matthew 8, 23, 27. It's in Mark 4:36, 41. And it's in Luke 8, 22, 25. We're just going to touch on the experience because this is a matter of growing faith. Now, up to this experience with the stormy sea, Jesus had taught and healed as his Father had directed him. This event, however, would break new ground as Jesus was about to show them the power of God's spirit in a whole new way. So now we're going to just drop in on this experience and see what Jesus does as a learning experience for his disciples with this really traumatic event. Matthew 8, 24, 26.
- [35:44]
B
And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves. But Jesus himself was asleep. And they came to him and woke him, saying, save us, Lord, we are perishing. And he said to them, why are you afraid, you men of little faith? And that word little faith means incredulous or lacking confidence.
- [36:05]
A
Why are you afraid, you men who lack confidence? You know, Lord, Lord, wake us, wake up, we're going to die. And his reaction is, why are you afraid? See, in the depth of the tumult of the storm, Jesus challenged his disciples regarding their faith. Now look, the boat is rocking, the waves are coming over, the wind is howling, and Jesus, he's going to die. And Jesus says, why are you afraid, you men of little faith? Because he's there. Why is he challenging their faith? At this point? They were frightened for their lives, and the only one who could possibly protect them was asleep. And so they figured, we have to be afraid because he's asleep. Well, wait, wait, wait. He's there. Let's not forget that minor fact. See, what happens is little faith sees the magnitude of the experiences and knows, but doesn't yet trust in the solution. That's the key. And that's why he said, why are you afraid, men of little faith?
- [36:59]
B
Of course, in this point, the one who could protect them was dead. So our apostles, we can understand, they didn't quite learn it yet, Right?
- [37:07]
A
Right. So Jesus is not ridiculing their doubt. He's using it as a tool to build them. And they are following because his guidance is so clear. Now, let's get back to this stormy sea and wrap this piece of our Lesson up. Mark 4:39, 41.
- [37:25]
B
And he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly and said one to another, what manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?
- [37:46]
A
So, first of all, just a note. He says, peace, be still, and all of the tumult goes away. Remember when Jesus entered the room both times after his resurrection, what did he say? Peace be unto you. There's this theme that Jesus brings peace no matter what the circumstance, no matter what the event. Now, in this storm, Jesus calms the storm in an instant. And his lesson is clear. In his presence, there was nothing to fear even from the arising of that amazing storm. Before he calmed the storm, his message was to rise above fear after calming the storm. His message regarding their lack of faith was a fear, physical verification that they were in the company of God's Chosen one. Because nobody could do that. Nobody could do what he did. And that is a great example beforehand that was meant to help prepare them for the tragedies to come later. As we realize the magnitude of any experience, we along with the disciples, must learn to also realize the magnitude of the solution and the magnitude of the one who we believe in. That's the key. That's the lesson there. That's the lesson at his resurrection, at these appearances. That's how we put this all together. So now back to observing the depth of doubt and finding the foundation for faith.
- [39:11]
B
Well, it's important to notice that Thomas's doubt wasn't rebellion. It wasn't cynicism. He didn't distrust Jesus. This was a heart trying to reconcile trauma and grief with hope. So, like Thom, our doubts can feel overwhelming when they're just sitting there right in front of us. Jesus is teaching us to proactively reach out to the evidence of his presence in our lives and the unfolding of God's plan so that those very doubts can be transformed into a growing and healthy faith.
- [39:44]
A
That's what Jesus taught them all along. Now, at his resurrection, with these appearances, it is being taught in an even more dramatic fashion. The lessons here are nothing short of dramatic. Jesus is showing us that our doubts can be opportunities if. If we reach out in faith.
- [40:03]
B
Jesus had given Thomas everything he needed to extinguish his doubts. What would Thomas's reaction be?
- [40:09]
A
Well, the magnitude of this lesson only gets bigger. Thomas had been given dramatic and irrefutable answers to his doubts. And now, now he's ready to Respond. And as we shall see, his response was overwhelmingly positive and powerful. We need to pay close attention to this so we can use it as a template, as a model for our responses to God through Jesus resolving our own doubts.
- [40:41]
B
Well, let's look closer at that next and last verse. John 20:28 says, and Thomas answered and said unto him, my Lord and my God. And remember, he didn't need to touch Jesus. What joy. Thomas response, my Lord and my God. It's one of the strongest declarations of faith in the entire New Testament. This so called doubter becomes the apostle who speaks with the greatest clarity. So after all that fear, that trauma, the confusion of the crucifixion, Thomas finally sees, he perceives, he understands that this is the risen Jesus standing before him and everything snaps into place. So his words are such an outpouring of a heart that was shattered, but then rebuilt by this overwhelming evidence and overwhelming grace, that individualized grace. So Thomas shows that if we are honest and we bring those doubts to Jesus, it can lead to a deeper and more personal conviction than we ever imagined.
- [41:42]
A
So this is absolutely proof that his doubt was very honest doubt as a result of grief and frustration and not understanding versus a doubt that was just skeptical and angry. And you see that his overwhelming response puts things exactly in perspective. And for us, the lesson is our doubts are permitted. They're permitted, just like with Thomas. Why? To teach us deeper faith. That's why they're permitted. Make no mistake, that's why we have doubts. Jesus now begins to wrap up this whole lesson. So let's go to John 20, verse 29.
- [42:21]
B
Jesus saith unto him, thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and have yet believed.
- [42:30]
A
Now what Jesus is doing is he's adding another dimension. You'd think it would be enough to quell the doubts and have everybody like, this is it. We have been so blessed. But no, no, Jesus doesn't stop there. He uses that as a starting point for an even deeper lesson. So the lesson here again is focused on deep and abiding faith that has the potential to grow that mustard seed faith. Now let's go deeper. Let's see where Jesus is going with this. Let's remember who Thomas was. As a matter of fact, who all of the apostles were. Thomas had up to this point lived at the time of Jewish favor under the Jewish law. They were in God's hand, in accordance with the Jewish law, in accordance with the sacrifices and so forth, in accordance with living up to that Law. This was a time of seeing is believing in Jewish history. You saw God's providence, you saw God's overruling, you saw God's power. Very plainly, very clearly, very unmistakably. Jesus is now saying to them all, he's now showing Thomas and the others that their new experiences were would be in the context of not seeing and yet believing. That's a different way of looking at things.
- [43:42]
B
Yeah, and that's important because that applies directly to us in this day. Because we are never going to be in that upper room.
- [43:48]
A
Right. We're never going to see and be in the physical presence of fill in the blank. So now Jesus is saying to them, essentially, this is part of your future mission. That's what he's showing them. His appearances weren't just to verify it was him, it was to verify it's me. And this is what you must do with what is happening now, because I will not be physically with you. Here is the burden, here is the privilege. Here is the gospel that you must carry. So what we see here is Jesus is clearly using Thomas's experience to compare these two different approaches to faith. The seeing is believing and not seeing and yet believing approaches. Let's look at both of these quickly. First, physically seeing something and truly perceiving it. Truly grasping what you have seen with your eyes to clearly confirm your faith in that thing. And we've read this verse several times. John 20:27, he said to Thomas, reach there with your finger and behold my hands. And reach here with your hand and thrust it into my side. And be not faithless, but be believing. It's the physicality, it's the seeing is believing. That's what they were used to for generations. That's what Israel saw. And Jesus gave Israel what Israel saw. He gave the disciples what they needed so they could transition to something else. That's step two. Being able to grasp, perceive, and truly believe in something that you have no direct physical experience with. It is this level of belief that we all should strive for, because Jesus calls this level of belief blessed. So, Julie, we're going now into a different realm. This is something they had never been taught to experience. Entirely new, because this would be their responsibility. Let's look at how it unfolds in Scripture. The Apostle Paul in Hebrews really presses the issue of having faith in that which is not seen. He mentions this several times to the Hebrew Christians. We're just going to look at a couple of instances. First, let's look at Hebrews, chapter 3, verses 4 through 6.
- [46:00]
B
For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.
- [46:04]
A
We're going to pause right there. Every house. You know what a house is. You can visualize it in your head. You can walk in the door. Every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Next, the apostle Paul is going to describe a house that is seen. Go ahead.
- [46:20]
B
Now, Moses was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later.
- [46:27]
A
Moses is faithful in all of his house as a servant. Everybody understood that Moses was behind the building of the tabernacle, the physical holding up the law, the physical aspect of sacrifices. It was all seen. It was all informed front of them. They knew what was happening because they could see it. Now we go to what is not seen.
- [46:49]
B
It's actually verse six. But Christ was faithful as a son over his house, whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boost of our hope firm until the end.
- [47:00]
A
So whose house we are? Wait, we're the house. You're not seeing a house, it says, but whose house we are. And so what it's telling you is that this is a different kind of formulation. This is something that is not seen, that's not physical, that's not tangible. Remember, Jesus said to his disciples, behold, I go to prepare a place for you in my Father's house. You don't know where that is. You don't know what it looks like, are many rooms, and I'm preparing a place. It is the unseen that we are supposed to be holding onto. And Thomas is learning that lesson along with the other ten apostles at this point, because they're recognizing they have to go beyond where they have been.
- [47:39]
B
And look what's the blessed. With the Moses, they were a house of servants, but with Christ, it's a house of sons. So it's actually family. I was thinking about what these lessons are. What evidence has Christ given me that maybe I've overlooked or I've minimized or explained away? Because maybe the evidence is already there. Maybe it's in God's providence. But I was calling it a coincidence. Maybe it's in the strength that we didn't know that we had, or in the people placed in our path, or in the scriptures that that happened to speak to us at the perfect moment. What about the emotional healing that sometimes happens so slowly that we don't even notice it? Where grief softens or fears don't have that same hold on us, or we have a sense of peace that doesn't match our circumstances or in something that didn't work out, but that turned out to be for our protection. So I'll ask again, what evidence has Christ given me that I've overlooked or that I've minimized or I've explained away,
- [48:40]
A
and how much doubt has arisen because I haven't paid attention to that evidence? That's really one of the great lessons with Thomas here. Let's look at one final lesson now. Having a vital faith in that which is not physically seen. How do we do that? Well, the apostle in Hebrews 12 also begins to explain that to us. And we're briefly going to touch on Hebrews chapter 12, verses 1 to 3.
- [49:06]
B
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us.
- [49:10]
A
Pause right there. So great a cloud of witnesses. What does that mean? Look at Hebrews chapter 11. It was about all the faithful individuals of the Old Testament. They are the witnesses. They witness to the faithfulness of God. They work through very difficult and trying experiences. And we have them. We have them to be able to refer to. We can't see them, but we can read about them. We can believe, even though we don't actually see it unfolding before us. So we've got that as a basis. Continue.
- [49:38]
B
We have historical evidence. So therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us. And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus.
- [49:53]
A
Okay, now pause there again. Fixing our eyes on Jesus. Can you actually see Him? No. But you are fixing your eyes on him. You're fixing your eyes on the vision of who he is, what he stands for, what he did, how he did it, what he taught, how he served his Father with every breath of his life from beginning to end. So fixing your eyes on that example again. Not seeing physically, but seeing in a way that we can grasp it with our intellectual and with our hearts. Continue.
- [50:22]
B
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him, who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose
- [50:42]
A
heart, so you won't fall into doubt. Consider him who endured those difficult things is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. We don't even know what that looks like. We can't even begin to imagine. And yet we look at that as this vision of believing, even though we're not seeing, because we see the evidences of these things. And that's the kind of belief that Thomas and the other apostles were being told, you need to learn how to accept this and then how to teach this.
- [51:14]
B
So Rick, I think that from now on we should call him Discerning Thomas or Faithful Thomas. Because Faithful Thomas reminds us that Jesus never wastes a doubt. What feels like a setback in our faith can become if we're humble and reaching the place where a deeper conviction is born. So Thomas walked into that upper room with grief and confusion. He walked out with a faith stronger than ever because he brought those doubts directly to Jesus. His story tells me that an honest struggle can press me closer to God, not farther away. And if we reach towards that evidence with an honest heart, humble heart, we're going to be met with that same compassion. And I love this, the personalized individual strength that we individually need to keep believing.
- [52:04]
A
So it's an individual lesson taught to Thomas for the benefit of every Christian who has ever since lived. Think about the power of that individual lesson and how we can individually apply it, observing the depth of doubt and the foundation of faith. Again, the two belong together. The lessons we can learn from Faithful Thomas are many. Let us work at standing firm and hopeful in our personal experiences of faith development, recognizing that we are daily undergoing a process of growing into a faith that can move mountains. Let us more and more see with the eyes of faith, touch with the hands of conviction and act with the zeal of God's spirit. Because that's what Thomas did, that's what the other apostles did. They learned that it's not about the physicality, it's about the, the system of belief in things that are above, that are unseen and the growth and development that comes from that is overwhelmingly powerful. It's a life changing thing and that's what the gospel is built on. That's the good news that we are to share with others. So what are we waiting for, Faithful Thomas? Think about it folks. We love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes episodes@christianquestions.com coming up in our next episode, after his resurrection, what did Jesus teach us about fishing?