And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:28
During a time of great disappointment and despair, Jesus showed up to console his most distraught disciple after His death and resurrection. Thomas, unlike the others, focused exclusively on His death and refused to believe in the hope of His resurrection. While it took the others some time to come around, they eventually believed as Jesus revealed Himself to them on multiple occasions. Some like Mary Magdalene believed right away, but her witness was not immediately received by the others.
The Bible teaches that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established as it is written in 1 Corinthians 13:1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” Paul is quoting scripture from an Old Testament verse found in Deuteronomy 19:15 to establish this truth within the church. Even though Thomas was likely familiar with the Law of Moses, he was so distraught that he proclaims this response to the witness of the other disciples in verse 25: The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
There are moments in our despair when our emotional state overrides the truth. When emotions run high they tend to dominate our inward and outward response to stimuli. In this case, hundreds of witnesses gladly proclaimed the good news of the resurrection of the Lord; and yet Thomas was defiant in his unbelief. Was this due to a lack of faith or an abundance of grief? In a court of law if two or three witnesses have the same testimony, it makes for a strong case. Yet Thomas was unmoved by many witnesses because he was in a very low place. What caused Thomas to have such a hardline stance?
Thomas belonged to a religious tradition known as The Zealots. Their core belief supported a political movement in 1st century Second Temple Judaism, which sought to incite the people of Judaea to rebel and overthrow the Roman Empire. His faith was shattered when in his mind, the leader of the movement died. All his hopes and dreams were buried in the tomb where Jesus laid. I wonder how often tradition has entrapped zealous believers in things that do not represent the way of the LORD? The good news is that Jesus showed up to reveal Himself in exactly the way Thomas desired, in order for him to see and believe the truth about His resurrection. Which offered far greater Hope than the temporal effect of overthrowing the Roman Empire.
When Thomas saw and touched His nail scared hands and the wound in His side. He went from a place of utter despair to proclaiming the one he thought to be dead as his Lord and his God. A fresh revelation of Jesus Christ opened his eyes in a way that his religious tradition could not. This should bring hope to those who are depressed or in mourning, to know that Jesus is willing to meet us at our point of need, so that we can follow Him in faith. Lift up your head and see him afresh today and He will surely turn your mourning into dancing. The times in which we are living are especially difficult for those who mourn, which was the state that Thomas found himself, and that made him inconsolable by anyone except the Lord Himself. May the Lord Himself be your consolation in this very hour.
The struggle that Thomas had with his faith during a time of mourning and despair, has been used to bless every generation of believers since that fateful day. Here what the Lord said to Thomas and to us after he revealed Himself to Thomas: Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we walk by faith and not by sight. When we do this the Lord calls us blessed. Are you blessed today? I pray for a clear and present revelation of Jesus who is the Christ who ever lives to make intercession for you and me. Don’t let negative emotions overwhelm your “faith walk”. He is Lord over every situation and circumstance concerning us. He has come to perfect those things that concern you therefore let us agree that Psalm 138:8 is our portion today: The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
You are blessed today, regardless of how you feel because you believe. It is so, and so it is!
Maranatha
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