John 20:19-31. ‘Stop Doubting and Believe’

These words were said to Thomas and to all of us, ‘Stop doubting and believe.” The original Greek work literally says, ‘Do not be faithless but faithful.’ Doubt is, according to the Oxford dictionary,

“A feeling of uncertainty, an undecided state of mind.”

Thomas wasn’t uncertain, he knew that resurrections don’t happen! Jesus was a dead man. He said dogmatically to the other disciples,

“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.” John 20:25

In spite of his having witnessed so many of Jesus’ miracles, this was one too many for him. He was determined not to believe. Possibly he understood the implications of believing. He is like so many today, hope is gone, they don’t want to rely on fantasy, what is needed is definitive proof.

Remember that John wrote his book to help those who, like Thomas, find it hard to believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. Jesus may have taught sublimely but did he really do those miracles, and especially did he really rise form the dead?

John, like a good barrister, has carefully selected the evidence he will put before us, the jury. In the twenty-one chapters of his book he only records what happened on twenty-one days. Three years ministry is condensed into three weeks. The last verse of the book confirms John’s selective but purposeful approach,

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” John 21:25

Jesus appears to his disciples

John omits the story of Jesus walking the seven miles to Emmaus with Cleopas and his companion on the afternoon of his resurrection (Luke 24:13-35). Perhaps Luke, as a doctor was particularly impressed that Jesus could walk that distance, otherwise why did he mention the distance they walked, so soon after having a large nail through both his feet. The physical resurrection body of Jesus differed from in some ways his previous body. Neither Cleopas nor his companion recognised Jesus, although they obviously knew him and the disciples well, until he had a meal with them in Emmaus. Luke stresses that they quickly returned all the way to Jerusalem to meet up with the eleven, who excitedly said,

“It is true! The Lord has risen and appeared to Simon.” Luke 24:34

It is interesting that they do not mention that Mary Magdalene had already seen the risen Lord Jesus 20:1-18) as had some of the other women probably at the same time (Matthew 28:9). We do not know when Jesus met up privately with Peter but it was Peter who had managed to convince the other ten, Thomas being absent, that he had seen the risen Jesus. Now Cleopas tells them of their experience on the walk to Emmaus. Cleopas must have been so gratified that they had bothered to ask this stranger into their home for a meal; doing so changed their lives.

“Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke the bread.” Luke 24:35

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians he included a simple creed about the resurrection that must have been written very early aftyer the beginning of the church. He confirmed that Peter was the first of the disciples to see Jesus.

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he rose on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than twelve hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living . .” 1 Corinthians 15:3-6

In was on the Sunday evening, when the disciples were all together in a locked room, being afraid of the Jewish authorities, that Jesus suddenly joined them. John surely emphasises the ‘locked doors’ not because they were afraid and in hiding but to emphasise the miraculous appearing of Jesus in their midst. The disciples were ‘overjoyed’ at seeing the Lord Jesus; surely this must have been an understatement. Jesus’ opening words were a conventional greeting but in this context were especially poignant.

“Peace be with you.” John 20:19

Jesus repeated this greeting shortly afterwards and then again when he met with the disciples the following week,

“Peace be with you.” John 20:21and 26

Just before his execution he had promised his disciples that he would bequeath them his peace,

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

There can be no doubt that Jesus wants his disciples, and surely that includes us, to experience great peace as we pass through the problems that come from being his disciples.

This greeting, along with grace is included in all the greetings of Paul in the New Testament. ‘Peace’ is meant to be our constant experience.

The commission

Each of the gospels includes a commissioning of the disciples to continue Jesus’ work. In his final prayer for the disciples, in the upper room, he had prayed,

“As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” John 17:18-19

Now Jesus repeats this,

“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21

The Lord, the Great ‘I am,’ is commissioning and authorising his people to tell others about him and his death on their behalf. Jesus also healed the sick and helped the needy so this must also be part of the church’s remit, but always in the context of proclaiming Christ. How can people understand why Christians behave as they do, unless we explain the reason? Jesus had said,

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see you good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Words must be associated with actions. Paul also stressed that everything we do should be linked to our commitment to Jesus,

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God through him.” Colossians 3:17

This would be a daunting task, especially in their situation where they were scared for their lives. It is clear that the Christians’ task is to be the same as that of Jesus. The next statement is therefore highly significant,

“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone their sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:22-23

Here we have another example of the Tripartite gospel, the three essential facts of the Christian message.

1. Jesus and God the Father are one. He entered this world with a mission – to save us.

2. Jesus can offer us forgiveness of our sin. Consequently we can be sure of going to heaven.

3. Jesus will give his people the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower us to fulfil his wishes.

How many people today understand this, that they can be forgiven their sin and become members of God’s kingdom only because of what Jesus has done? How we have failed to get this vital message out. We can promise people, because of the word of Jesus, that if they are genuine followers of Christ, responsibility for their sins has been taken by Jesus on his cross. We must also tell people that there can be no forgiveness without repentance, starting a new life with Christ in control.

The Confession

Eight days later all the disciples were again together and Jesus joined them, giving the same greeting. He spoke to Thomas as if he had heard the comment he had made to the other disciples several days earlier,

“Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out you hand and put it in my side. Stop doubting and believe.” John 20:27

It doesn’t seem that Thomas needed any more evidence. Thomas simply said to Jesus,

“My Lord and my God.” John 20:28

Throughout his gospel, John has recorded interviews with individuals that Jesus had met. There was Nicodemus (John 3), the woman of Samaria (John 4), the paralysed man (John 5) and the man born blind (John 9). They all become increasingly sure that Jesus was more than a mere man. For example, Nicodemus, the eminent Jewish scholar, had clearly grasped something when he said,

“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” John 3:2

That was the lowest rung of the ladder. The woman of Samaria at first concludes,

“I can see that you are a prophet.” John 4:19

Later she says to people of the city,

“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’ John 4:29

Jesus stayed in that city for two days and there he taught them. The result,

“Because of his words many more became believers.” John 4:41

This is important – it was what Jesus said that convinced them about his being the Christ. There is a moral impact in what Jesus taught, which is itself convincing.

John’s interviewees are climbing higher and higher up the ladder of faith. The blind man was accosted by the Pharisees after he had been healed. His robust reply is wonderful,

“If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” John 9:33

Jesus subsequently met this man and asked him,

“ ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked, ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact he is the one speaking to you.’ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe and he worshipped him.’”

As we read further we are climbing the ladder even higher. Now we come to the great climax that Thomas expresses,

“My Lord and my God!” John 20:28

This is what all true Christians have said to the Lord Jesus. This is the basic Christian creed. It is eminently personal. Unless I can say this to the Lord Jesus, I am not a Christian. Many can say, “I believe in god,” but the word ‘god’ is virtually meaningless, meaning whatever you want.

C.S.Lewis wrote in his brilliant book, ‘Mere Christianity,’

“Then comes the real shock. Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He has always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world at the end of time. Now let us get this clear. Among Pantheists, like the Indians, anyone might say that he was a part of God, or one with God: there would he nothing very odd about it. But this man, since He was a Jew, could not mean that kind of God. God, in their language, meant the Being outside the world, who had made it and was infinitely different from anything else. And when you have grasped that. you will see that what this man said was, quite simply, the most shocking thing that has ever been uttered by human lips.”

It is easy to overlook how shocking the statement and behaviour of Thomas was. He was a Jew, yet here is is worshipping a man as God. Note that Jesus congratulates him on this realisation – in no way is Jesus critical. Contrast how Jesus reacts to Thomas to the way that of his disciples reacted later.

A centurion, Cornelius, had a vision of an angel telling him to send for Peter. When Peter arrived Cornelius, a God-fearing man ‘fell at his feet in reverence.’ Peter was shocked and replied,

“Stand up, I am only a man myself.” Acts 10:26

When Paul visited Lystra, he healed a man who had been lame from birth - possibly due to ‘spina bifida’. The crowds who saw this miracle exclaimed, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form.’ The local priest of Zeus wanted to offer animal sacrifices to them, but this appalled Paul. He tore his shirt and ran out into the crowd, saying,

“Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are telling you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God . . .”

Thomas’ action in worshipping Jesus was accepted; he was worshipping the one and only God.

It was certainly dangerous for anyone in the Roman empire to worship Jesus. We have recently seen how Pliny the Younger treated any who admitted to being followers of Jesus - they were executed. A little earlier, approximately when John was finishing this gospel, Domitian was Emperor of Rome (81-96AD). Domitian desired to exalt himself in order to unify the empire, so he initiated an ‘emperor cult’ and all people were expected to say about him as Caesar,

“Dominus et deus noster.”

This means, ‘Lord and our God!’ These words had to be said on pain of death! It is remarkable that Thomas said similar words about Jesus.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians (53-54AD) it is likely that the Christians in Corinth were facing a similar pressure. Paul wrote,

“Therefore I tell you that no-one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus is cursed,’ and no-one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:3

In the early days, Jewish Christians would still worship in the synagogues. Can you imagine a young man sitting in a synagogue, who had recently recognised that Jesus was his Messiah. Then that horrible little Pharisee, Saul, who was travelling around synagogues acting as a personal Inquisition entered. Saul was determined to kill off this faith that Jesus as God’s Messiah. He would probably have gone round asking everyone in the synagogue, to say,

“Jesus is cursed.”

What would we think if he pointed at us and asked that question? The genuine Christians could not comply – they persisted in saying, ‘ Jesus is Lord,’ and suffered the consequences, knowing that their Lord would care for them both in this life and the next. Groups such as the Unitarians and Jehovah’s Witnesses have a problem with this verse as it points to Jesus as being God. One of their explanations is,

“So, Thomas may have addressed Jesus as ‘my God’ in the sense of Jesus' being ‘a god’ though not the Almighty God, not ‘the only true God,’ to whom Thomas had often heard Jesus pray.”

The problem with this explanation is that the Bible is clear, there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). No Jew would ever think otherwise. No, Thomas is recognising that Jesus is the incarnation of the one God. (For further study see Psalm 2:6; Luke 8:39; John 1:1-2,18; John 7:28-29; John 8:12, 19, 42, 58; John 14:1,7; John 16:27; Romans 9:5; Titus 3:4; Hebrews 12:23-24; Philippians 2:5-6 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 2:23; Revelation 21:3-7; 21:6 compared with 22:12-13 etc.)

Please note that Thomas uses the personal pronoun ‘my’. This is the mark of a true Christian, we have each bowed our knee before Jesus as our God. David had the same understanding, he wrote,

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” Psalm 23:1

Commentary

This is very important, the gospel writers never leave us to interpret the facts they have given us, they explain the fats for us. Many think that the Bible has to be interpreted by the church. In medieval times and even up till recently, ordinary people were strongly discouraged by the Roman Catholic church from reading the Bible for themselves. William Tyndale was burned at the stake in Belgium in 1536 for translating the Bible into English because he wanted every man to be able to read it.

The Bible has worried many world political leaders over the years because it teaches that the God revealed in Jesus is the highest authority whom people must serve. Their family and their state come after God. The bible is considered to be a dangerous book. A large shipment of Bibles entered Romania from the West, and Ceausescu's ( the dictator of Romania) lieutenants confiscated them, and shredded them into pulp. Then they had the pulp reconstituted into toilet paper and sold it back to the West.

Yet it is only by becoming students of the Bible that we will develop and become the type of people God wants. George Muller, who was known for his strong faith, confided.

“The first 3 years after conversion, I neglected the Word of God. Since I began to search it diligently, the blessing has been wonderful. I have read the Bible through one hundred times and always with increasing delight!”

John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim's Progress, testified,

“Read the Bible, and read it again, and do not despair of help to understand something of the will and mind of God, though you think they are fast locked up from you.”

Some have said that the Bible means little to them. Gipsy Smith, an evangelist in Victorian England was speaking to a man who said he had received no inspiration from the Bible although he had “gone through it several times.” “Let it go through you once,” replied Smith, “then you will tell a different story!”

This is why John wrote his gospel:

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, that are not recorded in this book. 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.” John 20:31

The point is obvious, by learning the facts given by first hand witnesses, we can all make a decision about Jesus. That decision is our belief. Everyone has a belief about Jesus. Someone who says, ‘I cannot be bothered’ has a belief that Jesus is not worth bothering about. Those of us who commit ourselves to following Jesus as ‘my Lord and my God’ are given by God ‘life in his name.’ There is no eternal salvation without this commitment to Christ. That is a commentary from God’s word!

John emphasises that what Jesus did had been witnessed by his disciples. This is important because, as in a law court, the evidence of witnesses is vital. In this account of the resurrection we have the evidence of Peter and John (John 20 :1-8) who saw the empty tomb and the grave clothes lying where Jesus had laid, Mary Magdalene (John 20:18) who met Jesus face to face, the ten disciples (John 20:20) who were overjoyed when they saw the Lord, and then the sceptic Thomas who comes to say, ‘My Lord and my God.’ Thomas didn’t reply,

“Now I believe in the resurrection.”

His commentary on the facts was that Jesus was God and should therefore be worshipped.

None of these people were expecting to see the risen Christ. When they saw the empty tomb, their first thought was that the body had been moved. But then they saw Jesus alive and everything changed. Later in life, this same John wrote a letter to the churches which began,

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” I John 1:1-3

Note how John equates the Father and the Son!

Command

Today’s objector may conclude,

“That was all very well for Thomas, he eventually saw the risen Jesus. But I haven’t, so it is not so easy for me.”

Apparently Jesus doesn’t see it this way,

“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

Jesus is here thinking both of those living at that time in different parts of the world and those of us in subsequent generations. They will all believe in the same way that Thomas might have believed when he was first told about the risen Jesus. The other disciples had believed what Peter had said, without seeing the risen Jesus. Thomas had every reason to believe his ten friends when they said they had seen the risen Lord. They could all give first hand evidence. In a Jewish court only two or three witnesses were necessary to substantiate a fact.

We have many other advantages to help us today. We can all read the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. We have the advantage of seeing that modern science demands that there is a mind behind creation. We can see the changes that occur in the lives of those who commit themselves to Jesus. We have the evidence of the history of the church and its rapid expansion at the beginning. But most important of all, we know within ourselves that when Jesus talks about sin and righteousness and my deserving God’s judgment, he is right – all this resonates with what I instinctively know.

By committing ourselves to Jesus, because of the facts about him, we will be given eternal life. We will then begin to experience the power of God’s Spirit in us as we battle to live to please our Lord.

As a barrister commends his case to a jury, so John presents his case about who Jesus is and he askss us to make a decision; a decision that has far reaching consequences. We are all told to step off the fence and stop being unbelievers. It is wrong and unreasonable to go against all the evidence. Indeed it is foolish not to, when Jesus offers us life eternal.

It is Jesus who commands us all,

“Stop doubting and believe.” John 20:27

What is my response to him?

BVP

May 2020