John Lau Doubt?

As we read from John chapter 20, during the very first Easter, about a week after Jesus resurrected,

John 20 · chapter mention

Jesus appeared among his disciples in a house behind a locked door, and he singled out Thomas.

It reads in verse 26 to 27,

A week later, his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them.

Though the door were locked, Thomas called. Jesus came and stood among them and said,

Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here. See my hands.

Wish out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.

Why did Jesus single out Thomas? What can we learn from this man?

We had celebrated Good Friday and Easter just about two weeks ago.

I hope you still remember from those sermons of the true meaning of Easter,

how the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ had dealt with the ultimate problem of human,

the human ultimate problem of sin, and given us the hope of being right with God,

being accepted by God as his children once again.

It's easy for us in this modern day to sit around eating our chocolate eggs and point on the meaning of the Easter event.

I don't think it's as easy for those people at the very first Easter.

John chapter 20, 19 tell us that on that day of Jesus' resurrection, that evening,

John 20 · chapter mention

the disciples were together behind closed doors for fear of the Jews.

They were fearful that they may be next on the list to be crucified,

just like what happened to the teacher Jesus.

They had just lost someone very close to them,

the person they thought may be the promised Messiah that would help them to overturn their government.

Then Jesus came and stood among them and said,

Peace be with you.

And he showed them his hand and his side and gave them their blessing.

I'm sure if we were there, it would be such a mixed feeling.

John in his gospel tells us that the disciples were overjoyed,

but Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tells us that the disciples were still doubting,

filled with unbelief.

Some thought they were seeing ghosts.

However, there was one man that did not experience any of this feeling.

He missed all the commotion.

John tells us in verse 24,

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.

Why wasn't he there?

What would he possibly have gone to?

The Bible didn't tell us that, where he went,

but it tells us that the overjoyed and excited disciples

were trying to convince Thomas that Jesus is alive and had resurrected.

It must be terrible to have missed the chance to see the resurrected Christ,

but it would be worse to be reminded over and over again that he has missed out.

And so Thomas stubbornly replied to the others,

maybe also as a way to shut them up.

He laid down a condition for him to believe.

Unless I see the nail marks in his hands

and put my fingers where the nails were

and put my hand into his side,

I will not believe it.

Jesus singled out Thomas after about a week

to answer this exact request.

He almost repeated what Thomas had said.

Put your finger here, see my hand.

Reach out your hand and put it into my side.

Stop doubting and believe.

Jesus singled out Thomas because he knew what was going on within Thomas.

Jesus wanted to restore Thomas' faith in him and in his resurrection.

It was important for Thomas to stop being an unbeliever

because if one of the twelve apostles had remained a doubter,

it would have cast disbelief on the integrity of other disciples and witnesses

and the ripple effect would have passed down through history.

It was also very important for Thomas to come to terms with what is happening

so he can fulfill Jesus' plan for him and for us.

Let's take a closer look of who Thomas really is

and how Jesus interacts with him.

The method that Jesus used with Thomas is not unusual in his dealing with us

because just like Thomas, we often have questions and doubts.

All four Gospels tell us that Jesus carefully chose his disciples

to come and learn from him,

to bring the good news of the kingdom to everyone.

Thomas was chosen and appointed by the Lord Jesus

to be one of his followers.

They will follow Jesus through all the ups and downs,

through all the glories and shames,

through all the acceptance and rejections.

On many occasions, Jesus had to face the possibility to be stoned to death

for what he claims and preached.

And Thomas was there with Jesus.

And he did not back down or run away.

He stayed right by Jesus' side.

John in chapter 11 tells us that

after Jesus had stayed away from Jerusalem for a while,

words of the health of his friend Lazarus reached Jesus.

And he intended to go back to Judea to see him.

And his disciples replied,

But teacher, a short while ago,

the Jews are there trying to stone you.

And why are you going back?

Thomas was there with Jesus

when Jesus told them that Lazarus was already dead.

In verse 14 to 16, Jesus said,

Lazarus is dead, and for your sake,

I am glad I was not there,

so that you may believe.

But let's go to him.

Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples,

let's also go that we may die with him.

Thomas is willing to go back to Jerusalem with Jesus,

to die with him there.

He knew perfectly well of the attitude and intention

of the religious leader at that time.

There was every possibility

that they would arrest Jesus and put him to death.

Thomas was concerned about Jesus' death,

but Jesus was more concerned

that his disciples would believe in him.

Jesus said,

I am glad I was not there,

so that you may believe.

Thomas was with Jesus

when Jesus raised Lazarus from death.

He came to Jerusalem to die with Jesus,

and witness the master of death

called the dead man back to life.

Thomas was just as prepared as the other disciples

to believe in the resurrection.

But along with the other disciples,

he never really understood

Jesus was talking about his resurrection

when he said,

I am the resurrection and the life.

Thomas was with Jesus

the night before Jesus' death,

as Jesus prepared his disciples

for his crucifixion.

John chapter 13 to 17 tell us

John 13 · chapter mention

that Jesus demonstrates his love

for his disciples by washing

and drying their feet.

And with many words,

he encourages them.

Chapter 13, verse 19,

Jesus said,

I am telling you now before it happens,

so that when it does happen,

you will believe that I am who I am.

Very truly I tell you,

whoever accepts anyone I send

accepts me,

and whoever accepts me

accepts the one who sends me.

Later, Jesus said again,

I have told you now before it happens,

so that when it does happen,

you will believe.

As Thomas listened to the encouraging words

of Jesus about heaven,

that Jesus is going there

to prepare a place for them,

Jesus said,

You know the way to the place

where I am going.

Thomas said to Jesus,

Lord, we don't know where you are going,

so how can we know the way?

This allowed Jesus to reply,

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life.

No one comes to the Father

except through me.

Thomas listened intensely,

who reflected on his own knowledge,

and quickly acknowledged

it is not where Jesus said it was.

This allowed Jesus to explain

his teaching further,

and it is a good,

healthy way of interruption.

To this point,

the Thomas that Jesus has chosen

seems a great guide,

bold,

honest,

ready to have a go,

ready to follow Jesus

to the end,

even to death.

But it comes to chapter 20,

as we have read.

Thomas missed

his chance

at the first appearance of Jesus

after his resurrection.

And when other people

want him to experience

that same sense of

emotional relief

and peace,

knowing that

his Savior was alive,

he demanded

more evidence.

Just like any one of us,

often when in our unbelief,

we take pride

in demanding

more evidence

than that was given

by a group of

creditable,

faithful friends.

As Jesus said earlier

in 1320,

whoever accepts

anyone I send

accepts me,

and whoever accepts me

accepts the one

who sends me.

Thomas,

in his arrogance,

had refused

the testimony

by his friends,

which in fact

was rejecting

Jesus and God.

What had happened

to the chosen

Thomas the Apostle?

Why wasn't he there

the first night

after Jesus' resurrection?

To his defense,

maybe,

perhaps it was

his emotional reaction

to the outcome

of his agony

and disappointment.

Death was very real

to Thomas.

He had been filled

with the horror

at the sight

of the beating

ruins of Jesus.

The person

that he could touch

and feel,

the person

that he ran

while they

dodged

all the throwing stones,

no longer

there.

The person

of his focus,

the reference

of his life,

that person

he can rely on

is no longer

in his sight.

And he did not

want to be

with anyone.

He just wanted

to be alone

to face all the pain

and suffering

by himself.

What Thomas

had asked for

when he got back

with the disciples

seems arrogant

because he rather

trust his own eyes,

ears,

and hand

than the combined

testimony

of more than

ten men

who had seen

with their eyes,

heard with their ears,

and touched

with their hand.

But it was

an honest request

of his heart

at that moment.

He wanted to see

his Jesus,

hear his Jesus,

touch his Jesus

again.

He needed

something to deal

with his emotional

state.

And he was

simply asking

for the same

thing that

those disciples

say they have

experienced.

They are unbelievers.

They thrive

on doubt.

They like it,

enjoy it,

live by it.

They nurture

the evil heart

of unbelief.

They have a deep

sense of

reluctance

to be convinced

by the objective

truth.

They are more

irritated

when they are

faced,

when they are

faced to the

facts,

sorry,

they are more

irritated when

they are faced

to the facts,

forced to the

facts,

forced to face

the facts,

sorry.

They are

preoccupied

with their own

views.

They get

provoked

instead of

being thankful

when any

doubt is

removed.

It doesn't

seem to be

the Thomas

that we're

saying here.

An honest

doubter

will expressly,

honestly

seek the

truth

regardless of

the outcome.

They will

not eagerly

cease on a

new objection

when the

outcome is

not what

they were

expecting.

In fact,

I would say

if someone

is honest

with their

doubt,

they will

not remain

a doubter

for too

long.

They are

not very

far from

becoming a

believer.

Jesus

let Thomas

reflect on

what the

disciples

had testified

to him

for a

whole week

before he

appeared to

them again.

He let

those haunting

words of the

eyes'

witnesses

sink deep

into Thomas'

heart.

I'm sure

Jesus was

observing the

interaction of

the disciples

because he

told them at

his first

appearance that

if you

forgive anyone's

sins,

their sins

are forgiven.

If you

do not

forgive them,

they are

not forgiven.

I could

imagine the

reaction of

the other

disciples when

Thomas rejected

their testimony.

There may

be cutting

words of

blame for

Thomas'

disappearance.

They might

say to him,

if you have

not run

away, we

don't have

to try so

hard to

convince you.

They may

even start

to challenge

his stubbornness

and disbelief.

believe.

I'm sure

the overjoyed

disciples was

not very

helpful to

Thomas.

They have

all the

good intention

but most

likely using

the wrong

method to

convince him.

But that

was not

the good

excuse for

Thomas to

remain stubborn

and refuse

to believe.

Jesus

suddenly appealed

among them

and provided

Thomas with

exactly what

he has asked

for.

Jesus did

not scold

him.

He swore

breathed

forgiveness

and encouragement

to Thomas'

faith.

He brought

Thomas to

assurance,

just as he

did to the

other

disciples.

Thomas'

faith was

restored with

the appearance

of his

recent Lord.

At this

point,

Thomas said

to Jesus,

my Lord

and my

God.

Then Jesus

told him,

because you

have seen

me,

you have

believed it.

Blessed are

those who

have not

seen and

yet have

believed.

Jesus

agreed

exactly to

Thomas'

demand for

evidence.

Jesus met

every one of

the outrageous

demands of

Thomas to

the letter.

And not

just Thomas,

but all

eleven

apostles.

He also

offered many

convincing

proof that

he was

alive.

In the

book of

Acts,

Acts 1:3

chapter 1,

verse 3,

it reads,

After his

suffering,

he presented

himself to

them and

gave them

many convincing

proof that

he was

alive.

He appeared

to them

over a

period of

forty days

and spoke

about the

kingdom of

God.

Jesus not

only answered

Thomas'

doubts,

but every

Thomas in

the future.

There will

be many

more

Thomases

done

through

history

who

wrestled

with the

same

question

of the

resurrection

and who

Jesus

really is.

Jesus

had given

a decisive

bow to

all doubt

and unbelief.

We should

be thankful

that Thomas

expressed his

doubt about

the resurrection

of Jesus

because in

answering his

question,

Jesus

answered ours

too.

When Thomas

confessed and

declared,

my Lord and

my God,

it tells us

who Jesus

really is.

Jesus

truly is

both

Lord and

God,

and he

speaks of

us when

he says,

blessed are

those who

have not

seen and

yet have

believed.

Whoever at

any time,

past,

present,

or future,

believed

without seeing

is pronounced

blessed.

We are called

to walk by

faith and

not by sight,

but our

faith has

solid creditable

historical

evidence of

the recent

savior.

So,

who is

Thomas,

and what

can we

learn from

him?

Thomas

lost an

opportunity.

Thomas was

chosen by

God to

be his

witness,

and his

biggest mistake

was he

withdrew from

Christian

fellowship at

the site of

Jesus'

suffering and

crucifixion.

In his

isolation,

he missed

the site of

Christ.

He wanted

to be by

himself in

his own

suffering and

pain.

As a loyal

disciple, he

was willing to

die with

Jesus.

His intentions

were good,

however, his

action didn't

follow.

Thomas fled

with the rest

of the

disciples and

left Jesus

there, all

by himself,

in the hands

of his

oppressors.

He was

probably full

of guilt and

remorse.

and he

did the

worst

things.

But also

a very

common thing

that he

could have

done is

to be

alone by

himself,

hugging and

nurturing his

unbelief.

How many

of you

try to go

alone when

God has

provided others

who have

made the

same difficult

journey through

hurt, grief,

and suffering?

That is the

exact time when

we should be in

the company of

our fellow

believers.

believers.

Thomas would

have been

better off if

he had been

in the company

of the other

disciples and

would not miss

the blessing of

the resurrected

Christ and

spend eight

more days

wallowing in

his unbelief.

Does that

mean Thomas

is a failure?

Or are there

things we can

still learn from

him?

Thomas was a

practical

disciple of

Jesus and

he is

intellectually

honest.

He calculated

the situation

carefully.

He was not

going to

pretend to

understand

something that

does not

make sense

to him.

There are a

lot of things

in our life

that we must

ponder and

think through

for ourselves,

especially when

it is about

our relationship

with God.

Jesus

patiently

worked with

Thomas and

strengthened him

at the point

of his

weaknesses.

Jesus will

patiently

wait and

guide us

in our

life to

a full

acceptance of

God because

he is the

way, the

truth, and

the life.

And no one

comes to the

Father except

through Jesus.

If you truly

want to be a

follower of

Jesus, if you

really want to

have a close

relationship with

God, be bold

and stay your

case with God

in your prayer.

ask God to

show him to

you in the

most practical

way you can

think of.

Be honest with

your questions

and doubts

and be prepared

to have Jesus

call on you

to put your

finger into

his hand.

Thomas looked

carefully into

things determined

to inquire as

their deepest

meaning.

He refused to

say he understood

something when he

did not.

He refused to

say he believed

something that

he really

didn't.

A yes from

Thomas is

always a yes.

A no is

always a no.

And when

Thomas was

sure, he

went the

whole way.

He declared

my Lord and

my God and

he meant

every word of

it.

And by that

declaration, he

put his faith

into what he

believes.

So why are we

talking about

Thomas this

morning?

Thomas was

the last of

the twelve

apostles to

believe in the

resurrection of

Jesus because

he was not

there on the

Sunday evening

that Christ

rose from the

dead.

So he had to

wait for a

full week.

When he saw

Jesus, there

was no need

for pulping

fingers.

He declared,

you are my

Lord and my

God, and he

worshipped the

resurrected Jesus.

He has the

courage to

admit his

weaknesses and

admit that he

has been

preoccupied by

himself and

his own

view.

And he was

willing to

face the

facts and

change his

view.

He courageously

accepted the

absolute truth

that Jesus is

the Lord and

God.

When Jesus

told Thomas,

because you

have seen

me, you

have believed.

Blessed are

those who

have not

seen and yet

have believed.

Jesus is

also talking

to you and

me.

Believing is

directing your

heart's attention

to Jesus.

Unbelief, put

yourself where

God should be.

Jesus helped

Thomas to get

his eyes off

himself and

look upon

him.

Jesus wants

you to do

the same, to

look upon

him and

worship him

as your

Lord and

your God.

God's

peace will

be with

you and

you are

blessed.

As you

direct your

heart's

attention to

Jesus, you

will see all

the awesome

blessings that

God has set

aside and

prepared for

you.

Don't be

unbelieving,

believe.

Believe.

Believe.

Amen.

Believe.

Believe.

Believe.

Believe.

Believe.

Believe.

Believe.

Believe.

Oh.