So That You May Believe - John 20:24-31
We live so much of our lives under the assumption we’re able to control everything. After all, we have places to go, people see, and things to do. But nothing challenges our presumption of control like hopping on an airplane. That’s one place where you have no control over anything. It seems like every time I fly at some point I think to myself, I’m totally helpless.
But again, we don’t typically live like that! We live as if we have power over every minute of every day. Every now and then, the Lord seems to gently remind you, like when you’re in a skytube, flying 500 miles per hour at 30,000 ft, you’re not in control.
And this is precisely the reminder that Thomas needed. He needed to be reminded that he wasn’t in control.
We typically associate Thomas with doubt, don’t we? After all, we generally refer to him as doubting Thomas.
But as we look at this passage the primary issue at play isn’t doubt as much as it is control. Thomas thought that he was sovereign, but was quickly reminded that wasn’t true. Thomas expressed a warped view of himself and God, but even in the midst of his warped view, the Lord was merciful.
The Lord displayed his gentleness, love, and mercy in three ways: first, the Lord allows Thomas to make his outlandish demands. Second, the Lord meets his outlandish demands. And through all of this, we see the Lord’s outlandish love for sinners.
Last week, we looked at verses 19-23. And in verses 19-23 Jesus miraculously appeared to his disciples and ministered to them in a locked room.
And basically, that exact same scenario takes place in this passage one week later. Jesus miraculously appeared to his disciples, ministered to them again, but focused most of his attention on doubting Thomas.
Thomas’ Outlandish Demands (vv. 24-25)
In verse 24 we’re immediately told that when Jesus appeared to his disciples on Easter evening, in that locked room - Thomas wasn’t there. Apparently, there were only 10 disciples in the room on Easter evening. Obviously, Thomas wasn’t there and neither was Judas.
So Thomas missed out on all the excitement when Jesus miraculously appeared to his disciples in that locked room. But nevertheless, he received the glorious reports that the Lord had risen from the dead from the other disciples. They told him, “We have seen the Lord.”
And as many of you already know, it was in response to this that Thomas made his outlandish demands: “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
That comment right there is the reason we often refer to him as “doubting Thomas.” And in many cases, doubting Thomas is on the receiving end of Christian scorn. Because it’s easy to get on your high horse and say to yourself, what’s wrong with this guy! Everyone else believed that Jesus had risen from the dead! Why couldn’t he do it too?
But we forget the context. Not only was he not in the locked room on Easter evening, but still fresh in his mind was Jesus’ crucifixion and death, which he knew were true. Thomas was still grieving the loss of Jesus.
Imagine going up to someone that recently lost a close friend and saying, “hey - your friend really isn’t dead - he rose from the grave.” Not only would you think your friend was lying but you’d probably be incredibly offended as well.
The natural thing to do when speaking with someone who’s grieving is to not give false assurances, because you don’t want to offend or inflict more pain upon the hardest thing that any of us can go through.
Which helps you understand where Thomas is coming from. He just cannot believe it. But nevertheless, his statement is a bit extreme and odd isn’t it? You want to touch the wounds?
Wouldn’t it have been perfectly in line if after Jesus appeared to Thomas to go up to him and say, “Tom, the boys and I were talking and we’ve decided that you’re a little too weird for our group.”
He wants to touch the wounds? That’s gross isn’t it?
The other disciples saw Jesus and that was enough, but Thomas takes things to a whole other level. But of course, Thomas is simply saying, I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it really is Jesus and not just my eyes playing tricks on me. I want to touch him.
And to our modern minds, we may even think, what’s the issue? Thomas is just doing his due diligence.
In some ways, Thomas is ahead of his time! He’s a modern man! He wants empirical evidence. He wants first hand data. He’s not going to be convinced simply by what someone told him.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned the name Brian Johnson. He’s the guy who’s taken biohacking to creepy extremes. He had a blood transfusion from his son in the hope that his young blood would help him live longer. He’s doing truly bizarre stuff in an attempt to avoid death.
But in one interview he said something that caught my attention. He said he doesn’t believe in anything except hard data. Every decision he makes is solely determined by information. He even went as far as to say he was throwing out everything he was ever taught, because the only thing that matters to him is information, data, and evidence.
Not only are there philosophical problems with the things that Johnson said, like he still has to trust his own ability to interpret the information correctly and how does he know he’s doing that?
But there’s an even bigger problem for Brian Johnson: he believes he’s god. He believes he can control everything.
Doesn’t that sound a little bit like doubting Thomas?
Think about what Thomas is saying here: Thomas was not simply saying that he doubts the resurrection, he was saying that Jesus needs to prove himself to him. Thomas thinks he’s in control, therefore, Jesus is going to have to play by his rules. Thomas is dictating the terms to Jesus!
“Jesus is going to have to come here and show me his hands and side in order for me to believe.”
C.S. Lewis got at this in his collection of essays called “God in the Docks.” The docks are where the accused sits in English court. It’s like a little box that the person on trial has to sit in. They sit down in the box while the judge sits up on the bench looking down at them.
Just think about what Lewis is communicating with just that title: “God in the Docks.” He’s saying that God is on trial and he needs to prove himself to mankind. And isn’t that so often the way we approach God?
We think of ourselves as the ones sitting on the judge’s bench, and God is going to have to prove himself to us.
In order for me to take the Christian faith seriously, God, you’re really going to have to show me something. God needs to produce some compelling evidence. I’m going to need that in order for me to take Jesus seriously.
Isn’t that such an arrogant way to approach the God of the universe? But who hasn’t adopted that mindset at some point in their life?
Isn’t that exactly what we’re doing when we say, “God if you really exist, send a shooting star across the sky right now”? Who hasn’t prayed a ridiculous prayer like that at some point?
But aren’t prayers like that a symptom of a terrible disease which is you and I so quickly default to the belief that God must answer to us. That God serves me. Isn’t that an incredibly pervasive mentality? It’s one of the fundamental lies of the prosperity gospel, but it’s common even among evangelicals as well. Not only does God answer to you, but he owes you something.
But Scripture clearly teaches us that the opposite is true: God doesn’t answer to us… we answer to God. If life is a courtroom proceeding, God is the judge’s bench and you and I are in the docks, and guess what? We’re guilty.
Certainly Jesus had taught this truth to Thomas, but somewhere along the way, Thomas forgot. Which is true for us as well?
Most of us will sit here and say, “well of course I will one day answer to God! I know that!” Then why is it so hard to submit everything to God?
Jesus Meets Outlandish Demands (vv. 26-29)
But the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, amen? When Jesus appeared to Thomas he would have had every right to lower the boom on him.
But of course, we know what happens: His grace and mercy are too much. He meets Thomas’ outlandish demands but with a massive asterisk beside it.
But before we get there, notice when Jesus reappeared to his disciples: He did it again on Sunday. One week after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples again.
And if you were here last week, I did steal a little bit of my thunder because this is something that you and I must pay attention to. Not only did Jesus rise from the dead on the first day of the week, he continued to minister to his disciples on the first day of the week, which is the basis for establishing corporate worship on the first day of the week - it’s what the New Testament refers to as the Lord’s Day.
But in many ways, this whole passage is a rerun of last week’s passage in verses 19-23. For the second time now, Jesus miraculously appeared to his disciples on Sunday despite the doors being locked, and once he was with them what does he say again? “Peace be with you.”
Apparently it didn’t take the first time, did it? The disciples are still afraid with the doors locked but Jesus still ministered to them.
But the meat and potatoes of the passage is Jesus’ interaction with Thomas. Jesus miraculously appeared to his disciples, said, “peace be with you” and then singled out Thomas. Look again at what Jesus said to him.
“Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side.”
What Jesus says in verse 27 is a line for line reply to all of Thomas’ outlandish demands. Look at exactly what Thomas said:
“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
How does Jesus respond? “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side.”
Jesus gave him everything he demanded, didn't he? Of course, Jesus is doing all of this for Thomas so that he can see that it is really him in the flesh, but it’s more than that.
Notice that Jesus gives Thomas direct commands: “Put your finger, see my hands, put out your hand, place it in my side.”
When Jesus gave Thomas these direct commands he was gently correcting him. Jesus was admonishing him in the most loving and gracious way that only Jesus could do.
Because he’s reestablishing his authority over him. He’s gently saying, “Thomas, I’m sovereign and you’re not. I’m in control, but you’re not. I’m God and you’re not.”
But it’s that last command that Jesus gives Thomas that’s so powerful - “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” And of course that too was a response to Thomas! At the end of verse 25 Thomas said, “I will never believe!”
“Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
And just like that, Jesus just got out from behind the dock in the courtroom of Thomas’ mind and took his rightful place on the judge’s bench.
In the courtroom of your mind where do you sit and where does God sit? Have you submitted everything to Him? Are you holding anything back? Sometimes we need that airplane experience to remind us that we’re really not in control.
And of course here’s the reality, God is the ruler, sustainer, and judge of all things whether you accept that or not. Your perception doesn’t change the reality of it.
I recently read a book called “It’s Not All About Me,” which sounds like the title of a great Christian book, except it’s not. It was an interesting book, but it’s not distinctly Christian. The author Robin Dreeke worked for the FBI and was responsible for developing human resources, and as such, became an expert on quickly developing personal relationships.
And one of the things that Dreeke talked about in the book was what he called, “ego suspension.” The idea is that in high stress situations or when tensions rise to not let your emotions take over, instead, you need to “suspend your ego.”
He tells a story in the book about accidentally cutting a guy off in traffic and sending this other man into a fit of road rage. The man was so angry he began to follow him as Dreeke as he attempted to drive home. Eventually the man pulled up beside him at a stop light and was looking to escalate the situation and Dreeke simply rolled down his window and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cut you off. It was an accident. Have you ever made a mistake while driving?” The guy was taken aback, accepted his apology, told him to have a nice day and drove away.
Dreeke calls that ‘ego suspension,’ Christians we just call that humbling yourself. Which is precisely what happens in our passage: Thomas humbled himself before the Lord Jesus.
And we see this on full display in Thomas’ simple yet profound profession of faith: “My Lord and my God.”
It’s a profound profession for a Jew. Only the one true God could be professed as God. But Thomas professed Jesus Christ to be God - which is entirely correct! Jesus is the second person of the Trinity co-equal with both the Father and the Holy Spirit.
But of course, when Thomas confessed Jesus as his Lord and God he was simultaneously divesting himself of control. He was admitting that he wasn’t sovereign. Essentially, he took the crown off of his head and placed it on Jesus’ head.
“My Lord and my God.”
Jesus replied: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Thomas experienced one of the greatest privileges in all of human history didn’t he? Jesus came to him and physically addressed his doubts and misconceptions. To show up before him in the flesh and address the things that he had said?
I think there’s a real temptation to read this passage and think to yourself, “Wow Thomas that must have been nice! I wish Jesus would give me that sort of personal treatment too!”
But here’s the thing, Jesus didn’t tell him anything new! There was no secret revelation that Thomas received that the disciples didn’t receive or that we haven’t received either. Jesus simply affirmed the truth of the gospel to Thomas.
Jesus says that you and I are blessed for not seeing and yet believing.
The Lord’s Outlandish Love for Sinners (vv. 30-31)
What do we really learn from this passage? We learn that the Lord has an outlandish love for sinners. Wasn’t that assurance of God’s pardoning grace from Micah 7 beautiful?
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
I know this might sound crazy but John wrote his gospel so that you and I would know and believe the gospel. It’s exactly what he says in verses 30-31 isn’t it?
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so 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 wrote everything down so that you and I would “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
We’re almost done with the gospel of John. I think we only have three more weeks in John, which is hard to believe isn’t it? Providence’s first service started in John. John is the only book of the Bible that Providence has ever known… Maybe when we finish John only to start it all over again.
But what’s really interesting about John’s gospel is that he ends it where he started it. Remember how John’s gospel begins?
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
John begins his gospel with the divinity of Christ and ends it with the divinity of Christ.
And John wants you and me to echo the words of Thomas, “My Lord and my God.”
Flying in a plane will teach you that you don’t have control, but so will parenthood. Before you have kids you make all these wild statements like my kid will never do this or my kid will never act like that - and then you have a child, and you have to take back everything you had said before you had a child.
And you quickly realize that he or she is a little person with their own thoughts and opinions. You quickly learn that maybe I don’t have as much control over things as I thought I would…
It’s so easy to fall into the trap that Thomas fell into: the trap of believing that you’re in control and therefore, God owes you something. It’s so easy to believe that you don’t need to serve God but that God needs to serve you.
We must resist what comes so naturally to us and put ourselves in the docks and God on the judge’s bench. And here’s the wonderful news, if you echo Thomas’ words and humbly profess Jesus as your Lord and God - then God has already declared you innocent.
And it’s there - when you submit to the Lord and acknowledge his control in your life suddenly you will experience assurance, peace, and comfort.
May each of us, “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and have life in his name.” Let’s pray together.
