BARE-BONES NOTES
The Thomas Climax
SCRIPTURE: John 20:24-31
GIST: Don't doubt, but look on the resurrected Christ, believe that He is God, and give Him control of your life.
24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin,[a] was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “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.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him,“My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 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.
A lot of times we think of Thomas just as "the doubter", but this is structured as the climax of the book (see vs 30-31). Why? Because the story isn't just about Thomas the doubter, but also Thomas the believer.
Thomas the Doubter
1. He wasn't there.
We don't know why, and I hesitate to put too much emphasis on this point. However, we can't ignore that this entire passage would have been moot if he'd been with the other apostles when Jesus revealed Himself. It might be a stretch to connect this to church attendance, but not much of one. Why do we doubt? Because something is standing in the way of our belief. Lack of exposure to the truth, be that in personal study or devotion to a local body, will inevitably leave us open to attacks of doubt. We should be faithfully serving a local church, and we should be constantly spending time in God's Word. If we're not, we're spending it somewhere. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
2. He was wanted proof, rather than believing their words.
He should have believed them. Not only had they been privy to special revelation (more on this in a second), but they were also men with whom he had spent nearly every moment of the last three years. What stopped him from trusting them? He wanted to see for himself. We can relate to this, but should not glorify this mistake. It isn't reasonable to reject truth because of...fill in the blank. We will always have something that stands in the way. We want to know this or see that. Rip the specifics away though, and your doubt will be revealed as unreasonable. Thomas heard the truth from a trustworthy source. We have too.
Thomas the Apostle
1. Thomas needed to trust the apostles, and so do we. Eye witnesses that were given special treatment.
2. Thomas needed to be an apostle. This was Jesus' mercy. Notice that he was called "one of the twelve". Apostles had to be witnesses to the resurrection. Thomas already knew Jesus' teachings. He needed to see this. We do too.
Thomas the Believer
1.Truth- Lord and God
2. Personal Truth- My Lord and My God
Application
1. Don't be a doubter, but believe the testimony of the apostles- Notice that Thomas didn't actual touch Him. Any condition, "reason for our doubt", we set before God is our god. He realized this. Furthermore, Jesus', though gracious to Thomas, reprimands his doubt. Why? Because he had every reason to believe...as do we. Read the Word. Believe the Word. These were Jesus' chosen vessels who were granted special insight.
29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
2. Look at the resurrected Christ- Knowing what Jesus taught is important. But if you take His sacrifice out of the equation, you'll miss out on all of it. Jesus wasn't just a great teacher, He was God coming to save us by taking on Hell in our place.
3. Give Him your life- It is good to believe that Jesus is the sovereign God, but that will not save you. You must believe that He is your Lord and your God. He is the one who saved you AND the one who should be given control of your life. And that, is why John wrote this book.
30 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.
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