Scripture Reading: John 20:19-31
Message: “Believing”
Text: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Would you agree that it is rather easy to believe an event happened if you actually observed it through your very own eyes? For example, if someone told you it was snowing outside and you could look out and see the snow, you would believe that person.
If someone was describing the terrible destruction created by the hurricane, you might believe them, but you would believe the event really took place if you could see the aftermath with your own eyes.
We have all read or heard the Bible story of the “Great Flood,” but do we believe it really happened? We know the story about David and Goliath, do we believe it?
Scripture tells us that God created Adam and Eve from the dust of the earth and breathe the breath of life into their nostrils. We weren’t there, so do we believe it to be true?
Jesus was born in a smelly stable in Bethlehem, wrapped in cloths, and placed in a feeding trough. Do you really believe this? As a child you might, but what about believing it as an adult? You weren’t present when the birth took place.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). These are words written in red and furthermore they were spoken by none other than Jesus Himself. You didn’t see Him and hear Him when He spoke these words, so, do you accept these words?
God gave His Son with no strings attached. He gave with His unconditional love. He gave for the purpose of pulling man away from Satan and giving man an opportunity to form a right relationship with Him and spending eternity with Him in His kingdom. Jesus gave His life for our salvation. There is nothing here that you can actually see. Do you believe this is true?
I am trying to get you to see that believing comes easier to us if we can actually observe the event or view it with our own eyes. Keep in mind that there are some pretty good magicians in the world who can cause you to see something that did not really happen.
We have probably all watched as the magician sawed a woman or man in half. I once saw a magician make a trolley car vanish. Remember seeing the rabbit that is pulled out of the hat or the milk that is poured into a container that never even gets wet. These of course are all tricks or illusions. The point is we can’t or should not really believe everything we see.
Luke writes “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. The found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:1-3).
They saw with their very own eyes that Jesus’ body was not where Joseph had laid it. The body was not to be found. The tomb was empty. They had no problem believing because they observed the empty tomb and the burial cloths. Had we been present, we would have had no problem believing and would probably have thought someone had stolen the body.
Did the women realize they were in the presence of two angels? I don’t think so, because the angels appeared as men in clothes that gleamed like lightning. At first, there was probably questions in their mind, but when the women were reminded that Jesus said, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again” (Luke 24:7), they believed and went to tell the disciples.
After the women delivered the news to the disciples, the disciples did not believe because they did not see what the women had seen. In their mind, this was not possible. This was total nonsense. This could not happen.
Peter went to the tomb to see with his very own eyes and found that what the women said was indeed true. You and I would probably have followed in Peter’s footsteps. We would have to see in order to believe.
Our Scripture reading talks about the event that took place the first day of the week. This was the evening of Resurrection Sunday. The disciples were gathered together in a room somewhere in Jerusalem. Scripture tells us the door to the room was locked because they feared the Jews.
The Resurrection was causing some unrest among many people in the city of Jerusalem. In fact there was a plan in the making by the priests and the elders. The plot was to find a way to cover up the Resurrection.
Matthews says, “When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them; ‘….His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep’” (28:12-13).
The soldiers did what they were told and to this day, many believe his disciples stole the body. There are only two choices concerning the issue concerning the Resurrection. Either we believe Jesus rose from the dead or we do not believe it.
Christians believe in the Resurrection, but there are people who choose to deny such an event ever took place. They try to explain how this could not happen.
As the disciples were gathered in the locked room, a startling event took place. Jesus appeared right before their very eyes. I would guess the disciples were a little bit fearful.
If you had been there, what would you have thought? How did Jesus get into the room? He is visible. How could this be because the doors were locked?
God works in mysterious ways. This was a mystery to the disciples and it would have been a mystery to us had we been there in the room. Jesus knew they were fearful so He said to them, “Peace be with you!” (v. 19)
As far as these disciples were concerned, they were without a leader. They were without a shepherd. Jesus’ followers felt the same way. When the Shepherd was crucified, the flock was scattered. The disciples gathered to come up with a plan to recover the flock.
There are places in the world this very day where Christians cannot practice their faith. Consequently, they hold meetings in private homes or in secret places where anti-Christians will not find them.
Christians in those countries often have to look for a locked room or secret room for fear of people who are against the faith. In Jesus day, it was the Jews, in our day it is any number of non-Christian countries.
The disciples were in a room and the doors were locked, but Jesus appeared. Does this tell you anything? Have you ever thought about this incident of the locked doors?
I believe this Scripture is telling us that it is impossible to keep Jesus out of our life. We cannot escape His presence. No matter where we hide or how many locks we use on the door, Jesus will always be present with us. Does that sound reasonable?
Jesus said to the disciples, “Peace be with you!” (v.19) He was indicating peace in every facet of the disciple’s life. He wanted them to have peace with Him, peace with the Father, peace with each other, peace in their mind, peace to the very depth of their soul, and peace instead of worry and fear.
To be sure the disciples were convinced that He was really present with them, “Jesus showed them his hands and side” (v. 20). They could see the nail holes in his hands and the hole in His side made by the spear of the Roman soldier. The disciples could not only see Jesus, but they could see the evidence left by the nails and the spear.
They saw Him nailed to the Cross and they knew about the spear that pierced His side. They were present either close to the Crucifixion or at a distance. There was no reason for them to believe Jesus was now not in their presence. We are told the disciples were not only convinced it was Jesus, but they were overjoyed; they were happy, and their hearts were lifted, because the Shepherd had returned to the flock.
As they gazed at Jesus they heard Him say these words: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (v. 21). Jesus was preparing the disciples for the commission or the work that was about to come upon them. The work that lay before the disciples would not be easy. He wanted to encourage the disciples, so again, He said, “Peace be with you!”
The work the Father had given Jesus was not easy. His work was to preach the message of repentance, be obedient to the Father, set the example for proper living, teach the Word, and shepherd the flock so that they could spend eternity with Him in His kingdom. We know what Jesus went through; how He suffered; the times He was rejected; the loneliness He felt when He was betrayed, and the pain and agony of the Cross.
The disciples were going to be commissioned to carry on the work He started. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” The disciples were to go out into the world and spread the Word of Almighty God.
They were to teach and preach about, sin, repentance, and salvation. This would not be an easy task. They, too, would face opposition, rejection, and physical abuse. They would need help. The disciples would not be able to carry through with this commission using their own power.
The Father sent Jesus to rescue the lost sheep of the world. Jesus is the Shepherd and we are the lost sheep. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). This is exactly what He did when He went to the Cross.
The Father gave Jesus power to carry out His mission and now Jesus was about to give the disciples the power and authority to carry out their mission. The disciples were given the authority to act in Jesus’ name. In other words, those who accepted the disciples accepted Jesus and those who rejected the disciples rejected Jesus.
Jesus breathed on them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit” (v. 22). The Holy Spirit is the help the disciples needed to do God’s work. They could not do the work and be successful if they tried to do it under their own power.
When God created man, man had no life. He was created from the dust of the ground. Scripture tells us, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
As God gave the breath of life to the first man, Jesus is giving his disciples the breath of life as a gift. That gift is the Holy Spirit that will live within their heart. The Holy Spirit will enable them to carry on the work they have been commissioned to carry on. God never gives any of us work to do without giving us the means and the power to do it.
Jesus assures the disciples the Holy Spirit will help them in their work. When God is involved and it is God’s will, God will provide the means. The disciples witnessed the Crucifixion and now they are witnessing the Resurrection. Jesus’ presence is convincing evidence that the Resurrection is true. His nail-pierced hands and the wound in His side is visual proof that He is alive.
The disciples needed the Holy Spirit to increase their faith and make it workable. These disciples were in danger because of the Jews. They were followers of Jesus. They believed in Him. They saw the many miracles He performed. They were convinced He was the Messiah.
Because of all these events, they were prime target for the Jews who did not believe these things. Knowing all that, Jesus knew the disciples needed the Holy Spirit to give them courage to carry out the commission He is giving them.
Jesus went on to say, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (v. 22-23). The disciples were given Spirit power which would enable them to preach the Good News that would encourage people to repent of their sins and accept Jesus as their own personal Lord and Savior.
Please understand that the disciples did not have the right or power to forgive the sins of the people. Only Jesus had that power. The disciples did have the privilege of telling those who repented of their sins and accepted Jesus that their sins would be or have been forgiven.
They could also inform these believers that they now have a room in the heavenly mansion just over the hilltop. They would live within His kingdom and spend eternity in His presence. All of us have that same opportunity today.
By the same token we can witness to others because the Holy Spirit lives within our heart. We can speak with authority just as the disciples would speak with authority. Our life is different, our actions changed, and our words now reflect the words in red.
You and I have not seen Jesus as did the disciples. We have not viewed the nail holes in his hands or the spear hole in his side, but by faith we believe. We have God’s Word. We have the history of man. We know how life started and how it will end. We know where we stand and what we have to do to keep a right relationship with God. We know this earthly life is just a journey to a better life. We know our destiny.
Our Scripture reading this morning tells us that there were only eleven of the disciples present in the closed room on the evening of the Resurrection or the first day of the week. Thomas was absent. “Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came” (John 20:24).
We don’t know where Thomas was but he was not present for this first meeting. Since Thomas was not present, he did not have the opportunity to see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears what the other disciples witnessed. So, when Thomas did meet with the disciples they told him about their adventure.
Thomas, in essence said, “I don’t believe you.” He said, “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” (v. 25). Had we been in Thomas’ shoes, would we have believed the disciples or would we have responded as did Thomas? My opinion is that we would have followed his way of thinking.
Thomas would have an opportunity to meet the risen Master a short time later. “A week later his disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:26)
It might sound as though Thomas was kind of a hard rough man. We don’t know if he was or not. Jesus knew what Thomas had said, but He was not disappointed with Thomas, nor was he hard on Thomas. Thomas was a disciple; a faithful follower of Jesus and he was very trustworthy.
We must keep in mind that Thomas was human just like us. He had the same nature we have. There are times we do not believe what people, even our close friends, tell us. There is nothing wrong with that. There are times when we do believe and we are misled. Jesus was not upset with Thomas just like He is not upset with us when we err.
Doubt is not a bad thing, because if we doubt something we can ask questions that could very well remove the doubt. If the answers we get to our questions are convincing or true, then our doubt has brought to light the truth.
Jesus looked at Thomas and said, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe” (v. 27). As I said before, Jesus knew Thomas’ thoughts just as He knows ours.
There are times we doubt or our thoughts are contrary to Jesus and He knows about them. Jesus is always willing to help us understand and to continue to believe. This happens by the prompting of the Holy Spirit who lives in our heart.
In essence, the Holy Spirit is saying, “Remember what I did for you.” “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side” (v. 27). In other words, Jesus is speaking to us through the Person of the Holy Spirit and telling us the same thing He told Thomas.
We are not told if Thomas put his finger into the nail holes in Jesus’ hand or in His side, but the important thing is Thomas heard Jesus speak; he saw Him in bodily form; Jesus’ wounds were visible for observation, and the result for Thomas was he believed. Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28)
As Christians, we believe by faith. There are people who would believe in Jesus if they could see Him or if they could see some miracle. Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (v. 29).
Christians do not need to see to believe. Jesus would not be any more real to us if He walked in here right now and said “Peace be with you!” We have all we need to believe.
We have the written Word of God which contains everything we need to know. We hear messages of what Jesus has done for others. We sing hymns telling of His love for us. We hear what He has done in the lives of other people. We know what He has done for us.
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
He is our Lord and our Savior. We look forward to spending eternity with Him in His kingdom. Our belief is in our faith. We may have doubts, but they are not about Jesus. He lives within us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. We can converse with Him any time we desire and we can read the words in red anytime we desire. He is as real to us as He was to Thomas the other eleven disciples.
Amen.
