Thomas, Doubter Turned Confessor John 11:1-16; 14:1-6; 20:24-29
Palm Sunday Sermon, by Don Emmitte, Grace Restoration Ministries
Some Background:
J. Stuart Holden wrote: “Of all the Master's men, Thomas is the one to whom least justice is commonly done. He is, in fact, mostly known for what are felt to be his faults. When his name is mentioned it is usually as ‘doubting Thomas.’ As such he might be held in a certain degree of wondering disrespect, not to say contempt, had not the Resurrection story in which he and the Master figure together, been chronicled.”
This is Palm Sunday. We could spend our time digging into the details of the Triumphal Entry, or the Cleansing of the Temple. In fact, we could spend hours each day recounting the incredible last days of our Lord on the Earth. However, as I was studying this week it occurred to me that one of our greatest needs is for assurance in the face of a world that is increasingly challenging our faith. So, in this day of endemic doubt and cynicism, we can be encouraged by the fact that among His twelve carefully selected disciples, Jesus included one whose name has become a synonym for doubt. Jesus always saw people for what they would become, not what they were. He sees us like that today!
When Andrew introduced Peter to Him, His first words were: "You are Simon... you shall be called Cephas (which translated means Peter)" (cf. John 1:42). Did you hear it? You are... You shall be. Jesus always saw the hidden potential in people. Our Lord's play on Peter's name was not a meaningless joke, but an appraisal and a prophecy. Cephas was the Aramaic equivalent of the Greek Peter. Petra signifies a massive ledge of rock. Further, it should be noted the reference is not to a pebble. So in calling Peter the “Rock” Jesus was assuring him that although he was now fickle and unstable, under His molding hand he would develop a character as stable as a rock.
Can we adopt a less generous attitude in our appraisal of Thomas, the twin? Just as He did to Peter, Jesus might well have said to Thomas. "You are temperamentally Thomas, the chronic disbeliever; but under my transforming hand you will become Thomas, the peerless confessor."
The picture of Thomas in Scripture is of a typical melancholic. He found it desperately easy to look on the dark side of things and conjure up difficulties. Thomas's nature was set in a minor key. He was inclined to view a gloomy possibility as a certainty. The trust and optimistic outlook of the child was absent from his makeup. Although he had a warm and passionate heart, it tended to be overridden by the speculative side of his nature, which influenced him toward suspicion and distrust. By nature he was argumentative and demanded a reason for
everything. Second-hand evidence was not enough. Add to all this a touch of obstinacy, and you have a temperamental problem on your hands. Thomas would not have described himself as a doubter or unbeliever, but only as a realist who must be true to himself.
Three incidents help us to understand Thomas and ultimately ourselves. On examination, it will be found that the same traits of character are revealed in each incident. The first was sparked by the Lord's insistence on going to the house of mourning in Bethany in spite of the obvious danger to Himself. The second arose out of Thomas' question of the Lord on the night of the Last Supper. The third was the memorable interview after the resurrection.
First, We See the Bethany Incident (John 11:1-6).
Take Your Bible, Please…
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11:1-16 ESV).
The serious illness of Lazarus had created an urgent domestic crisis in the home at Bethany. In full confidence that He would come quickly to their side, Martha and Mary dispatched to Jesus a message with an implied appeal for help. On receiving the message, Jesus announced His intention to return to Judea. In the light of His recent danger there, His apprehensive disciples attempted to dissuade Him: “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” (v. 8). They were sincerely honest in asking if he was sure about that! Catch the tone of the words. They were saying, “Are you crazy?” In the light of the murderous mood of the authorities, the idea seemed to the disciples to be suicidal.
When Jesus persisted in His purpose and said to them. "Let us go to him (Lazarus)" (v. 15), with characteristic pessimism but also typical devotion "Thomas said to his fellow disciples 'Let us also go, that we may die with Him' (v. 16). He is the quintessential Eeyore! We’ve all known people like this. We’ve all been people like this at one time or another. He could see only one end to such a foolish venture. Doubt has a short memory and Thomas had forgotten the occasions in the past when Jesus had escaped from His enemies. Notice though, despite his own misgivings, Thomas would be in it with the Master to the end. If He were going to die, He would not die alone! Perhaps instead of smiling at his pessimism we should be coveting the devotion that was greater than his doubts.
Second, Notice the Upper Room Incident (John 14:1-6).
Take Your Bibles Again, Please…
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1-6 ESV).
It was the night of the betrayal, and Jesus was opening His heart to His disciples. He was preparing them for His departure. Thomas interrupted Him brusquely, "Lord, we do not
know where You are going. How can we know the way?" (v. 5). It was as though he were rebuking the Lord for taking too much for granted. To Thomas, Christ's statement seemed unreasonable, if not untrue, and the reaction was typical of Thomas. How could they know the way if He had not distinctly told them? Perhaps his outburst expressed a genuine perplexity, in which he was voicing the question of the whole group.
Jesus might well have reproved Thomas for his abrupt interruption; instead, He met him with sympathetic understanding. That is always the way of grace! Moreover, He gave him information for which he had not asked. We should be grateful to Thomas, for this question resulted in one of the greatest and most life-altering philosophical statements of all times: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (v. 6). In this statement Jesus clearly states that He is the way to God; the truth about God, and the Life of God. Not only does He show the way to God, but He is the way. Not only does He teach the truth, He is the truth. Not only does He impart life, He is the life! If you’re looking for good news, this is THE good news!
Third, Notice the Post-resurrection Incident (John 20:24-29).
Take Your Bibles Again, Please…
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 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.” 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.” 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.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:24-29 ESV).
Of course it would be Thomas who was the only disciple absent when the risen Lord burst in on the fearful disciples in the upper room on that first day of the week! We are not told why Thomas had chosen to isolate himself. While it may be interesting to have some conversation about those reasons, it would only be guessing at best. However, knowing what we do of his temperament, and knowing the sequel, we can attempt an intelligent guess. It could have been that he alone somewhere hugging his despair. He may have been indulging the luxury of solitary sadness to which the melancholic is prone. He may have been despondent over his recent desertion of his Master in His hour of need. Perhaps he was so engulfed in grief that he could not bear to face his more resilient friends. Whatever the reason, Thomas's self-imposed isolation cost him a sight of his Lord.
When his fellow disciples and friends excitedly told him they had seen Jesus, he must have been plunged into despondency. He had to have thought he had been purposefully left out. No wonder his response was one of demanding to see for himself. Now watch this… his was not a doubt waiting to be dispelled, but a doubt he was determined to surrender only on his own terms. Thomas was no atheist or agnostic. He was not incredulous of the supernatural. He had shown the reality of his love for Jesus by his willingness to die with Him. The raising of Lazarus had posed no problems for him. He did not absolutely refuse to accept the fact of the resurrection, but he demanded incontrovertible physical evidence before he accepted it.
That’s precisely where Jesus meets him. Once again the disciples were gathered in the upper room. Without warning, Jesus appears. In an awed hush, Jesus singles out the doubter. It is a moving fact that the two disciples whom the Lord favored with special attention after His resurrection were the greatest denier and the greatest doubter. He specialized in mending broken reeds and in fanning dimly burning wicks into flame.
Listen… hear the quiet whisper of your Savior. We, like Elijah, have retreated into our cave, hoping for a quick end to our misery. Desperately we look for God’s voice in the spectacular. We try to find him in a great and strong wind that tears the mountains asunder; and, he is not there. We try to feel him in the power of an earthquake that rends the land; and, he is not there. We seek to see him in the fire that overcomes everything in its path as if it were nothing; and he is not there. But then, we hear a soft whisper. It would be easy to ignore it. After all, would the Lord of hosts merely whisper? Wouldn’t there be a shout of an archangel? Wouldn’t there be an accompanying chorus of trumpets and angelic beings? No. It is the soft whisper of the Risen Christ holding his hands out for us to see the marks, inviting us to touch the wound where the spear pierced his side insuring his death on our behalf. Like Thomas, I can only fall on my knees and declare, “My Lord and My God!” The doubter becomes the confessor!
A Final Thought:
Let me be very direct today. Jesus concludes this post-resurrection moment with a very important lesson. It is called “The Beatitude of Sightless Faith.” He says, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” I would like to see Jesus. However, that desire is based in my participation in this evil and wicked generation. That’s what Jesus meant when he spoke to the Scribes and Pharisees:
And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. (Matthew 16:1-4 ESV).
To fully understand “the sign of Jonah” we need to go back in the Gospel of Matthew…
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:38-42 ESV).
So His point is that a willful and rebellious people do not really believe, but they do demand a spectacular sign. They have made up their minds about Jesus, and it would take something really big to change their minds. Well, let me give you that really big sign… Jesus has been raised from the dead and has sealed the redemption of His elect!
