Easter: Thomas’ Unbelief
Scriptures: John 20
Introduction:
Last week I shared with you that when Jesus died on the cross He went to hell and made a proclamation. He also freed the souls that were there who had died in faith and took them into God’s presence. I also shared with you that it did not end there and in fact Jesus went back into His body and was resurrected. This morning we will continue the story as today we are celebrating Easter – the morning of Christ’s resurrection. There were many things that happened on this morning and in the days following, but I want us to focus on Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples. Last Sunday, in preparation for this message, I asked you to take some time this week and read about Thomas. I also requested that you consider this question, “If Christ had not appeared to Thomas, would he have been saved?” This morning we will look at Thomas. Before we go to the gospel according to John, I want to give you the definitions of three words – doubt, disbelief and atheist.
• Doubt: To be uncertain; not sure of something.
• Disbelief: To not believe someone of something.
• Atheist: Not believing in or disbelieving in God or any gods.
Please turn with me to John chapter twenty and we will begin reading at verse one.
I. Jesus Resurrected Body
John 20:1-10 says “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.’ So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes.”
On Sunday Morning Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and found it empty. It was very early in the morning as the Scripture says it was still dark. The stone had already been rolled away so she ran from the cemetery and found Peter and John and told them that someone had taken Jesus’ body. The disciples at this point did not understand that Jesus had actually been resurrected from the dead. Peter and John came to the tomb and found it just as Mary Magdalene had said. They did not understand what had happened and eventually left to return home. Mary Magdalene remained at the tomb alone. Now you may wonder why they just left her there alone and I personally think it is the difference in how men and women think. When Peter and John saw that the tomb was empty I guess they figured since there was nothing they could do about it so they went home. Mary Magdalene on the other hand wanted some answers. Let’s continue reading at verse eleven.
“But Mary Magdalene was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.’ When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ Jesus said to her, “Mary Magdalene!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, ‘Rabboni! (which means, Teacher).” (Vss. 11-16)
Mary looked into the tomb she saw two angels sitting there and was not concerned that they had not been there previously. When they asked her why she was crying she told them the same thing she had told Peter and John, that someone had taken His body. Jesus appeared behind Mary Magdalene and called her name. She turned and saw Him but did not recognize Him. I told you last week that Jesus reentered His body and yet Mary Magdalene did not recognize Him. Jesus’ body was not exactly the same. The body He left required blood to live. The body He took back required only His spirit. The body He left was flesh and blood; the body He returned to was “refashioned” in some ways but the same in others. Jesus had received a glorified body that contained some of the details (His wounds) from His earthly body. This was necessary because it would provide the necessary proof that He had truly risen from the dead. The disciples at this time believed in “spirits” so had Jesus appeared to them as a spirit only it would not have meant much, especially after what some of them witnessed on the mount of transfiguration. Jesus told Mary Magdalene to go and tell His disciples that He was ascending to the Father. The gospels according to Mark and Luke tell us that when Mary Magdalene (and the other women) told the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead the disciples did not believe her (them). They thought it was nonsense.
It is important that you understand something at this point as it will become clearer later. The disciples refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead so therefore at this moment Jesus was just another good man who could work miracles. He was dead and it was time for them to move on with their lives. Based on their attitude, they were effectively atheists at this moment as it relates to their understanding and belief in Jesus as the Son of God. Remember the definition of atheist that I gave you earlier? It means to “not believe or “disbelieving” in any God or gods.” The definition of “disbelieving” is “to refuse to believe in or to reject a belief.” The disciples refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead so they were “disbelieving” the word that Jesus had sent to them through Mary Magdalene. At the moment when Jesus died on the cross, the disciples were atheists as it related to their “belief” in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, not by choice but because they did not understand. They did not understand that He would rise from the dead so when they were told they refused to believe it. Let’s continue reading at verse nineteen.
“So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.’ But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.” (Vss. 19-24)
Mary Magdalene had told the disciples earlier that Sunday morning that Jesus had risen from the dead but they did not believe her. Later that evening Jesus appeared to the disciples. The disciples were locked in a room for fear of the Jews when Jesus appeared to them. He said to them “Peace be with you.” He then showed the disciples His hands and His side and only then did they believe and rejoice that He was risen from the dead. But Thomas was not with them. When Thomas returned to the group, they told him that Jesus was alive. Let’s continue with verse twenty-five.
II. Thomas’ Unbelief
“So the other disciples were saying to him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (Vss. 25-29)
Eight days after His first appearance, Jesus’ reappeared to His disciples. This time Thomas was with them. Imagine if you will what those eight days were like for Thomas. He had drawn a line in the sand saying that unless he placed his finger in the holes in Jesus’ hand or put his fist in the hole in Jesus’ side, he would not believe. Thomas was in fact being an atheist as he too was disbelieving what he was being told. Thomas probably spent that whole week looking at the other disciples and feeling frustrated. He probably thought what could they possibly be so happy about. Can you see in your mind the other disciples walking with a certain pep in their steps? They are smiling and even kidding with one another. They are talking about what Jesus had said to them and was thinking about what they would be doing moving forward. Can you see them relaxing and beginning to anticipate a new beginning? Can you see Thomas witnessing all of this and being disgusted? I can see Thomas wondering how in the world they could believe such foolishness. We have to assume that Thomas was present when Mary Magdalene told the disciples that Jesus had rose from the dead so he was now the odd man out. Before all of them disbelieved what they had heard and now it was just him. Can you imagine what kind of week Thomas had? And then Jesus appears. When Jesus appeared this time He spoke directly to Thomas. He told Thomas to come forward and put his fingers in the holes in His hand and his fist in the hole in His side. When Thomas saw Jesus’ body and the marks from the crucifixion he believed. Jesus asked Thomas if he believed “because” he had seen Him and then told Thomas that blessed are those who believed and yet did not see Him in person.
Last week I asked you to consider this week if Thomas would have been saved if Jesus had not appeared to him and proved that He was in fact alive for evermore. When Jesus told Thomas to do what Thomas had said it would take for him to believe, then Thomas believed. Thomas needed proof that he could see with his own eyes. He could not take no one else’s word for it – he had to see it himself. At this point in Thomas’ life, he was walking in unbelief. He walked in unbelief in his risen Savior for eight full days. Thomas did not believe because he did not understand and he needed physical proof. Thomas did not believe because he had witnessed Jesus’ horrible crucifixion and he knew he could be next. If Thomas was going to put his life on the line, he needed some proof.
I cannot say that Thomas was saved because he finally started believing, but I can tell you that had Jesus not appeared to Thomas and showed him what he needed to see, Thomas would have stopped his ministry at that point. Thomas would not have put his life on the line. Thomas would not have went from place to place, city to city, preaching a risen Christ. As far as Thomas was concerned, his ministry ended with Jesus on that cross and there was nothing else to do. Thomas was done and no one could talk him out of it because he needed to see for himself. He could not just hear it from his brethren; he needed to see it to believe. He was not taking anyone’s word for it because too much was on the line. When Thomas finally saw Jesus at the end of those eight days, he understood and believed. What about you?
Conclusion
Throughout my years of being in Church, I have heard many sermons (and delivered a few) on “doubting Thomas.” It seems like an unbelievable story that one of the disciples who had walked with Jesus and the other disciples would not believe what they were now telling him. We look at Thomas and say “Wow!” never thinking about the fact that there are many Thomas’s amongst us today. Thomas refused to believe what his brothers in Christ was telling him about Jesus being resurrected or that they had all seen Him. He stated that unless he saw Jesus himself and touched Him he would not believe. That is a very strong statement. Maybe Thomas said that because he was the only one that had not seen Jesus. Maybe Thomas wondered why Jesus had not appeared to him personally since he was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them. Maybe after what he witnessed during the crucifixion it was hard for him to get his mind wrapped around what he had seen himself with what they were now telling him. Maybe, maybe, maybe…. We do not know, but what we do know is that Jesus told him to stop walking in unbelief and start believing. If you, like me in my past, have judged Thomas harshly, consider the following as you too may be a doubting or disbelieving Thomas.
• If you believe nothing that you do matters to God in your walk with Him, then you’re possibly a disbelieving Thomas – meaning that you are choosing not to believe something that God’s word has said to you.
• If you’re not sure that God is hearing your prayer and working on your behalf then you’re possibly a doubting Thomas.
• If you believe that marriage is not God ordained as being between a man and a woman, you are a disbelieving Thomas.
• If you believe that God did not take notice of your well-being this morning, then you’re possibly a doubting Thomas.
• If you believe that a white lie is acceptable to God, then you’re possibly a disbelieving Thomas.
• If you’re not sure that that God wants you healed, secure, healthy and prosperous in every area of your life, then you’re possibly a doubting Thomas.
• If you believe that any sin, no matter what it is or how common it is for everyone to be doing it does not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who dwells within you as a Christian and pulls you farther and farther away from God, then you’re possibly a disbelieving Thomas.
I could go on and on about things we choose to believe or disbelieve without regard to what those beliefs/disbeliefs do to our relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Just as there is a little bit of Judas within all of us, there is also a little bit of Thomas. The difference is that unlike Judas who chose willfully to betray Christ, Thomas wanted to believe but refused to do so by faith. He needed something tangible that he could place his faith in.
This morning we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His death came at a price – his beating and suffering on a wooden cross. His resurrection came with a gift – eternal life in the presence of God for all those who believe in Him. That gift comes with a price for us – we must believe in the Giver and accept the gift that He is offering to us. It is not mandatory, it is our choice. When we choose to accept Him we must also accept the fact that our lives are changed. We are being given the power to make changes in our lives and the lives of others. If we do not allow the power of Jesus to operate in every area of our life then for those areas where He is not dominate He is still in the grave. This Easter morning I ask that you allow the risen Savior into every area of your life. Assess where you have doubts and disbeliefs and turn them over to Him. He will not judge nor forsake you, but will patiently cradle and bring you closer to Him.
Easter did not end with Christ’s resurrection and appearance to His disciples and others. No, Easter was just getting started. I have one additional message that I will deliver for this Easter season in two weeks. Please take some time and ask yourself this question, “Where would I be today if there was immediate judgment as there was when the New Testament church was in its formation shortly after Christ’s ascension?” If you need a reference, please read Acts 4:32-37 and Acts 5:1-11.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
