SEEING IS BELIEVING (part two)
John 20:19-31
Last week we looked at Jesus' resurrection appearance to Mary. Before that, she noticed the tomb was empty. She went to tell the Apostles and Peter and John raced to the tomb and found it empty, just as Mary had said. Then, after she encountered the risen Lord, she went and told the Apostles. But, they didn't believe her. Though she had already proven herself when she announced that the tomb was empty, they were unwilling to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead unless they saw him with their own eyes. And see him they would!
1) Overjoyed!
John 20:19-20, "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord."
All the events we looked at last week happened Sunday morning and now it's Sunday evening. The disciples had all day to think about what had happened. They weren’t convinced that Jesus had resurrected, even though they saw the empty tomb and the grave clothes, along with Mary telling them she had seen Jesus herself. And not only that, after Jesus appeared to the two on the road to Emmaus they also came and told the Apostles it was true.
We see they kept the doors locked for fear of the Jews. Why? They may have thought now that they've killed Jesus they would come after them. They may have thought the Jews were coming to arrest them for stealing Jesus' body and torture them until they revealed where it was.
So, as they were dealing with all this, Jesus comes through the locked door and stands among them. That's pretty impressive. Does this imply Jesus didn’t resurrect in bodily form, only spirit form? No. In Luke's version, the disciples were startled thinking they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus challenged them to touch him to see that he had flesh and bones. After that, he ate a piece of fish to provide additional proof he wasn't a ghost.
With that said, it's clear Jesus' resurrected body was different; since people can't just pass through a locked door. But Jesus had shown them before that he was capable of such things, like when he came to them walking on the water. The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost then, too.
Jesus showed them his hands and side. He's referring to his wounds. Jesus was alive and restored yet he still bore the puncture wounds from his crucifixion. Why? This would show proof that it was indeed Jesus standing there, in the flesh. And since there were over 500 people who saw the resurrected Jesus, his wounds would serve as a testimony that it was indeed the same one who was crucified.
His wounds also served as a reminder of what happened. "Rejoice in the fact that I'm alive, but my hands and feet are the reminder of what was done to me and what I did for you". As we rejoice in the resurrected Jesus we need to be mindful of his wounds and what he did for us. The wounds of Jesus communicate the extent of his love.
The disciples were overjoyed. In Luke it says they were also amazed. They had a mixture of joy and shock. They couldn’t believe their eyes. That's what a miracle should produce; a mixture of delight and awe. The disciples had feelings like this before when Jesus quieted the storm. In Matthew's version it says they were amazed. In Mark's version it says they were terrified. Which is it?
Both. There was a combination of emotions when Jesus did something dramatic and unprecedented. If we were to put ourselves there we would feel the same way. We would be filled with wonder and awe. I can also see how they would be terrified, too. "If he can rebuke the wind and it obeys, then he has unbelievable authority and power. We better not ever get on his bad side."
This is how we need to be toward Jesus. Because of his love, mercy and forgiveness, we can have a deep, personal relationship with our beloved brother and friend. But we need to also be in awe of him and respect his power and authority. We, like the disciples, need to be overjoyed and reverent.
2) Passing the torch.
John 20:21-23, "Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus tells them again to not be afraid. It's like he's saying, "settle down. I know this is all blowing your mind but you are seeing what you're seeing; it really is me. But don't worry; I come in peace." I could see Jesus broadening the meaning to include not being afraid of the Jews either. Although they would face opposition, the Lord would take care of them. His mission would be continued through them. There would be persecution but the gospel would spread; his word would not return void.
Which extends to us as well. Jesus tells us, 'peace be with you'. Have peace in your current circumstances. Be at peace in the midst of the storm. Be at peace when facing opposition. Be at peace in times of peril. How? Because he is with us. He has come back to life; he has conquered death.
And he has given us his power to accomplish everything he has given us to do and the power to withstand anything that comes our way. No weapon formed against us will prosper. What will prosper is our spirit; what will prevail is the will of God. Satan may win a few battles but he will not win the war. Why? Because the war has already been won; Jesus is the victor and so are we, through him.
“I am sending you”. As the Father sent Jesus with a mission of salvation now Jesus was sending his disciples with the same mission. They were going to need Jesus’ power if they were going to overcome their fears and spread his message. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on them. There has been discussion as to what exactly happened here.
Jesus had said earlier in John 16 that unless he goes back to the Father, the Holy Spirit will not come. Since his ascension hadn't happened yet, then what was going on in John 20:22? It's understood this was a special empowering of the Holy Spirit to do the work of Christ. They would be filled with the Holy Spirit 50 days later at Pentecost.
"If you forgive anyone, they are forgiven". This doesn’t mean they had the authority to declare whether someone was saved or damned. Jesus is saying the power of the message they would be proclaiming was such that those who accepted it would be forgiven but those who didn’t would be condemned.
The gospel has the ability to save or condemn depending on whether or not it was accepted by those who heard it. In Rom. 1:16 Paul said the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
In Matt. 16, Jesus asked the disciples who they thought he was. Peter said, "you are the Christ, the Son of the living God". Jesus said, "on this rock I will build my church". Through the Holy Spirit Peter believed Jesus was the Christ. Jesus declared that the church will be built on this same faith. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit came, Peter preached the gospel and the church was established.
Albert Barnes, “It was not authority to forgive individuals, but to establish in all the churches the terms and conditions on which men might be pardoned, with a promise that God would confirm all that they taught; that all might have assurance of forgiveness who would comply with those terms; and that those who did not comply should not be forgiven, but that their sins should be retained.”
Jesus passed the torch of power and responsibility to the Apostles and to us too. We are his representatives. We have been given the message and the ministry of reconciliation. The torch has been passed to us.
3) From doubting Thomas to shouting Thomas.
John 20:24-25, "Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “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 it.”
Even with the testimony of his closest companions, Thomas still wouldn’t believe unless he saw it for himself. And even then, it wouldn’t be enough for him to see Jesus, he would need further proof by being able to feel the wounds with his own hands. Thomas assumed the others were mistaken, they must've been delusional; whoever they spoke with, it couldn’t have been Jesus.
In a Peanuts comic strip, After the last day of school, Charlie Brown is walking home with Lucy. He says to her, “Lucy, I got straight A’s; isn’t that great!” Lucy shoots down poor 'ol Charlie and says, “I don’t believe you Charlie Brown. Unless you show me your report card, I cannot believe you.”
Ever know someone like that? Someone who is always skeptical or questions everything? “Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see”. Having doubt isn’t always a bad thing. If you’re standing in the checkout line and the tabloid cover claims that Elvis is alive and well on planet Mars and he's having tea with Tupac, you should be skeptical.
But in this case, Thomas’ doubt was not good thing. Thomas had seen Jesus’ miracles. He had plenty of evidence for Jesus’ validity. Plus, I’m sure the other Apostles had proven themselves as people who didn’t go around making up stories. Despite all this, Thomas still refuses to believe. But that was about to change.
John 20:26-29, "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!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
We see that Jesus waited a whole week before he appears to Thomas. Why? Perhaps to give the other disciples time to testify further and try to convince Thomas. This would be training for when they went out to spread the gospel, trying to convince others of the resurrection. The arguments and tactics they would use with Thomas would be used on their fellow Jew.
Also, Jesus coming the following Sunday could be seen as establishing the standard of the church. Acts 20:7 mentions coming together on the first day of the week. In Rev. 1:10 John wrote, 'on the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit'. The Lord's Day is synonymous with Sunday, the first day of the week.
When Jesus appeared the second time, Thomas was there. We don't know where Thomas was the first time so we can't say whether or not his absence was for legitimate reasons. Regardless, Thomas missed out. Had he been with the others when Jesus appeared to them he wouldn’t have doubted; he would’ve been able to share the enthusiasm of the others.
This shows the importance of staying connected with God’s people and gathering when they gather. When we become detached from the fellowship we miss out. Not that Jesus only ministers to us when we're at church but there's something special that happens here that you miss when you’re not here.
During the week between visitations, I wonder what was going through Thomas' mind as he listened to his friends talk about seeing Jesus. Was his doubt started to subside? Was he starting to entertain the reality of the resurrection? Was he mad at himself for missing the opportunity? Did he wonder if he would get another chance? Thomas was given another chance.
Jesus didn’t have to make another appearance for the sake of Thomas but he did. That's the grace we've all received. 2nd Peter 3:9 says that God is patient with us because he doesn't want anyone to perish; he wants us all to be saved. Thomas should’ve believed on the evidence already provided but he didn’t. Nonetheless, Jesus is merciful and chose to provide him proof.
Again we have Jesus declare, 'peace be with you'. That may have been more for Thomas' sake. But it shows that Jesus will repeatedly say the things we need to hear.
Then Jesus gives Thomas an invitation. This shows Jesus knew what Thomas had said even though he wasn't there. At various times during his ministry, Jesus would say something that revealed he knew what people were thinking. Jesus knows our every thought.
What was Thomas' reaction to Jesus inviting him to place his hand in his side? “My Lord and my God!” This is the greatest declaration one could ever make. Thomas went from uttering a cynical statement to a faith filled one. Just as the Holy Spirit revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Christ, the Holy Spirit revealed to Thomas that Jesus was God.
As far as I know, this is the first time anyone had called Jesus God. Notice that Jesus didn't correct him. He didn't say, "hold on there, Tommy boy, I am your Savior, but I'm not God". Jesus doesn't correct Thomas because Thomas was correct.
And the other Apostles would soon follow suit. In the beginning of John's gospel he said, "and the Word was God". In the beginning of Peter's second letter, he refers to Jesus as "our God and Savior". Paul wrote in Titus 2:13, "our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ".
Thomas went from doubting to shouting. He went from denying to declaring. It can be like that for some people. They go from cynicism to belief because of one miracle.
"Because you have seen me”. This indicates that Thomas chose not to respond to Jesus’ invitation to touch his wounds but instead believed by sight. Thomas thought he wouldn’t believe unless he touched Jesus when he saw the risen Jesus he was overwhelmed with belief.
People are like that today. They say, "I will not believe unless I have all my questions answered and I have proof of everything". Then something dramatic happens and they're convinced.
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe”. Jesus is referring to us; we have not seen what the Apostles saw, yet we believe their testimony. This is the essence of faith. Heb. 11:1, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Jesus says those who never saw him are more blessed for their belief than those who did see him. Our faith, joy and love for Jesus will not be diminished just because we didn’t have the privilege of being in his presence. 1st Pet. 1:8-9, "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Blessed are we who have not seen but believe. People will be drawn to want to know how someone we have never seen could fill us with such joy. It's abnormal to have such love and devotion for someone with whom we don't have a physical relationship with; or even any visible evidence of. We do, however, have plenty of evidence that gives us hope for one day being in his presence. We've gone from doubting to shouting.
5) So that you may believe.
John 20:30-31, "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
Why weren't these other signs recorded? John 21:25, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have enough room for the books that would be written."
There was too much to write down! Isn't that wild?! We know about some of Jesus' miracles but not all of them. We've been given only pieces; the gospels mainly record just three years of his life. If you were to document the entire life of Jesus and record each miracle and good deed then we could see the truth of John's remarkable statement.
However, we have been given all we need to believe; there's no need for further proof. But we see the purpose for what was written down was for people to come to faith in Jesus. John wanted his gospel to provide convincing proof that Jesus is indeed Savior and Lord. He wanted people to find eternal life and the fulfillment of life through Jesus.
What about you? Are you convinced of the truth that only through Jesus can you have eternal life?
For those of us who have been convinced, are we committed to making disciples? Are we sharing the evidence that shows Jesus is who scripture claims he is? We need to share who Jesus is and what he means to us. We need to be eager to share the reason for our hope, the reason why we believe what we believe so others will believe and go from being a doubter to a shouter, like the disciples.
