Finger Tip Faith
John 20:27
We live in a time of such convenience till everything is at our fingertips. The setting of our text has three backgrounds. The first of which is in Galilee, the night of Jesus’ resurrection. He had told the women earlier that morning to run tell Peter and the rest of the disciples to meet him in Galilee.
We find that on this particular Sunday night, they were in a room in Galilee with all the doors shut and all the windows were closed, and Jesus, the Resurrected One, walked through the walls into this room of meeting. He showed the ten, for one had killed him self and another didn’t really believe in the resurrection, but I will deal with him later. But nevertheless Jesus appeared to the 10 that were left. He showed them his hands and feet that had been pierced and his that had been speared on Friday. They all believed in him and his resurrection from the lifelessness.
As I stated earlier one had not believed. Thomas was not present. After they all were convinced it was the risen SAVIOR, THE Bible says, "He breathed on them," the Spirit of God or the Holy Ghost.
So out of their belief in the Crucified and Risen Savior, they were the recipients of the Holy Ghost. They were there in obedience to his request. They were obedient to the command or the invitation extended by Him through the women; the ten were there.
By their being there, they saw Jesus and were with Him. Whenever you are absent, you miss something. When you are not present, you must get it from someone or something else. When you are not there, you are robbed of a fair evaluation, because when you get second hand information, you get second hand quality. The one that informs you probably will tell it as they desire to, so consequently you miss some of the facts. When you are not there, you don’t know what exactly went on. You are robbed of the opportunity of being part of being a part, when you are not present.
But those ten disciples, who were there, received the best for having been there. They saw the evidence of Friday’s cruelty. When you are not there you don’t get the best. At most you only receive the leftovers, if even that much. My question to you is "Why settle for crumbs when you can have the whole slice?"
Sometimes after this setting, Thomas was the ten that had had visitations with the Lord. While they were rejoicing, they told him "Thomas, we thought it was over. We thought it had ended. We even saw Him die. It was a terrible day, that Friday. But we have learned that Friday is always followed by a Saturday, that might even be dark, but then there is a Sunday. The final indictment of Friday was in all actuality not even the final verdict. The drama doesn’t end on Friday; in fact that was only the first act. It isn’t over ’til the choir sings on Sunday. Because on that Sunday morning we heard from three ladies that went to finish the burial, that Jesus said for us to meet him in Galilee.
"We didn’t know what to expect. But we had been around him long enough to know, whenever an invitation was extended, it was of great importance. We didn’t know what would happen. But we knew if He asked us to meet him there, he would be there. So we were there, the ten of us, on that Sunday night. It was all of us except one, you.
"Before Jesus showed up, we sat and reminisced on the things we had saw and done over the past three and one-half years. All of a sudden Jesus was there in the room with us. A door had not been opened and the window remained shut, he came straight in through the wall. He saw how startled we were and how afraid we were and spoke a word of comfort to us. You know how Jesus used to talk to us when we were worried. He said ’Peace unto you’. That was enough to calm the rustling of the winds blowing through the cracks in the walls and through window. We were at peace. We were covered in a peace that surpasses all understanding. He knew that there were cocoons of doubt being spun in our minds. He knew that some of us were thinking that we were seeing an optical illusion. So in his affirming way, he showed us his wounds. He showed us his nailed pierced hands and feet. He showed us the hole in his side from the injection of that centurion’s spear. While we watched him show us these things, our minds could not help but wonder to the events of that horrific night. We vividly remember seeing the blood that drip from his head, arms and body onto the ground as an outpouring facet.
"But as we watched and saw these things, we noticed that the scars were still there. This gave us evidence of their wounds. Thomas, I wonder do you remember that soldier spear Jesus in his side? You know the blood streamed down and then as we watched we saw that there was also water flowing from his ruptured side. He showed us the speared side that was now healed, but, yet lingering on in the aftermath, there were the scars. We even had the opportunity to reach out our hands and feel these wounds in the flesh of our Rabbi. After all of this evidence, we couldn’t help but to believe in him. After he recaptured our full belief in him, he breathed on us His divine spirit.
"Thomas, we can’t even begin to describe what all took place Sunday night. We wish that you were there with us, but enough that experience we have set up another meeting and we want you to come with us and believe."
Allow me to remind you of who Thomas is. Thomas is that disciple that when Lazarus did in Bethany, all the others began to give their excuse for not going, because of their fear of destruction. They knew that the Pharisees wanted to arrest and possibly killed Jesus and their being and accessory they would possibly be killed as well. It was Thomas who spoke up for him and said "Lord, (I am paraphrasing now) let’s go on down to Bethany and if they kill you then they must kill me."
This same Thomas displayed so much of courage, at this point. After all Thomas was not a fly by night. There are some that agree with the last person they talk to very easily influenced without a complete evaluation of the each viewpoint. Many of us agree to anything and everything. Our minds can be easily confused and baffled by any kind of wind or doctrine. But Thomas was not like that. He would always be depended upon to stick with his guns.
Now Thomas looks at them as if to say, "That little fairy you are telling me is alright for a bedtime story for your children. But I need to stick my fingers into those punctured hands and feet, and feel that ruptured side. And until I can have such confirmation I will not believe." Thomas had what I like to call a "Finger-Tip Faith". Some people are compelled to touch everything, they can’t believe. They must put their fingers on everything.
In the late 1960s when astronauts went to the moon, I am told, a lady sat in a relative’s pallor and watched as these astronauts land on the moon. I am told that as se watched, she said that she didn’t believe any of what she was watching. She ran outside and looked up into the moon and didn’t see them. She returned inside the house began to shout, "I didn’t see them up there, I told you there wasn’t anything to it. No one can go to the moon. If they had landed on the moon, you could see them there." Some never believe anything unless they can touch it or see it. That my brothers and sisters is a "Finger-tip Faith".
They take no one else’s word because of their "Finger-tip Faith". They are unable to follow anyone’s guidance. They must touch it. It is never right until they have touched it.
I find delight in the disciples not arguing with Thomas. You never argue with a fool. Because when you are dealing with a fool it is better to allow him to talk until he runs out. To spend time trying to convince him in his doubts is a futile exercise. Should you begin acting like the fool, your complications are added onto. You begin with one fool and your adding on to it makes another fool, and it won’t be long before there are more. When it is all over the problem has not been solved. You have just intensified it by a hundred times.
They didn’t have holes in their sides, but had seen the Savior and were satisfied. When you have what you are supposed to have and is trying to offer it to others and they reject it, there is no need of confusing or bewildering yourself. That is the way these ten disciples were. Surely they were concerned. But didn’t argue with him.
Certainly they knew Jesus well enough, that in due time Thomas would have an encounter with the Lord. The Bible says that eight days later. We would be right in assuming that it was Monday a week later. Jesus came in where they were. All ten disciples were there but there was another disciple that had stopped believing was there. Jesus came in like he did before. John didn’t take time to fully describe the setting or the scenery, but when Jesus walked in, He called out a name. He looked across the room dimly lighted by a candle’s glow and saw Thomas. He looked at him and said "Thomas, if you want some evidence, take your finger and put it in my side. If you really want some proof, take your finger and rub it over my brow.
"Your ’Finer-tip Faith’ has made you an unbeliever. So now let it make you a true believer."
The Bible that Thomas answered and said to Him "My Lord and My God!"
Although formerly a doubter, he finally recognized the full divinity of Jesus Christ.
He is acknowledging the Resurrected Jesus - who is Omnipotent, possessing all power.
He is acknowledging the Resurrected Jesus - who is Omnipresent being every where at the same time.
He is acknowledging the Resurrected Jesus - who is Omniscient knowing everything
He lives today to deliver us from our ’Fingertip Faith".
