John 20:19-31, “Put your fingers and hand into my wounds!”
On the last Easter morning, we witnessed a profound transformation of Jesus’ disciples. Despite their failures of denial, desertion, and disbelief in his resurrection, Jesus restored them. He breathed the living energy of God into their dead bodies and imprisoned spirits, reinstating them as apostles, “being sent” to the world. This act of restoration was a spiritual awakening and empowered them to save the world with love and share how much God loved them through sacrificing His begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
We note that after the resurrected Lord Jesus visited and restored them, they no longer locked themselves in where they were, but the door was just “shut” in vs. 26. Not only that, but they also shared the news of the resurrected Lord with their companion, Thomas, who was not there when Jesus visited them after His resurrection, saying, “We have seen the Lord.” Do we see the transformation in His disciples? They were no longer unsure or timid; they were sure of themselves when sharing, “We have seen the Lord.”
Then, what was Thomas’ response? In vs. 25, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
Thomas was a different type of person than most people who can believe by just hearing, seeing, or experiencing God. Jesus’ other disciples believed by seeing Jesus, who came and showed them his hands and his side. That was enough for them to believe that Jesus was resurrected, but not Thomas.
Last Monday, I visited a patient who had many questions about Jesus. He started by asking questions like whether Jesus had a girlfriend. As the conversation deepened, he asked me, “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and He is the only way to God. I believe all that. But what is the most important thing I must do as a Christian to go to heaven?” He was a non-practicing Catholic, and I knew he was not looking for a typical Baptist answer, saying he just needed to believe. I sensed that He wanted to have an intimate relationship with God, knowing that he was in the center of God’s will. I replied, “You have to walk with God, talk with God, and be obedient to what God asks you to do daily.” Then, he asked again, “Does God talk to people? Have you heard God talking to you? I said, “Sure, God talks to me frequently.” His eyes grew, and he waited expectantly for me to share how God talks to me. He wanted a definite answer, so I shared an episode that happened a while back. When a stranger, a male, knocked on my office asking for a ride to Jerseyville on a Saturday drizzling afternoon. Being a pastor, a female, on a Saturday, and being pressed with time, I had to debate whether to give him a ride or not. But soon, I felt it was a Christian thing to do to give him a ride. So, I asked Jean Ridolfi to accompany me, and she did. When Joe found that out, he was furious, lashing at me. “This time and age, you don’t do that. What if he tried to harm you all, or what if something had happened? To Joe, I replied, “Nobody can do anything to someone whose guardian angel is protecting her with a big drawn sword. Don’t you know that my giant guardian angel is protecting me? He should be the one who feared me if he tried to harm me.” After that, as I sat down to pray in the sanctuary, God told me clearly and distinctly, “That is right, San Young, you are being protected by your guardian angel.” When I told him the story, his eyes were filled with tears. “Wow, that gives me a chill. God really talks to people.” He wanted to dedicate his life to God so that he would be guided by God. While praying, he cried and cried; he said, “I am a recovering drug addict, and all those I did the drug with died. I am the only one who has survived so far; I do not know why God let me live still when others all died. I replied, “Meeting you is an answer to my prayer this morning. Before I visited any patient, I asked God to meet someone who needed to hear about the resurrection power. With this resurrection power of Jesus, who conquered death, you can live victoriously, and God has a purpose for you in life. Ask God what that is, and God will answer you.”
For some, just hearing is good enough; for others, not just hearing but seeing is needed, but for others, hearing or seeing is not enough; they need tangible proof that no one can deny. Thomas was one of them. He wanted not only to touch the wounds but also to put his fingers and his hand in Jesus’ hands and his side to be sure that Jesus was resurrected physically as well. Jewish people believed in unseen reality, such as God, spirits, Judgment, and resurrection at the end of time. So, Jesus’ disciples, particularly Thomas, thought Jesus was resurrected spiritually. In other words, they thought it might be Jesus’ ghost when they first heard that Jesus was resurrected before they saw Jesus themselves in person. For someone like Thomas, however, seeing was not enough; Thomas needed to touch and feel the wounds himself to be sure of Jesus’ resurrection. There are many people like that. Thomas represents all of us who are reasonable men and women who find it difficult to believe in the incredible.
To Thomas, who wanted sure proof, Jesus came and showed him his side and the wounds so that Thomas could put his fingers and his hand into his wounds. What does this tell us about Jesus? Although Jesus blessed those who could believe in His resurrection without seeing and touching his wounds, He did not despise him but catered to his need and met him at his level. What love and patience Jesus has for us!
Thomas’ story written here is not a coincidence or an anecdote for us to laugh at his unbelief. It is a message of hope for those who need tangible proof to believe in Jesus. It is an encouragement for many of us who need more than just hearing or seeing of him.
The Easter season of Halleluiahs can sometimes leave little room for our doubts, our fears, and our pain. Those of us who are hitting rock bottom in life might not see the goodness of God, let alone live in victory. Those of you who need tangible proof that God still loves you and has not abandoned you, feel free to express your doubt and unbelief in God and let your struggle be known to God. God will come to you and meet you tangibly. Our text reminds us that God does not despise anyone of wavering faith; God does not put out the smoldering wick or break the bruised reed. We tend to forget that for the first disciples, there was fear, doubt, pain, and confusion before there was understanding and joy about Jesus’ resurrection. It was not only Thomas, but many of us still needed reassurance that Jesus had conquered death.
When Jesus met Thomas at his level, showing him how to touch his wounds, Thomas reached a higher plane than any other disciple. He exclaimed, “My Lord, My God!” It was the highest Christological confession of anyone in the Gospel, which was not a doctrinal confession, but a statement of trust and relationship: “My Lord and my God!” in vs. 28. Do we know that Thomas was the first one in the Gospel addressing Jesus as God? He was the first to acknowledge Jesus Christ as God after seeing the marks of Jesus’ wounds. In this context, Thomas also represents those whose new beliefs take them where no one has gone before. Thomas has come full circle from total unbelief to total devotion.
Having a sure belief in Jesus, Thomas spread the gospel as far as India and was martyred for his faith. He was thrown into a pit, and his heart was pierced with a bamboo lance, and he died. Based on the sure belief he had about God, Thomas was able to fulfill his God-given destiny in his life. Without having a sure faith in God, we cannot own God.
If you have questions or doubts, come to Jesus in prayer and seek him with all your heart. He will surely come to resolve your doubts. After all, Jesus knows our human frailty and weaknesses. That was why he came down to serve unto death. Thanks be to God! Amen!