40 Days: Jesus and Thomas
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In this sermon we begin by creating a general profile of Thomas from the few texts that describe him outside of John 20. We then look at the fuller portrait of him in Jesus' second appearance to the disciples as a group. This sermon asserts that God is not prone to the "Buckner Effect." He does not assess us exclusively in terms of the low watermark of our faith. In fact, we see that Jesus' grace allowed Thomas to shine. He goes on to make one of the boldest assertions of faith in the entire Bible.
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40 Days: Jesus and Thomas
- 2. "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. Rep. Willard Duncan Vandiver
- 3. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me."Rep. Willard Duncan Vandiver
- 5. First Point A General Profile of Thomas
- 7. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mt. 10)
- 9. John 11 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
- 10. Curious Thomas
- 11. John 14 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
- 12. Second Point A Clearer Picture of Thomas
- 13. John 20 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
- 14. 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. John 20
- 15. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” John 20
- 16. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20
- 17. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” John 20
- 18. 24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. John 20
- 19. 25 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.” (Jn. 20)
- 20. Tricky Math
- 21. What day??? 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of …the week
- 22. 24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. John 20
- 23. Luke 24 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
- 24. Jesus and the Ten •He shows them his wounded hands and side. (Jn. 20:20) •He commissions them. (Jn. 20:21) •Little Pentecost. (John 20:22) •Authority to forgive sins. (John 20:23)
- 25. Doubting Thomas
- 27. John 2026 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.”
- 28. John 20 27 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.”
- 30. John 20 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
- 31. John 20 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Editor's Notes
- During a speech in Philadelphia in 1899, Missouri congressman Willard Duncan VanDiver… who reminds me of Mark Twain, said: "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me.
- I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me.“ Many attribute Missouri’s nickname as the “Show Me State” to this speech by Vandiver. The phrase preexists him, but this speech made it popular.
- When I consider Thomas, he strikes me as being the “Show Me” Disciple. On the positive side, he wasn’t gullible. On the challenge side, doubt could be a problem for him. In fact, he is most often referred to as “Doubting Thomas.” Today, I would like to take a closer look at Thomas and see how Jesus answered His doubts. I hope that in the process of looking at how Jesus helped Thomas to gain victory over his doubts, we will gain insight concerning our doubts. However, before we look at his most well-known characteristic, I’d like to piece together some of the indications in the gospels that help us paint a more complete profile of Thomas. And the good news is, there is something to work with. Several of the disciples are a total enigma. We know nothing about Thaddaeus and Bartholomew. Precious little about several others. And if it weren’t for John, we’d know next to nothing about Thomas. However, between the little we have in Matthew, Mark and Luke and the more extended treatment in John, we can paint a picture. Let’s begin.
- Cindy, Deanna and I love crime dramas. One of the experts brought in at times is called the profiler. He is typically a Ph.D. in psychology with years of experience observing human behavior. The profiler typically has very little to go on, yet despite that small amount of information, he or she builds a rather accurate picture. This is what I’d like to do with Thomas. Outside of John chapter 20 we have very little information about Thomas. Not enough to write a full bio… but I think we can generate a profile of Thomas.
- First, I think that there is a hint that Thomas was a tolerant man. Whenever I use this word, I always feel that I need to define which tolerance I mean. Not today’s definition where tolerance means you agree with and celebrate every aspect of my personal beliefs and behaviors. I intend the traditional definition, where you extend grace… even to someone whose behavior offends you. Here is where I see Thomas as such a man.
- Jesus paired each of his 12 apostles. He understood the power of two. The Bible tells us that two are better than one. That was the text that Cindy and I used for our wedding. Two can support one another… and challenge one another. In two, there are checks and balances… you get a second conscience which really helps when your own shuts down! Jesus didn’t only pair the twelve. He paired the 72 disciples as well. I think that there is great wisdom in doing ministry in twos. How many moral collapses in ministry could have been averted if every Paul had a Timothy or Silas at his side? Thomas may have had a special appreciation for the power of two. One of the few things that we learn is that his nickname was Didymus. In Greek, Didymus means twin. But here is something I only learned in researching this sermon. Did you know that Thomas also means twin, in Aramaic? In fact, it is possible that we don’t have this disciple’s proper name. Thomas could well have been his nickname… which does tell us something about him… that he enjoyed being part of a pair. He went through life identified as Twin. Now let’s observe this list in Matthew 10. I am thoroughly convinced that Jesus’ pairing of the disciples was purposeful. Some of His strategy is obvious. He kept the brothers together. They were used to working together, despite their differences. They shared a common work context as fishermen. Simon the Zealot and Judas make sense. They were the disciples with the hardest edges… the insurrectionists. I think they might have both been zealots. Judas surname, Iscariot could mean son of Kerioth, a town in southern Judea. But it could also be a Latinism. The dagger used by the zealots to kill Romans was called a sicarius. Judas may have been part of the zealots special forces… a dagger man. To us, these seem like two guys you’d want to split up. But it would take a hard edge man to keep Judas in line for the time. Simon the Zealot was that guy. But I think that one of the most challenging pairings was this… who was going to get stuck with Matthew? The text emphasizes the problem. He’s not just Matthew… he’s Matthew the tax collector. Who wants the traitor for constant companion? Who wants the back-stabber to have his back? The fisherman may have fed him to the fishes. Forget about what Judas or Simon would have done with Matthew. But Jesus knew that Thomas was the guy who could handle it. Thomas could extend grace… maybe to a degree that exceeded the others. It’s not a lot to go on, but I do think it’s a piece of the puzzle of who Thomas was.
- I think another part of Thomas’ profile is that he was a realist. There is one verse in John’s gospel that gives us a hint of this.
- John 11 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” It would be easy to deduce that Thomas was a pessimist… the Eeyore of the Apostolic band. However, I think that this would be the wrong conclusion. Several times you have heard me describe the apostles as being clueless. Jesus consistently predicts his death and the disciples don’t seem to grasp it. They operate in a happy fog… but not Thomas. Thomas seems to be dialed in to Jesus’ situation. Since the healing of the blind man in John chapter 9, the Pharisees have been threatening to kill Jesus. The tension escalates at the Feast of the Dedication in John 10 where Jesus asserts oneness with the Father in Heaven and the Jewish leaders pick up stones to stone him. Jesus said he would die in Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders are threatening to kill him. Thomas gets it. He is a realist. That makes these words an expression of great courage. Thomas truly believes that going into Jerusalem with Jesus is a death sentence. He is prepared to follow Jesus into death. That takes courage. I think that there is a practical lesson that we can learn from Thomas… not to go through life with blinders on. Naiveté is not a spiritual gift. Neither is cluelessness. In fact, I think that there is a connection between realism and courage. Think about a workplace with an abusive boss. The minions under his heel say things like, “It’s not so bad” or “My next boss could be worse.” The realist counts the cost and often finds the courage to act under the belief “It should be better and if I can’t make it better I’ll find better.” Realism sets the plate for courage. Let’s look at another aspect of Thomas.
- Often when we see someone who asks a lot of questions, we jump to negative associations. Words like cynic or skeptic come to mind. However, I think that there is some biblical evidence that Thomas exhibits a more positive trait of intellectual curiosity. In John 14 Jesus speaks of going to prepare a place for His disciples. Notice the interchange that takes place between Jesus and Thomas in verse 4:
- John 14 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” As I look at these words and Jesus response, “I am the way, the truth and the life…” I don’t see any indication of anger or frustration on Jesus’ part. Rather, what I see here is intelligence. Peter was the boldest. James and John were the most ambitious. Matthew perhaps the most grateful as an outsider brought inside. But I can’t help but wonder whether Thomas was the smartest. I say this because I have seen this intellectual curiosity in the brightest people I know. They’re not afraid to ask questions. They are willing to expose a lack of understanding in order to gain real insight. And sometimes this trait makes them a bit socially awkward and annoying. But where would we be without people with this trait? Intellectually curious people help us refine our ideas. Jesus didn’t need Thomas’ help refining his ideas. His plan was perfect. Newsflash… you are not Jesus. Your plans are not flawless. Neither are mine. We need the Thomases and their endless “But Why?” questions.
- That’s the general profile. I think we can learn quite a bit from it. However, there’s nothing like observing someone in action. Let’s look at the fullest treatment of Thomas in John Chapter 20 which will give us a Clearer Picture of Thomas.
- John 20 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
- 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
- 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
- 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
- 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
- 24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
- 25 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.”
- Get volunteer to do hand trick When we compare the account of Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples in Luke 24 with the text in John 20 it appears like there is something funny with the math. In John 20 two things are clear. First we see the day this appearance happened.
- The text leaves no doubt that Jesus appears to the disciples on the evening of Resurrection Sunday. It is an Easter appearance. There is something else clear…
- 24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So Jesus appeared the evening of Easter Sunday and Thomas was not there. But now, let’s look at Luke’s account.
- Last week we looked at this moment. Jesus joined the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They may have been his aunt and uncle… or two other disciples. But it happened on Resurrection Sunday. In the evening, they have a meal with Jesus and He dramatically reveals himself to them, breaking bread and revealing his pierced wrists. Now, look at verse 33: 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Notice from the red letters that I want you to see two things. These events occur on late on the day of the resurrection when the day was “far spent.” There are several temporal statements in this passage – all of which make it clear that it is still Easter Sunday. Jesus disappears and the two disciples return. And who do they see? The eleven. Here is where the math gets so tricky. Judas has hanged himself. Matthias is not yet chosen to replace him. Thomas is away. That makes 10. Bible critics point to this as a contradiction between Luke and John’s accounts. However, there is a perfectly reasonable way to understand this. Since the death of Judas, “the eleven” has become a descriptive term to distinguish the apostles from the broader band of Jesus’ disciples. It’s not a head count, but rather a means of identifying the men Jesus trained for three years to continue His work. Now that we’ve resolved this, let’s take not of what happens when Jesus appears to the ten apostles present.
- In John 20:20 we see that Jesus shows them his wounded hands and side. Notice that Jesus didn’t see this as an indication of weak faith. He immediately demonstrates His wounds without the ten ever needing to ask Him to do so. Then, in verse 21 Jesus commissions them with these words, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you”. It is an early installment on what we will ultimately see just before His ascension where Jesus will give a more comprensive commission… the Great Commission. In the next verse, we find another precursive moment… another early installment. Theologians call it “Little Pentecost.” Jesus breathes on the disciples and tells them to “receive the Holy Spirit.” This moment is rather confusing in light of the fact that Jesus will tell them that he is going to send them what the Father promised. They should wait in the city until they are clothed with power from on high. Clearly, Jesus is referring to Pentecost, which will not occur until 50 days after the Resurrection. So, on the same occasion Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit and tells them to wait for the Holy Spirit. Is anyone else scratching their heads. I think that there is a really important lesson for us here. There is not just one gifting or gift of the Holy Spirit. The disciples here receive, once again, an early installment. Some theologicans like Dave Guzik, suggest that this is the moment where the disciples are finally born-again. Others suggest that this giving of the spirit is tied to the gift they receive in the next verse… the authority to forgive sins. Whenever God calls a man, He equips Him. This particular imparting of the Holy Spirit equipped the disciples to have the discernment they would need in forgiving sins. So, as is so often the case in John 20, we solve a problem and inherit an even bigger problem. This authority to forgive sins. Who possessed it then and who possesses this authority now? Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism and the Orthodox church see this as an apostolic authority that today resides in the clergy. That is why, as a boy, I used to go to the confessional booth. The priest would hear my sins and then offer absolution. He offers absolution because he has the authority to forgive sins. There is a problem with this understanding. Only God has the authority to forgive sin. Jesus was accused of blasphemy for forgiving sins. If Jesus were a mere human being, then Caiaphas would have been correct. His forgiving of sins would have been blasphemy. But Jesus is God… and thus He does have the authority to forgive sins. The apostles were given the authority to announce forgiveness and warn of guilt, as authorized by the Holy Spirit. We can’t cut the Holy Spirit out of this process, or we risk treating men as God. The apostles also had authority, under the Spirit’s leading to discern when repentance was truly evident. Remember, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for tolerating the sin of an incestuous man… and then later rebukes the church again for not acknowledging his repentance and receiving him back into fellowship. This is the authority that Jesus speaks of. Now, let’s consider the trait we most identify with Thomas.
- Doubting Thomas. It’s amazing how one lapse can totally and forever define someone. Poor Bill Buckner.
- Bill had a long 21 year Major League Baseball career. He accumulated over 2700 hits and won the batting title in 1980. But all he is remembered for is this one fielding error in Game 6 of the world series. Of course, in my native New York City we think much more highly of Bill… since that error kept the Mets alive and they went on to win the series. I call it the “Buckner Effect.” The Buckner effect erases context and can distort history. I think Thomas succumbs to the Buckner Effect. Let’s continue in John 20 verse 26:
- John 20 26 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.”
- 27 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.” I think part of the Buckner Effect is the distortion it brings. We remember Thomas’ words that he would not believe unless He could feel the wounds. That we remember vividly. It is Thomas’ fielding error where he let the ball slip between his legs. But we forget that Jesus offered the others to see his wounds. We forget that Thomas missed out on the encouragement of seeing Jesus and the special benefit of that early installment of the Holy Spirit. And we forget what we have seen in Thomas’ profile: The grace he extended to Matthew. The discernment he showed in understanding what it meant for Jesus to go to Jerusalem. The courage he showed in his willingness to go there and die with Jesus. The intellectual curiosity he demonstrates as he presses Jesus to explain His words. All of this that precedes his moment of doubt is forgotten. But so is what happens next… and this is the greatest distortion of Thomas’ record.
- I think our last Thomas moment is one of the high watermarks of the New Testament. Thomas’ proclamation of faith. Look at verse 28:
- 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Here is one of the strongest and most direct assertions of Jesus’ deity. Thomas actually uses the word God. Not “son of God” which some understood as less than an assertion of deity. Thomas removes all doubt as to who Jesus is. If Jesus could really defeat death… that meant one thing for Thomas. He wasn’t just the Hope of Israel. He was more than Israel’s Messiah. He was far more than Ezekiel’s “Son of Man” or even the loftier phrase “Son of God.” Jesus was God. I prefer to think of Thomas as proclaiming Thomas. The twin gave a dual proclamation. Jesus is Lord and Jesus is God. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve spoken to who say to me, “Jesus never claimed to be God. The church made that up.” Thomas said these words to Jesus. And Jesus was duty bound to correct Thomas if Thomas went to extremes in his proclamation. This statement should have been retracted. But Jesus didn’t retract it. He didn’t alter it. Jesus received it because it was a true and full understanding of who He was and who He is… Lord and God! Jesus next words were only in part for Thomas. It think they are primarily for us:
- 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Thomas had done a good thing. He weighed the evidence, overcame his skeptical nature and placed his complete faith and trust in Jesus. But Jesus acknowledged that the weight of evidence before Thomas and the other disciples who saw His resurrected body was so much greater than the evidence we have. We are not without evidence. We have the eyewitness testimony of those who saw Jesus. We have the plausibility of what they reported and how others reacted to the news of the empty tomb. We have the testimony of the lives of the disciples who died gruesome deaths because they would not renounce what they saw. And we have the testimony of history… forever changed by Jesus and His love for sinners. Jesus was even more of a realist than Thomas. He recognized that although this evidence was considerable, it was less than what Thomas and the others had… the ability to see the dead man walking and performing even more miracles. The evidence we have is more than circumstantial, but less than absolute. It leaves room for faith. This room is filled with men and women of great faith. Each week you come to church and worship. Throughout the week you learn and serve. Every day you walk the walk of faith, believing in what you have heard but never seen for yourself – save the life change you have seen in yourself and Christian brothers and sisters. Jesus calls this great faith. And if we have a greater faith than Thomas, let it be true that we will have an even greater proclamation, as we tell others that Jesus is Lord and God. Let’s pray.