Episode 136 - "Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believed" - John 20:24-31

John 20:24   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.”

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.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:30   Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

These eight verses comprise one of my favorite segments in all of Scripture. There is so much here that I could divide this up into multiple posts. But, I prefer to handle this as a whole.

The resurrected Lord had appeared to the disciples inside a locked home. But, we learn that one of them, Thomas, was not present at the time. I’m sure they were excited to share this good news with their friend when they saw him. But, to be honest, if I were one of the twelve who had followed Jesus the past few years and had experienced this tragedy of him being arrested, beaten, and crucified and then told by my buddies that he had appeared to them alive, I would have thought they were putting me on. Thomas’ response is genius. It wasn’t good enough to see Jesus. He demanded to examine the wounds in Jesus’ crucified body. That alone would prove that someone hadn’t found a look-alike to play an elaborate joke on people. Thomas is so real to me. I get his cynicism. 

Then, it was eight days later. I wonder how things went that week. Did the disciples continue to try to convince Thomas? Did they try to convince themselves that they really did see the risen and living Jesus? Whatever happened, everyone including Thomas was together again in a locked home. Their concern about persecution is still very real. Once again, Jesus simply appeared among them and gave them the same message, “Peace be with you.” Then, he addressed Thomas directly and said, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (v. 27) What is the first thing we should notice about this invitation? The answer is that Jesus knew exactly what Thomas had insisted upon even though Jesus wasn’t physically present with them when the other disciples told Thomas they had seen the Lord. The point is that Jesus knew exactly what was going on with Thomas and the implication is that he knows exactly what is going on with us today. As I sit here and read this account, it is hitting me how much I needed this truth today. Jesus knows what is happening in my life including my thoughts and concerns.

The next thing we should notice is his grace in offering to Thomas what he needed in order to believe that Jesus really was alive. “Put your fingers into my hands and your hand into my side” Jesus offered. “Do not disbelieve. But believe.” Jesus wants people to believe in him. This is not an offer to simply believe that Jesus is a real, historical person. He was telling Thomas and, indirectly, us to believe that he came back from the dead, that he is who he has claimed to be. 

Thomas’ response shows us what that response, that belief, looks like. Instantly, Thomas appears to have abandoned his previous demands. “My Lord and my God!” What we might have expected as a response would be “Teacher, Rabbi.” But, in an instant with the resurrected Jesus, Thomas’ confession reflects a belief in Jesus that is complete. If you’ve ever wondered what it will be like when you first see Jesus and what you might say, this is a good place to start.

Now comes the cool part. Jesus then said to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (v. 29) Thomas gets a bad rap on this. He’s often spoken of as “Doubting Thomas.” But, remember the other disciples believed because they had seen him eight days earlier. What I love about this is that it is speaking of us. We are the ones who get to see without the opportunity of being there and seeing these things with our eyes. I like to tell people that we are the most blessed people in the history of the world because we live at a time when we can hear about Jesus and have the opportunity to believe.

John has made it very clear that seeing does not always result in believing. People ate the food Jesus miraculously provided them and said that Jesus must be the Prophet like Moses. Yet, they didn’t want to truly believe him and his words and they walked away. There were those who watched Jesus call Lazarus by name and watched as this man who had been dead and buried for four days walk out of the tomb alive. Many believed because of what they saw, but some returned to the Pharisees without any indication this experience brought about faith within them. So, it’s easier to see why Jesus says that the most blessed people are those who believe simply by hearing about him. This brings us to the point of the next paragraph.

John capitalizes on the significance of this teaching of Jesus to offer us a summary of the purpose of this book. He said that Jesus did many other signs that his disciples witnessed with their eyes. Then he wrote, “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Those of us who weren’t there to see Jesus perform these miracles are blessed to read this book or hear of these accounts and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The benefit and result of this belief are receiving eternal life in his name. That’s an amazing promise. But, what we are called to believe, by faith and not by sight, is an amazing truth of an amazing God. 

Episode 133 - "He saw and believed" - John 20:1-10

John 20:1   Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

I cannot adequately describe how much this story of Jesus’ resurrection excites me. The details John gives us often are subtle ways to either reveal a spiritual truth or help us better understand some of the personalities in the stories. Think of John’s details about John the Baptist or the Samaritan woman at the well. The little details help us see their passion and excitement for what is revealed to them. It is for this reason I’ve chosen to create a few separate posts for the same text. There is a lot in this story.

Last week I focused on the theme of “darkness” in John’s gospel and how it represents the ignorance of people concerning Jesus. That is an oversimplification. However, in this story, Mary (and likely others) came to the tomb “while it was still dark.” (John 20:1) They were ignorant of what had just happened with Jesus. His body was gone from the tomb and they assume his body has been moved somewhere. This is not to suggest that it was not actually dark at the tomb when they arrived. However, just like the condition made it more difficult to best observe the scene in and around the tomb, they were in need of the “true Light coming into the world” to fully recognize the significance of what had just happened.

Mary ran to tell the disciples that Jesus body has been taken away and,  from verses three through ten, the focus shifts to Peter and “the other disciple . . who Jesus loved.” (We understand this to be the Apostle John) Peter and John ran to the tomb. John ran faster and reached the tomb first, but stopped at the entrance. Scholars have attempted guesses at why John stopped. All we really know is that he did and he tells us that he saw the linen cloths lying there. Remember, John has already told us this was a new tomb and had never been used as such. These could not have been from another body. Can you imagine the anxiety he must have felt? It’s obvious that Peter doesn’t give it a second thought to run right past John and into the tomb. He also sees the linen cloths lying there. 

Let’s stop right here for a moment and consider a few things. First of all, what did that look like? If these cloths were wrapped around Jesus’ body and had the various ointments and such applied to them, is it possible these cloths maintained some measure of the form of a body still in them? In other words, could it have been that, at first glance, they thought Jesus was still there? That may be a stretch. But, it seems possible. If that was the case, then it heightens the importance of the headcloth. This translation reads the head cloth was “folded up.” (v. 7) However, the Greek word used could also mean “wrapped up or around.” The potential sight for these first visitors to the tomb was what appeared to be a wrapped corpse. But, there was only one problem. The head cloth was “in a place by itself.” There was nothing connecting the headcloth to the cloths around the body. The body had come through the cloths. Again, my interpretation could be a stretch. But, this detail that John is including reveals the evidence of a miracle that led him to believe if that is indeed what they saw.

Perhaps more likely what this detail describes is that of an orderly scene. Grave cloths lying there and the head cloth folded up in a place by itself is hardly the description of a scene of a grave robbery. If someone were to steal the body, would they bother to unwrap it before they took it? No. If it could be argued they did unwrap the body, is it likely the grave clothes were lying there in the orderly manner described? Absolutely not. 

However these details are to be interpreted, the evidence is clear that his body was not stolen by Roman soldiers, Jewish leaders, Jesus’ disciples or anyone else. If his body was not stolen, what happened to it?

John indicates his own conclusion upon seeing the whole scene after he entered the tomb. “He saw and believed.” (v. 8) Believed what? Verse 9 explains, “for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” His point is that the evidence before him led him to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. Jesus had prepared them for this. They just hadn’t understood the Scriptures prophesying the death and resurrection of the Messiah. 

You and I cannot go back in time to stand alongside these disciples and observe the scene ourselves. But, they have provided us with a vivid account. The details they have given as firsthand eyewitnesses are amazing. The question to us is, “Will we see the significance and believe?”

Episode 61 - "If God were your Father, you would love me." - Jesus (John 8:39-47)

John 8:39   They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

This is a continuation of Jesus' interaction with “Jews who believed him.” (John 8:31) However, what unfolds is that they are not “abiding” in his word. Much like those who witnessed and received the benefit of Jesus’ miracle of the “Feeding of the 5000,” and acknowledged that he was certainly the Prophet like Moses who was to come and then abandoned him when they didn’t like his teaching, these people are also taking exception to Jesus charge that they are slaves to sin and need to be liberated. They do not like this and argue with him suggesting that they are good with God because they are Abraham’s descendants. 

Jesus explains that even though they are biological descendants of Abraham, they do not live like Abraham. Abraham was a man of faith. God gave him commands that required great faith and Abraham believed God; not just in his head, but in his actions. That is the difference between Abraham and these Jews. They may think they are right with God. But, their lives demonstrate a lack of faith, avoiding truth by believing a lie that they are right with God simply because of their genealogy and religious affiliation. Jesus tells them their real spiritual father is the devil. Ouch!

This is what we call “straight shooting.” How about us? Do we think we’re ok because maybe our grandparents helped build a church, were in ministry, or did some other good and noble thing for people? OR . . . Do we like some stories about Jesus, but don’t want to believe that, apart from him, we are slaves to sin and need his word to free us?