The Turning Point for Thomas
(The Appearance to the Eleven)
#158 in Series: "The Life of Christ – in a Harmony of The Gospels"
Mark 16:14, Luke 24:33-43, John 20:19-31
We are nearing the end of our series in the study of the life and ministry of Jesus in His first advent… A couple of weeks ago, we examined the resurrection of our Lord from the dead, and since then we've looked at specific appearances the Lord made after His resurrection… So far, on the same day of His resurrection, we know that Jesus has appeared to –
- Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18).
- The other women (Matthew 28:9-10).
- The two on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-32).
- Peter (Luke 24:33-35, 1 Corinthians 15:5).
And now, He appears to –
- Ten of the disciples (John 20:19-23)
Ten?... Thomas is conspicuously absent…
Last time, we looked to Luke's report for our main text – today, we will turn to John's report because he gives us a few more details at this point… Let's hear the Word of God –
John 20:19-31
19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send 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, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." 26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." 30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
As always, there is a lot in the passage before us!... There is not only the narrative – telling us what happens and when – but there is a lot of truth being presented in our text; truth that needs to be understood, and applied in our lives even today!
Let's follow the flow of our text, and begin with –
1. The Appearance of Jesus
John 20:19
So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, [the same day that Jesus rose from the dead!] and when the doors were shut where the disciples were [where were they?... Most likely in the upper room – and notice the motivation for their being … behind closed doors?], for fear of the Jews, [John is specifically pointing out that … he, and the other disciples, were very fearful of what the Jews were about… They had overseen the crucifixion of Jesus, and Jesus already told them that the world was only going to hate them (Luke 24:17, Matthew 24:9, John 15:19) – no wonder they wanted to stay hidden out!... But notice what happens –] Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."
This is not a mere polite greeting Jesus is making… In His compassion, Jesus is pronouncing upon the disciples exactly … what their aching, fearful hearts need – peace!... Jesus is expressing a major theme in God's heart for His people… He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6, John 14:27, et. al.), He brings peace… He is our peace!...
Spurgeon said –
C.H. Spurgeon – "His presence among them when the doors were closed must have astonished and delighted them. While they were trembling [H]e came to reassure them both by [H]is words and [H]is smiles."
The words of peace flow from the lips of Jesus, because the desire for His disciples to rest in peace flows from His heart!...
John tells us that Jesus pronounces peace to these disciples yet again, in the same setting – look at verse :21 –
John 20:21
So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
I can't help but wonder if the disciples had come to their minds what Jesus said just a few nights earlier –
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
– or what He said in John 16 –
John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
This theme of peace is not unique to the revelation in the N.T… Among many places, consider –
Psalm 85:8-10
8 I will hear what God the LORD will say;
For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
But let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
That glory may dwell in our land.
10 Lovingkindness and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
In fact, going forward from this night Jesus meets with His disciples – the peace of our Lord becomes a theme in the hearts of His people throughout the N.T. –
Romans 15:33
Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Ephesians 2:14
For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
Ephesians 6:23
Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:2
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!
And there are more such places, but for time's sake, we will simply move on…
Let's return to our text, and consider just why… these disciples can in fact, rest in the peace that Jesus … pronounces… Pick up with verse :20 –
John 20:20-21
20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. [Jesus presents the undeniable evidence that it is, in fact HE – the very One Whom they know and love – the very One Who had died, and is now risen!... Upon showing His … scars – the immediate response … is joy!] The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
Did we catch that?... Jesus not only, again, pronounces peace upon them – He also reiterates their assignment!... I say reiterate, because His commission has already been stated – and will be stated yet again… On more that one occasion, Jesus spoke about the assignment He was giving to His disciples… Let's be reminded of one of those places –
Matthew 10:16
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
We have certainly not outgrown our need for such wisdom…
Let's pay attention to another profound truth in our text… Notice, that what Christ commissions – He … enables! The Lord provides the resources for what He commands!... If disciples are being sent into the world, as ambassadors, then they will need the same … resource that was always with Jesus!... Look at verse :22 –
John 20:22
And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
Now this verse is a head-scratcher, so stay with me here…
What was this that Jesus did? Was His "breathing on them" the imparting of the Holy Spirit … prior to Pentecost?... John clearly records that Jesus said; "Receive the Holy Spirit"... What we do know is that this was not Pentecost just yet! This conversation took place on the very Sunday that Jesus rose from the dead. Pentecost is almost 2 months away!...
What happened here falls into the category of the – "many convincing proofs" Luke talked about in Acts 1. Listen to Acts 1:3 –
Acts 1:3
To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Jesus certainly gives His promise of the enabling Holy Spirit that night. Some say that Jesus gave them a "taste", or a "down payment" of what the empowering is going to be like when the baptism will come… In either case, the result is not the same as when Pentecost does come… There is no visible evidence of the empowering of the Holy Spirit mentioned by John on that night… and whatever the limits were to their "receiving the Holy Spirit", they were not able to convince Thomas that Jesus had risen… Jesus will have to do that…
What we do know is that what happened in John 20:22 is NOT the baptism of the Holy Spirit!… Let's read a little further in Luke's report of Jesus' words to the disciples just prior to His ascension –
Acts 1:4-5
4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
What we do need to take from John 20:22 is the promise that God will enable, by means of the Holy Spirit, what He commands of His disciples!... He is telling them they are being sent out, similar to how He was sent, and they will be empowered by the Holy Spirit in their mission!
Let's continue with John's report of what happened when Jesus appeared that night!... The water get a bit deeper! Look at the next verse, Jesus told those 10 apostles –
John 20:23
If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
Again, stay with me here… This passage has been misrepresented and abused by so many!... Listen, only the Lord forgives sin! We've learned this throughout Jesus' ministry!
Do you remember what Jesus did when a group of friends of a paralytic man brought him to Jesus?... It is recorded in – Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26, Listen to a portion of what Jesus said, record by Mark –
Mark 2:5-12
5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 "Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, "Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk'? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—He said to the paralytic, 11 "I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home." 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."
Jesus has the authority to forgive sins!... So, what is meant by His statement that John records in our text?
John 20:23
If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
The only way any disciple of Jesus can "forgive sin", is to proclaim the gospel, and "have that proclamation received and believed"... Only then, does one have, in fact, their sins forgiven by God!... Disciples are merely "instruments" that God uses to share the good news of Christ!... Forgiveness and salvation is the work of God, not man… Man can only point people to Christ, and when one repents and believes in Christ, their sin is forgiven!
And get this – the only way a disciple could 'retain' the sins of another person is by that person's willfully rejecting the proclamation of forgiveness that is in Christ Alone!... When that happens, all we can say to that person is that they are still in their sin!
I think Spurgeon put it well –
C.H. Spurgeon – "[Jesus] gave them a commission and added the power to carry it out by the gift of the Holy Ghost. Moreover [H]e promised to put force into the sentences which they pronounced in [H]is name, so that when they preached remission to penitents, the Lord granted that remission, and when in the name of Jesus they declared that the sins of unbelievers remained upon them, it was so. The gospel is not our word, but the word of Jesus who has sent us."
The point is, the disciples – them then, and we now – can speak with authority – that Jesus forgives sins! But we also speak with authority that there is no forgiveness outside of Jesus!... These are deep waters, aren't they?....
Let's continue with our text, and what we encounter next is –
2. The Absence of Thomas
Pick up with verse :24 –
John 20:24
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
Stop there for a moment… It is interesting that John identifies Thomas as "one of the twelve" – not "one of the eleven"... It gives pause to recognize that John alludes to Judas … the one member of "the twelve" who … died in his sin…
Thomas (which is Aramaic) is also called "Didymus" – which is the Greek word meaning; "twin"... The Bible doesn't identify Thomas' twin…
All that is being said at this point is that Thomas wasn't there that night!... John goes on to tell us that –
John 20:25
So the other disciples [told Thomas] were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
Now that's rough… Look at the attitude that can … build up in one's heart, when they … miss out! Thomas wasn't there – he missed out! And what does he say, when he is told by the other 10 that Jesus has indeed risen, and they've seen Him? … he becomes a first-century "Debbie Downer"!...
As one commentator put it – "He missed the blessing of being among the first to witness Jesus alive. While there is human responsibility with Thomas, God is sovereign and in the following section Jesus would use Thomas' doubt to teach an important principle about faith and sight."
… That brings us to what we will simply call –
3. The Announcement by Jesus
Notice, that it is the next week – 8 days later, when all 11 apostles are assembled together, and Jesus appears to them again… This time, Thomas is with them –
John 20:26
After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
All of this sounds familiar, doesn't it?... It is a similar scene – a similar experience – the same greeting of peace… Only this time, Thomas is with them!
John 20:27-29
27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."
In the parallel passage, Dr. Luke tells us that when Jesus showed His wounds to the disciples, He was explicit to point out that they were not seeing a mirage, or ghost! –
Luke 24:39-40
39 See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
John tells us that Jesus addresses Thomas specifically and says –
John 20:27
Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing."
No one tells us how Jesus knew that Thomas said he wouldn't believe without such proof!... He didn't need anyone to tell Him what Thomas said – He knew what Thomas said!... He knows everything you or I have said!...
There is one more point that we need not miss from our text… It is –
4. The Appeal for Jesus
The Apostle John, in his report, now makes an appeal… He appeals to the reader that there has been much evidence presented throughout his report as to why one can, and should believe in Jesus!
John says –
John 20:30-31
30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
John used the term "signs" a lot… This may be too obvious to point out, but we should contemplate the meaning of a sign… A sign is an indicator, it points to something other than itself – it points to something greater than itself!... Flowers are beautiful in and of themselves, but when they are given as an expression of love – they point to something that's greater… A stop sign may be bright, shiny, and attention getting – but it is designed to alert the driver that they are in fact supposed to stop!...
John says that Jesus performed many signs! They were miraculous, and life changing in and of themselves – but their purpose was not only to bring relief – but to … reveal! The many miracles Jesus performed, were … indicators that He is more than a prophet, He is the Christ!
Throughout this book, John listed at least seven signs –
- John 2:1-11 – Jesus turned water into wine.
- John 4:46-54 – Jesus healed the nobleman's son.
- John 5:1-15 – The healing at the pool of Bethesda.
- John 6:1-14 – The feeding of the 5,000.
- John 6:15-21 – Jesus walked on water.
- John 9:1-12 – Jesus healed the man born blind.
- John 11:1-44 – Lazarus was raised from the dead.
The greatest sign of all was the death and resurrection of Jesus!
John says that Jesus actually performed many more signs than what he recorded in his report!... What are these signs pointing to? – they point to the truth that Jesus is the Lord! It is never a "blind leap of faith" in coming to this truth! Faith in Christ is based on the … persuasion that Jesus is Lord!
John makes the appeal that you should believe in Christ… but get this – his appeal is not that you merely come to an intellectual ascent to the facts, but that you come to place of … believing in His Name!
Look again at verse :31 –
John 20:31
but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
Many are familiar with the NKJV, which renders this –
John 20:31b (KJV)
… ye may have life through His name.
That's an interesting preposition…
R.V.G. Tasker – "Through [H]is name does not mean 'through the naming of His name', but through the power of the Person who bears the name. In the Bible the 'name' of God is not merely the name by which He is designated, but all that He is in Himself."
The point is, we come to believe the Person of Christ, not merely the history of Christ!...
Thomas expresses a persuasion, not only of the truth of Jesus' resurrection – but the truth of His Person! –
John 20:28
Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
… It has been pointed out that there are 4 reactions to the resurrection of Jesus in this one chapter –
- Hearing is Believing! – (John 20:16) Mary Magdalene hearing Jesus say, "Mary"...
- Seeing is Believing! – (John 20:20) 10 apostles see Him…
- Proving is Believing! – (John 20:27-28) Thomas…
- Trusting is Believing! – (John 20:29-31) That's us!
