Good morning!
Greetings in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:26-29)
After the resurrection, Jesus Christ, Our Lord, appears to his disciples. The doors being locked for fear of the Jews, but Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Jesus comforted His disciples with the loving voice, and they were filled with joy. Unfortunately, one of the eleven was not there with them, who was Thomas.
A week later, the disciples gathered together again, and Thomas was with them. Thomas was told about Jesus’ resurrection. Then he was hearing everyday about His resurrection from his fellow disciples, but he was not able to believe because a dead person could not come to life again. His fellow disciples reminded about what Jesus told before: he would be killed, but on third day, he would rise again from the death. Of course, Thomas was able to remember what he was told by Jesus, but he was not able to make himself believe. His heart was constantly covered with dark clouds of doubt about Jesus’ resurrection because what was told by his fellow disciples simply did not make sense to him. Thus, Thomas openly said “unless I see Jesus with his own eyes, and physically touch Jesus’ body with his hands, I cannot believe.”
We know the rest of the story, as quoted in the Bible verses above. Jesus came to the doubting Thomas, who could not make himself believe due to his own logic and rationale. However, with the same loving voice, Jesus first said to Thomas, “Peace be with you!” Jesus comforted the unsettling heart of Thomas. Then Jesus gently encouraged Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas used to say “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.” Jesus did exactly answer what Thomas openly demanded.
Without examining Jesus’ hands and side, as astonished at His love and grace, all of Thomas’ doubts and logical arguments were suddenly melted away like snow before a late spring sun. Thomas could clearly see what he believed was false. Thomas’ willful power of resisting before Jesus was futile. For Thomas, there was no place to go but Jesus. Thomas confessed his lack of faith by crying out, “My Lord and my God!”
Perhaps this is the most significant confessions made by Jesus’ disciples after Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) Thomas was totally surrounded by the absolute awe and assurance of His omniscience, which was the full proof of Jesus’ deity and divine power, and Thomas completely surrendered before Jesus — one and only true Lord, who held up everything even life and death. “My Lord and my God!” There was nothing but this confession that Thomas could utter through his mouth at the moment. What a blessed word reflecting Thomas’ faith, coming from the deepest part of Thomas’ heart before the risen Lord!
Then Jesus said to Thomas (and also to us), “Because you have seen me [having the nail marks and the side wound], you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) Yes, we all want to see miracles and supernatural power of God with our own eyes. This is natural to Thomas and us because we are mere humans who search for something to physically grasp or to see before believing. However, Jesus tells us not to hang our faith on what we can see and touch. Everything on earth will eventually fade away. Thus, if something visible and tangible were the foundation of our faith, then our faith would together fade away also. Bible tells “… As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:8) Everything, even prophecies, tongues, and knowledge, will surely pass away. Only will a faith firmly founded on Jesus and His Word last forever, because the heaven and the earth will pass away, but His Word shall not pass away, and be with us forever. (Matthew 24:35).
Then how can we have faith without seeing and touching? We all know it is not possible, but only through the grace of Jesus Christ, it is possible. Faith is a gift from God, which is not our own doing, nor a result of our own works. Thus, if we have faith, we cannot boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Through faith, we can transcend all understanding, logic and rationale. And through faith, we can be confident about things that we hope for, and we can assure about the things above, although we cannot see.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)