One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side.”
Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” He said. Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.”
John 20:24-29
Interesting isn’t it, as I said yesterday. It is clear that Jesus had the nail marks in his hands and feet. But still Mary didn’t recognise Him and confused him for the Gardener.
“Don’t cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'”
Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them His message.
Joh 20:17-18
I wonder if Mary put her finger in His nail holes before He told her to take her hands off. I suspect she may have. She appears to me to be a tactile sort of person and she was a woman. We noted yesterday that Jesus told her not to touch Him. The sacrifice needed to be pure and untouched to ascend to the Father. Notice Jesus tells her to find “the brothers” and tell them that He is ascending to His Father and your Father, to His God and your God. Interesting isn’t it. His Father and His God. our Father and our God. Note Thomas’ classic comment when he has accepted the fact of the resurrection and believed.
Thomas was a practical kind of guy. Note his response to the others saying they had seen the Lord. “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side.” Now there is stark scepticism. Ever stopped to think that Thomas didn’t say a word when Jesus walked through the walls. Jesus says to Thomas “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” Can you imagine what was going through Thomas’ mind in that moment?
“Oh Lord did you hear what I said? But you were nowhere in sight.”
Then Thomas’ response and depth of insight is impressive. “My Lord and my God!” he doesn’t make any comments about Jesus being the Messiah or the Anointed One, the Son of Man or the Son of God. he goes straight to the essence of the issue with one of the strongest comments recorded in Scripture related to Jesus being God. He has got it! Isn’t it interesting that is so often the ones who struggle with doubt and questions of unbelief at the beginning, who go further on the journey of faith. Give people the space to be themselves and ask the questions they need to.
Notice how this section closes. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.” That’s us! Me and you. We each have a different pathway to faith. Allow your brother to walk his path and don’t insist he walks yours.
If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
Regina Brett
While you are wishing to be someone else, someone somewhere is wishing to be you.
Daniel Effendi