Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. John 20:29
Along with the rest of the disciples, Thomas was overcome with grief at the crucifixion and death of his Lord. But unlike his brethren, Thomas had not the privilege of seeing his resurrected Lord in the flesh on that Sunday morning. When the good news reached his ears, Thomas refused to be cheered by this heaven-sent ray of sunshine. Instead, he clung to the darkness of despair which he had admitted into his soul. Rather than believing his brethren’s good report, Thomas came back saying: ‘Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe’ (John 20:25). Thomas’ need for first-hand experience and evidence was, in his eyes, wise and prudent. But the Lord was displeased with Thomas’ faithlessness and lack of confidence in his brethren.
Thomas’ doubting moment was recorded for our admonition. Indeed, the fault of this seasoned disciple frequently occurs in modern disciples when they are met with messages from heaven. For example, have you ever shown a seasoned Bible student the Scriptural evidence for a stationary, dome-covered world, only to be met with a barrage of objections from so-called science? Truly, Thomas’ rejection of the news of the resurrection is not unlike the rejection of the Genesis creation account that is witnessed today. In the spirit of doubting Thomas, many say: ‘unless you can demonstrate to me how the rotation of the southern star trails work on a flat, stationary earth, I will not believe’.
Receiving a heaven-sent message from another, who is perhaps your peer or junior, requires humility and faith. It requires the humbling of pride that is not always easy for the human heart. Indeed, there can be prudence in seeking answers to pressing objections before considering a new subject. There is wisdom in ‘try[ing] the spirits whether they are of God’ when asked to consider one claiming to be a messenger of the Lord. But there is a fine line between caution exercised in faith, and the stubborn self-confidence of unbelief. As it was with Thomas, ample evidence to believe is set before us. God does not remove all occasion to doubt so that by believing we may strengthen our faith in Him. On this occasion, Thomas missed out on the blessing that would have been his had he exercised faith in his brethren’s report. This blessing is richly bestowed upon us as we put aside our pride of opinion and stubbornness, and receive the messages sent to us from heaven.
Christopher Sparks