Joh 20:26 | KingComments | STEP | Thomas is not there when the Lord appears to the disciples for the first time after His resurrection. He has missed something, though. It is beautiful to see how the disciples enthusiastically tell Thomas that they have seen the Lord. They do not admonish him for not being there or tell him how foolish it was of him not to be there. They bear witness to their encounter with the Lord. We see here that the disciples use the title “Lord” not only when they speak to Him, but also when they speak about Him. Thomas, however, is not easily persuaded. The disciples can say as much. To convince Thomas, they will also have told him that the Lord showed them His hands and side. Thomas, namely, responds that he would then like to experience that for himself. He states it strongly. He will not even be content in seeing it either, but he wants to feel it. Until he has felt it, he will definitely not believe it, even though there are so many of them who testify to it. A week later the disciples are back in. It is said “after eight days”, indicating a new beginning. Now Thomas is there too. The Lord enters in the same manner as the first time and with the same greeting. His appearance and His greeting are for all, but it is as if He comes only for Thomas. We find this appearance only in this Gospel. He addresses the word to Thomas. He knows what Thomas has said. Therefore, He invites him to do what he first wanted to do before he would believe. The Lord adds a little admonition not to be unbelieving, but believing. We do not read that Thomas used his finger and his hands to verify that the wounds were real. He immediately came to the acknowledgment that it is really the Savior. He confessed the Lord Jesus as his Lord and his God. This is the mark of the Jewish remnant who also will not believe until they see Him Whom they have pierced ( ; ). The Lord questioningly states that Thomas believed because he saw. It is certainly sufficient to be saved, but it is not the highest form of faith. The Lord praises those who have not seen and yet have believed. This applies to all those who came to faith in Him after He returned to heaven ( ). The signs the Lord did we did not see with our own eyes, but we read the signs and we understood their message through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. The signs have been translated into spiritual realities for us. For example, we have understood that the sign of the bread from heaven speaks of Him Who had to come from heaven to earth to give us life.

‏ John 20:26

The Lord and Thomas

Thomas is not there when the Lord appears to the disciples for the first time after His resurrection. He has missed something, though. It is beautiful to see how the disciples enthusiastically tell Thomas that they have seen the Lord. They do not admonish him for not being there or tell him how foolish it was of him not to be there. They bear witness to their encounter with the Lord. We see here that the disciples use the title “Lord” not only when they speak to Him, but also when they speak about Him.

Thomas, however, is not easily persuaded. The disciples can say as much. To convince Thomas, they will also have told him that the Lord showed them His hands and side. Thomas, namely, responds that he would then like to experience that for himself. He states it strongly. He will not even be content in seeing it either, but he wants to feel it. Until he has felt it, he will definitely not believe it, even though there are so many of them who testify to it.

A week later the disciples are back in. It is said “after eight days”, indicating a new beginning. Now Thomas is there too. The Lord enters in the same manner as the first time and with the same greeting. His appearance and His greeting are for all, but it is as if He comes only for Thomas. We find this appearance only in this Gospel.

He addresses the word to Thomas. He knows what Thomas has said. Therefore, He invites him to do what he first wanted to do before he would believe. The Lord adds a little admonition not to be unbelieving, but believing.

We do not read that Thomas used his finger and his hands to verify that the wounds were real. He immediately came to the acknowledgment that it is really the Savior. He confessed the Lord Jesus as his Lord and his God. This is the mark of the Jewish remnant who also will not believe until they see Him Whom they have pierced (Zec 12:10; Isa 25:9).

The Lord questioningly states that Thomas believed because he saw. It is certainly sufficient to be saved, but it is not the highest form of faith. The Lord praises those who have not seen and yet have believed. This applies to all those who came to faith in Him after He returned to heaven (2Cor 5:7).

The signs the Lord did we did not see with our own eyes, but we read the signs and we understood their message through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. The signs have been translated into spiritual realities for us. For example, we have understood that the sign of the bread from heaven speaks of Him Who had to come from heaven to earth to give us life.