Seeing Is Believing

Good morning church family! And welcome to our visitors and guests — it’s always a pleasure to have newcomers and we pray that you will hve a wonderful time this morning with us — not because we are great people but because we have a great Savior. Indeed, a risen Savior! Amen?

“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore” (Rev. 1:17-18 ESV).

Jesus said those words. And He is the only religious teacher the world has ever seen who could say those words. Buddha never claimed to have risen from the dead. Mohammed never claimed to have risen from the dead. Not even Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob claimed to have risen from the dead. Jesus alone made that claim. On that first Easter morning 2000 years ago, The tomb where Jesus of Nazareth was buried was found empty. His followers claimed to have seen Him alive. His body was never found and presented as evidence that He had not risen. And to this day, no one has successfully refuted the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. He really was and is and always will be risen.

But that doesn’t mean that all of his disciples immediately believed. The disciples were human beings just like us. The disciples were no quicker to believe that someone had risen from the dead than you or I would today. And in the Bible we are told a story about one man’s doubt. Thomas.

And I’m going to do something I haven’t done before. I’m going to tell you who the intended listener of this sermon is. There are at least two Sundays each year where we know we’re going to see some folks we don’t usually see more often than that. If that’s you, then you are who I am talking to. Not to fuss at you, but to speak honestly to you. If that’s you, do me a favor right now and shoot off a quick prayer to heaven that just says, “Okay, Lord. I’m here. Speak to me. Open my heart.” And that’s my prayer for you, too, and for everyone else.

In John 20:24-29 we see three things about Thomas. Thomas is absent. Thomas is resistant. And then, Thomas is repentant. Why? By the end we’ll have our answer. May the Lord bless the preaching of His word.

Thomas is absent

It’s the first day of the week in John 20:24. Jesus was crucified late on Friday, and today is Sunday, in the evening. Now that morning, a lady who was named Mary Magdalene — she was a disciple of Jesus — and she had gone first thing, at sun-up, to the tomb where Jesus had been buried. The only thing is, Jesus wasn’t in the tomb.

So she ran back and told Peter and John. “Jesus is not in the tomb. Where come He be? Come back with me and see for yourself.” They all three went back with her. John runs back, outpacing Peter and Mary, so that He gets to the tomb first. But John hesitates to go in. He stands at the entrance to the tomb and peers inside. While John is standing there at the entrance, Peter catches up with him and went all the way into the tomb. Jesus wasn’t there. They do see the linens that Jesus had been wrapped up and buried in. They’re folded up neatly and laying on the bed. But Jesus is not there.

They were not expecting Jesus to have been raised from the dead. That wasn’t really in their mind. All they know is that their friend, their Master and Lord, the One who had loved them like no other — all they knows is that He died a brutal death three days earlier, and now they can’t even find His body.

Peter and John go back home. But Mary stays. Jesus appears to her. She doesn’t recognize Him at first. But when He says her name — Mary! — she recognizes Him and is filled with joy. Jesus says, “Go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17 ESV).

Word spreads among the disciples. There are scattered eyewitness reports that Jesus is alive. People have seen Him! And these are people who are not crazy — you know what I mean? Let’s say your friend Bill is the kind of person to tell you unbelievable things. And when he does that, you just say, “Well, you can’t believe what Bill says. He’s crazy like that.” But these are people who are not like that. They are credible and trustworthy and sane and so when they give you news that something unbelievable has happened, you might not immediately believe it for yourself, but you’re more inclined to take their testimony seriously. You’re willing to look into it. Maybe it’s possible.

Now, back to our story about Thomas. It is the evening of the Sabbath. Sunday evening. Easter night. And the disciples are all gathered together. And Thomas is not there. Thomas is absent.

Why do you think Thomas is absent? Think about that for a minute.

On one hand, it kind of makes sense that Thomas is not there. They’re not brimming with joy and excitement. They’re scared. The doors of the room they’re in are locked because in their minds, the people who crucified Jesus might just be coming for them next. Maybe that’s why Thomas is absent.

On the other hand, you might think Thomas would want to be there with them. While they’ve been on some mountaintop experiences with Jesus over the last three years, now they’re in a valley. They’ve seen incredible things happen during Jesus’ ministry as His closest followers. And then they watched Him get arrested, beaten, tried, whipped, and crucified. And they’re heartbroken. Their gathering that night is not really a happy gathering, you know? Could that be why Thomas isn’t there?

Would you go?

Maybe Thomas is an introvert. You know what an introvert is? An introvert is someone who processes bad news alone. You get bad news and your first reaction is to leave whoever you’re with. Nothing wrong with that. It’s just how you are. You’ll want to be with people later on. But now you need to think and pray and process, and other people, at that moment, will drain you by their very presence and you need to get by yourself.

Whatever the reason why Thomas is absent, it’s definitely not because Thomas did not love or care about Jesus. It isn’t because Thomas wasn’t loyal to Jesus.

Regardless, we can say with certainty that Thomas is grieving. His master and friend is gone. What’s the point of gathering?

Thomas is absent.

Thomas is resistant

But Thomas is not just absent. There’s something else that Thomas is. Thomas is resistant.

When the disciples see Thomas again, they’re telling him what he’s missed. We’ve seen the Lord! Thomas, we’ve seen him. Thomas, He’s alive. He really is alive!

Thomas’s response is like this:

“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” (John 20:25 ESV).

Why is Thomas resistant? Why is he demanding proof?

We have a family friend who you might call a skeptic. He likes to poke holes in people’s faith. It seems like it gives him special pleasure to do that, and I think it makes him feel smart. He thinks people of faith are gullible and people who are skeptical are smart. He thinks you have to bypass your mind in order to believe with your heart. Of course that’s not true. And what our friend is really doing is this: he’s not showing us his intellect. He’s hiding his unbelief under the disguise of intellect.

There’s a whole industry of skepticism.

In 1965, there was a very popular book that came out about the resurrection - it was called The Passover Plot. Even the name and the word “plot” is a clue. This person is going to try to tell us that the whole story of the resurrection was an elaborate conspiracy. We don’t believe the resurrection really happened, this guy says. We’re not going to make a blind leap of faith in the dark. But Listen to this story, though, and tell me which requires more faith.

Here’s how the story goes. First, Jesus never died on the cross. He just passed out. And later, when he was in the tomb, the spices from when they had anointed him for burial, the linens they covered him with, and the cold damp air of the tomb — all of that revived him and he was healed from being crucified.

Now when the Romans crucified Jesus, here’s what would have happened. He was beaten to a pulp, lost tons of blood during that beating, then was nailed to the cross where for three hours he languished in the hot sun, weak, in horrible pain, continuing to lose blood, barely able to breathe. That really happened and the authors of the book don’t deny it. They just say that despite all of that, he didn’t die. He just lost consciousness. And later he revived.

Then, the book says, Jesus got up, had enough strength to take off his linens, unwrap himself, and roll away the stone — a giant bolder, really. No worry that the stone large enough to prevent even several healthy, strong men to roll the stone away together — which would have been a struggle even for them.

Next, the book says, Jesus having pushed away the boulder, managed to overpower the Roman guards who were there to keep people from messing with the tomb. Never mind that the Roman guards were trained to immediately subdue even the strongest, healthy men who might oppose them. Do you know what the Roman government would do a Roman guard who allowed someone to tamper with a grave or somehow lost the corpse? They would be killed. These Roman guards are tough fighting machines, and they only play to win. They had no intention of losing their lives, so they were going to do their job no matter what. But, the book says, despite this, Jesus escaped.

And then, after having been beaten and crucified but revived in the tomb, after getting dressed, moving the stone out of the way with his mere finger, he drop kicks the Roman guards, checks his hair and heads out for an evening of messing with people by appearing to them as a ghost. [Hughes, Preaching the Word, John, loc. cit.]

Which takes more faith?

On the other hand, there’s plenty of evidence that Jesus really did rise from the dead. No one disputes that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person who actually lived. And you can verify that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Romans in the first century AD. Those are indisputable facts. You can find that in history books outside the Bible. It’s also a known fact that Jesus’ tomb was empty. What’s the most reasonable explanation of those facts? That Jesus just passed out and then was revived by the cold air of the tomb? Given what we know about crucifixion, that takes an incredible amount of faith and trust to hold that opinion.

There are books written by eyewitness who claimed to have seen Jesus alive. They were telling everyone they could find. These guys would go on to be persecuting horrifically because they insisted on telling this news. You could not shut them up. And then, later, almost all of them died for their faith. They were captured. They were tied up and placed over a fire. They were given a chance to renounce their beliefs. Stop teaching that this Jesus is risen. They would refuse. And they would be executed. Would they have had this kind of passion, this kind of courage and bravery, if they knew the resurrection was a lie? The answer is, no sane person would do that.

So why go to all those great lengths to concoct stories that are supposedly easier to believe? Here’s the answer - we don’t want to believe.

For some, they don’t want to believe because they know that if Jesus is risen, then He must be Lord! And if He’s Lord, they know they must submit themselves to Him. And they don’t know or trust Him, so they refuse to believe. That’s the story for some people.

But there’s another story, another reason why people are skeptical.

And if you are skeptical this morning, if you’re not sure what to make of all this talk of Jesus being risen, if that’s you, I wonder if this might be the reason you’re skeptical.

You’ve been hurt.

You’ve been disappointed.

And you don’t want it to happen again.

You gave someone your trust, and they betrayed you. It was devastating to you personally, and even embarrassing, because not only did it hurt, it made you feel like a fool for ever believing. And so you close up your heart and you refuse to trust. You don’t let people in. Even the people you’ve known the most and loved the most have let you down, so why would you trust anyone — let alone God, because maybe you feel like you know Him the least.

I already said that whatever the reason why Thomas wass absent, it’s not because Thomas did not love or care about Jesus. It isn’t because Thomas wasn’t loyal to Jesus.

Earlier on in the ministry of Jesus, Jesus got news that one of His close friends was very sick. His name was Lazarus. He lived near Jerusalem in a town called Bethany. And when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he said, “Let’s go back.”

Jesus and His disciples had recently left Jerusalem because the people were trying to hurt Jesus. So when He says He wants to go back, His disciples are like, “Jesus, they tried to stone you there. Do you really wanna go back?” The disciples protest. Jesus persists. Thomas, however, does not protest. You know what Thomas says? “Let us also go, that we may die with him”.

He does not complain. He does not express fear. Thomas is motivated by duty. “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” I mean, yeah, it’s morbid, maybe pessimistic. You can hear the other disciples: “Dude, why are you such a downer?” But one thing you can’t accuse Thomas of — complaining. Thomas knows that we serve at the pleasure; Thomas knows we are soldiers of the cross and it’s ours not to ask questions but to be men and step up and do it, no matter the cost.

Thomas had given his heart to Jesus. He was all-in. And if that meant death, so be it.

And so when the disciples with great excitement crowd around Thomas, and they’re overwhelming him with joy and relief, Thomas is resistant. And when he says, to their grief, “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” (John 20:25 ESV)

Thomas, I think, was devastated by Jesus’ death. He hears reports that Jesus is risen. But Thomas does not want to give his heart to God again only to have it crushed again.

That is why Thomas was absent. And that is why Thomas is resistant. That is why Thomas says, “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” (John 20:25 ESV).

But very quickly Thomas moves from resistance to repentance.

Thomas is repentant

Eight days later, the next Sunday, Jesus’ disciples are together again. This time, Jesus comes to see them — just like last time. Except this time, Thomas is there.

We have our things we say to people when we see them. “How’s it going” “What’s up with you?” “I’m well, I hope you are.”

There’s was “peace to you.” You might think it’s just one more standard greeting — something they had to say. But not now. Jesus is risen. His death means peace in the fullest sense for everyone who will trust Him. Peace first between us and God. No more condemnation or fear. Peace with God. And then it means peace within. We’re no longer at war with God in our own heart. And that frees us to, lastly, have peace with others.

But this greeting is special. Jesus is speaking “peace” to Thomas. In fact, Jesus has come here just for Thomas. And look at what Jesus does. Jesus not only speaks peace to Thomas. Jesus makes peace with Thomas.

Jesus walks up to Thomas. Thomas has not sought this moment. Jesus has sought him. So he walks up to Thomas, with all the other disciples watching, and he does something absolutely stunning. He accommodates Thomas.

PAUSE

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe” (John 20:27 ESV).

Now, Jesus is showing Thomas grace, but Jesus is not condoning unbelief. Jesus mingles truth with grace. And the truth is, Thomas needs to have faith in Jesus. “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” The NIV says “stop doubting, and believe.” The CEV says “Stop doubting, and have faith.”

But we would ruin this whole scene if we turn this into a rebuke from Jesus intended to shame Thomas for his unbelief. Jesus is not shaming Thomas. Jesus is meeting Thomas right where Thomas is. Point for point! That’s the amazing thing, right? What was it Thomas demanded again? “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.” Really, Thomas went wrong as soon as he even said the word “unless”! Thomas made demands. Thomas placed conditions on his faith. That was wrong.

And yet, it is so important to Jesus that He win Thomas’ heart, that He gave Him exactly what He asked for.

What grace that is, friends! And that grace Jesus shows Thomas — it just melts Thomas’ heart.

“My Lord!” — Thomas says… “and my God!” (John 20:28 ESV). Thomas has come from absence, to resistance, to repentance.

Call for response

Jesus loves us individually, church. He knows us and appreciates us and cherishes us each as individuals. He wants to reassure you. He wants to free you from your fear and your shame.

He knows what’s going on with you today. He knows what’s in your heart. Those old hurts and wounds from your past that make it so hard to lean on Jesus, He sees those wounds and hurts and He wants to heal them. He will prove Himself to you. What grace is this! We don’t deserve that! We deserve hell for our unbelief. And yet, what we get is Jesus, despite our fear and unbelief!

The Holy Spirit is speaking to you this morning.

Jesus is offering Himself to you this morning. He’s inviting you to see His nail-scarred hands and His wounded side. Yes, knowing Jesus is a better Friend that we have ever imagined is wonderful. But the supreme expression of His love for you — the way you really know that He is serious about you — is knowing that He died for you.

Your sins separate you from God. The Bible says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23-24 ESV). The Bible also says “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). God doesn’t want us to be separated from him for all eternity in a real place called hell. Jesus willingly offered Himself for you, in your place, on the cross. Those scars should have been yours and they should have been mine. But for everyone who will trust Jesus as Savior, His death counts as the payment for our sins, and we can know God as Father and Jesus as friend and have eternal life.

The Bible tells us about a time in the OT when the Israelites had refused to believe God. God punished them by sending poisonous snakes into their midst. Then they cried out for help. And God told Moses to make a bronze statue of a snake on a pole. Everyone who had been struck by the snake and was dying, all they had to do was look to the snake on the pole - fix their eyes on it - and they were healed.

We all know John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But do you know what comes right before that verse? “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15 ESV).

You have to make your choice, friends. There is no middle ground between Yes, Lord and no, Lord. You can’t clean yourself up this morning. No. But you can look to Jesus.

Are you able to say honestly this morning, “I need Jesus”? “How can I begin a relationship with Him?” Jesus doesn’t require that you clean yourself up. All He wants is your heart. He wants your faith. This is your opportunity this morning. The word of God has spoken.

As our musicians pray, take time to do business with God.

Let me ask you to do one of two things this morning. If the Holy Spirit has moved upon your heart this morning, and you know if He is, I want to ask you to do two things. I want you all to bow your hands. Every head bowed. Every eye closed. And if you would say this morning, that God has met you here this morning, and you need more of Him, or maybe you would say that you want to come to Him for the first time — with no one looking, let me ask you to raise your hand. Briefly — just up and then down. That lets me know to pray for you.

All eyes open.

In front of you in the pew is a card and a pen or pencil. If you have a need this morning — any need — please write your need in the card. It’s not a gimmick. We’re not trying to get your information. Tell us as little or as much as you want. and let us know how to pray for you.

But maybe some of you need to make a public commitment this morning. Maybe it’s time to renew your commitment to Jesus. Why don’t you do that this morning?

Maybe the Holy Spirit is calling you to make a commitment by becoming a member of this church. We would love for you to do that.

Maybe others of you just know you need Jesus, either more of Him or maybe for the first time. I’m here and happy to pray for you. You can pray right where you sit. If you make a commitment to Christ this morning, please find me or one of our deacons or Shawn and tell us so that we can celebrate with you and come alongside you.

For others you’re is that you’ve committed yourself anew to Christ

We want you to come forward , let’s us know you’re not ashamed, but it also legs us know to help you