John 20 Verses 24 to 29 The Only Scars in Heaven June 25, 2023

John 20 Verses 24 to 29 The Only Scars in Heaven June 25, 2023

Class Presentation Notes AAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Hebrews 10:25 (NASB) 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another;and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

· 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NASB) 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

Main Idea: When we isolate ourselves from other believers, we miss out on God’s blessings.

Study Aim: To understand that when we consider the wounds of Jesus, we understand His love by realizing the only scars in Heaven are His.

Create Interest:

· The story of ‘doubting Thomas’ (as he is called) has inspired a lot of imagination and many guesses. Why wasn’t Thomas present on that first Easter Sunday with the other disciples? Why didn’t he believe them when they told him about the risen Jesus? What character traits go together to produce such a man? In one sense, such questions, although interesting, are really missing the point.

· John is building us towards the climax of his Gospel. This Gospel is all about recognizing who Jesus is: that He is none other than God Himself. And John sees that, when we realize who Jesus really is, new life is given. So, he concludes chapter 20by telling us why he has written the whole Gospel (v. 31).[1]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Jesus has revealed Himself on the day of his resurrection:

o To Mary,

§ John 20:18 (NASB) 18 Mary Magdalene *came, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and thatHe had said these things to her.

o To the other women,

§ Luke 24:10 (NASB) 10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

o In Luke 24:13–35, the resurrected Jesus meets with two of His disciples as they walk on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

§ The encounter occurs on the same day as the resurrection. One of the disciples is named Cleopas, but the other is not identified.

📷 The name is a short form of Cleopatros, and is likely not the same person as the Clopas in John 19:25.

📷 Tradition sometimes has assumed that Cleopas’ companion was Luke himself, who was too modest to include his own name. Other proposed possibilities include Cleopas’ wife or son, but there is not enough evidence to support any specific identification.[2]

§ The disciples do not recognize Jesus (Luke 24:16) and tell Him about the recent crucifixion of a “mighty prophet” who they had hoped would redeem Israel (Luke 24:19–21). The disciples then describe that morning’s report of the empty tomb and the angels’ announcement that Jesus is alive. In response to the disciples’ apparent skepticism, Jesus explains how the Scriptures point to the Messiah’s death and resurrection. However, the travelers still do not recognize Him.

§ When the three arrive at Emmaus, the disciples invite Jesus to stay the night and eat with them. As He blesses and breaks the bread, they recognize Him, and He vanishes. Realizing that they have just witnessed the risen Christ, the travelers hurry back to Jerusalem and report their experience to the apostles (Luke 24:33).

o To His disciples: (except Judas who hanged himself and Thomas)

§ John 20:24-25 (NASB) 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

· When they realize that the Lord is alive, they respond with joy. Their circumstances have not changed, but their attitudes are different. They have chosen to live above their circumstances.

· Unfortunately, one man is missing from the encounter, Thomas. He misses a wonderful blessing that the other disciples enjoyed. They have seen the Lord.[3] Now a week has passed (John 20:26) and we find ourselves back in the locked upper room. As you study, imagine you were there…and you were Thomas! Notice the compassion has for this soul…and for you and me😊.

Bible Study:

John 20:24-25 (NASB) 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

· Vs. 24: Thomas was nicknamed Didymus, (“Twin”) for the obvious reason that he had a twin (who does not appear in Scripture). The Synoptic Gospels mention him only in the lists of the twelve apostles; the details of his character come from John’s gospel.

· Thomas was the eternal pessimist. Like Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh stories, he was a melancholy person, with an uncanny knack for finding the dark cloud in every silver lining.

o Thomas first appearsin John’s gospel in connection with the story of the raising of Lazarus. Aghast that Jesus planned to return to the vicinity of Jerusalem, where the Jews had recently tried to kill Him (11:8), Thomas exclaimed fatalistically, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him” (v. 16).

o But Thomas’s pessimism should not be allowed to obscure his courage; though he thought the situation was hopeless, he nonetheless was willing to lay his life on the line for the Lord.

§ His love for Jesus was so strong that he would have preferred to die with Him rather than to be separated from Him.

o Thomas next appears in the upper room. Jesus had just announced His imminent departure (14:2–3) and reminded the disciples that they knew where He was going. Heartbroken that Jesus was leaving, Thomas promptly contradicted Him, saying despondently, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” (14:5), suggesting such devotion that he seemed to think it would be better to die with his Lord than to try to find Him later. Such was his love for Christ.

· It is too bad that Thomas missed the Lord’s appearance. Why was he not there? Was it due to his being negative, pessimistic, even melancholy? Was he off somewhere feeling sorry for himself because his worst fear had come true?

o Thomas may have felt alone, betrayed, forsaken. His hopes may have been crushed. The One he had loved so greatly was gone and his heart was irreparably torn.

o He may not have been in a socializing mood. Maybe being alone seemed best. He could not be in a crowd, even with his friends.[4] Open this thought up for discussion)

· Nothing is said of how the disciples reacted to any of this. No explicit confession of faith in Jesus. No report is given of how Jesus made his departure from the locked room. Instead, we learn (belatedly) that one of “the disciples” (v. 19) was not present: “Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, the one called Didymos, was not with them when Jesus came” (v. 24).

· Here, for the first time, Thomas is identified further as “one of the Twelve,” the only disciple other than Judas Iscariot (6:71) to be so identified. Why just these two, when we have reason to believe that Simon Peter, Philip, Andrew, Nathanael, and the other Judas (and perhaps “the disciple whom Jesus loved”) also belonged to “the Twelve”?

o As for Judas Iscariot, it is clear that he is so identified because even though he was “one of the Twelve,” he handed Jesus over to the Jewish authorities.

o Similarly, in the case of Thomas it appears that he is so identified because even though he was “one of the Twelve,” he was not present with the others in the locked room when Jesus appeared to them.

o This suggests that those who were gathered there in the five preceding verses were precisely “the Twelve,” still bearing that identity even after the departure of Judas (in Mt 28:16 and Mk 16:14 they are called “the Eleven”).[5]

· Vs. 25: “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

· Thomas had always thought in terms of an earthly Messiah or Savior who would make things better on this earth and in this life. He had become a follower of Jesus thinking that an earthly kingdom was to be set up and that he was to be a leader in that kingdom. He saw Jesus as the promised Messiah who was to be the Son of David, that is, to come from David’s roots. He refused to see beyond the human and physical things of this world. Therefore, he could see Jesus only as the man who was nailed to the cross and had a spear thrust into His side and was now dead.

o It is probable, however, that it was, in part, at least, the effect of deep grief, and of that despondency which fills the mind when a long-cherished hope is taken away.

§ In such a case it requires proof of uncommon clearness and strength to overcome despondency, and to convince us that we may obtain the object of our desires.

· Thomas has been much blamed by expositors, but he asked only for proof that would be satisfactory in his circumstances.

o The testimony of ten disciples should have indeed been sufficient, but an opportunity was thus given to the Savior to convince the last of them of the truth of his resurrection.

· This incident shows, what all the conduct of the apostles proves, that they had not conspired together to impose on the world. Even they were slow to believe, and one of them refused to rely even on the testimony of ten of his brethren.

o How unlike this to the conduct of men who agree to impose a story on mankind!

· Many now are unwilling to believe because they do not see the Lord Jesus, and with just as little reason as Thomas had.

o The testimony of those eleven men—including Thomas—

§ who saw Him alive after He was crucified;

§ who were willing to lay down their lives to attest that they had seen Him alive;

§ who had nothing to gain by deception, and

§ whose conduct was removed as far as possible from the appearance of deception,

📷 should be regarded as ample proof of the fact that he rose from the dead.[6]

Thoughts to soak on:

· Jesus is even more than the greatest man who ever lived. All such beliefs—no matter how highly they esteem Jesus—are false beliefs, for they see Jesus only as a man. They see Him as one of the greatest men who ever lived, but they still see Him only as a man.

· Men prefer to see Jesus only as a man because it brings Him down to their level. It makes Him less than Lord.[7]

o Matthew 16:13-14 (NASB) 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some sayJohn the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."

o Mark 6:3 (NASB) 3 "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him.

o Romans 1:21-23 (NASB) 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

John 20:26-27 (NASB) 26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then He *said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing."

· Vs. 26: The next Lord’s Day, or as John says (lit.) “eight days later” (according to ancient reckoning, which began counting with the current day), Thomas was also present in the community meeting. The liturgical emphasis on meeting the first day of each week is obviously in focus (one week after the previous first day of the week, 20:19).

· The doors were once again shut tight. The early readers of John’s Gospel must have clearly felt a kinship with the first believers since they also were a marked group of people, excluded from synagogues and undoubtedly seized and imprisoned, like the seer of Revelation, who was sent to the prison island of Patmos (Rev 1:9).

· The fear and surprise probably were similar among the group to that of the earlier appearance experience (20:19–20). Besides, the address of “peace” is most likely again included to indicate the presence of another visit in glorified body form of Jesus.

o What can be said is that these addresses of “peace” undoubtedly gave rise to the development of the “giving of peace” in the later liturgy of the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist.[8]

· Once again Jesus found his disciples behind locked doors, presumably still afraid of ‘the Jews’. Once again he greeted them, ‘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.’

o Without being told, Jesus knew of the conditions Thomas had placed upon his acceptance of the reality of his resurrection and invited him to touch him. Jesus’ resurrection body, though it could pass through locked doors, was physically real.

· It is not good to demand proof from the Lord before one will believe, but the one ‘who knew what was in a person’ met Thomas where he was, inviting him to touch the nail prints in his hands and the spear wound in his side. But He also had a word of rebuke for Thomas: ….and for us today😊….

o Vs. 27: Stop doubting and believe. Presumably, Thomas had heard the witness of Mary Magdalene and his fellow disciples, but still refused to believe.

o The Lord evidently knew the words Thomas had spoken in that room the week before. He had been a silent, unseen listener to that conversation. The Lord’s omniscience made as deep an impression on Thomas as the clear-cut evidence of the Lord’s miraculous appearance and the offered proof of nail scarred hands and riven side. Every eye in the place must have been riveted to Thomas and the Lord to see what was going to happen next.

§ But Thomas was already overwhelmed. The sight of his eyes, the evidence of his ears, was enough. He did not need to add the sense of touch. He was convinced.[9]

o Now confronted by the risen Jesus, he was rebuked for doubting and encouraged to believe. Jesus’ word to Thomas is similar to his word to the royal official who asked him to come down from Cana to Capernaum and cure his son: ‘Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders you will never believe’ (4:48).[10]

Thoughts to soak on:

Jesus knows every man's heart: his despair, doubts, fears, hope, love. He knows where and when to strike a man's heart. However, note a crucial factor: Thomas was where Jesus could reach him. He was in the presence of believers listening to their testimony. He had not shut them out despite his questions.

· John 2:25 (NASB) 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

· 1 Corinthians 3:20 (NASB) 20 and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS."

· 1 Samuel 2:3 (NASB) 3 "Boast no more so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the LORD is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed.

· Jeremiah 17:10 (NASB) 10 "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.

· John 3:18 (NASB) 18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

· “Peace be unto you” repeats vv. 19, 21. Here it is peace associated with the discernment of faith. As the Lord revealed Himself to Thomas, we should note the kinds of men to whom the Lord revealed Himself, and those from whom a sign is withheld.

o Certainly, no sign would be given to a wicked and adulterous generation (Matt 16:4).

o No truth would be revealed to those who remain “wise and prudent” (Matt 11:25).

o Most of the wise, mighty and noble are not called (1 Cor 1:26).

§ Rather the weak things of the world are susceptible to divine revelation and calling.

§ Thus, Thomas was weak in faith, but in effect the Lord would say to him, as He said unto Peter, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matt 14:31). Yet to Thomas there was the same blessing, the same manifestation of His presence, as in v. 19 to the other apostles.

· John 20:28-29 (NASB) 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus *said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed arethey who did not see, and yet believed."

· The Lord had promised that the disciples would see Him again after “a little while” (John 16:19). This was fulfilled, but for Thomas, the “little while” lasted for over a week more.

· This apostle offered no explanation for his previous absence; the Lord knew all about it in any case. He could but make the great confession, “My Lord and my God”.

o The implications of this confession “my God”; it refutes heresy that argues that the Lord Jesus was not God, for in Greek, the definite article “the” stands before “God”, namely “theGod”.

o The Lord accepted such a confession, for it was true, unlike Rev 19:10; 22:8–9where angels immediately rejected worship being offered to themselves. Paul and Barnabas did the same in Acts 14:11–18.

· In some modern translations of the NT, the Deity of Christ is minimized if not discarded. It is therefore important for believers to know those verses that openly imply the Deity of the Lord Jesus.[11]

o John 1:1 (NASB) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

o John 5:17-18 (NASB) 17 But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working." 18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

o John 10:30-33 (NASB) 30 "I and the Father are one." 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" 33 The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."

o Matthew 1:23 (NASB) 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

o Romans 9:5 (NASB) 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

o 1 Timothy 3:16 (NASB) 16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.

o Titus 2:13 (NASB) 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

o Hebrews 1:8 (NASB) 8 But of the Son He says,"YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.

o 1 John 5:20 (NASB) 20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

· “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.". Of whom is he speaking? Clearly not of those who had already received the same advantage which Thomas had now enjoyed so tardily!

o The apostles, at first, did not accept the testimony of the women, nor the voices and messages of angels, nor the objective fact of the deserted grave.

o John rebuked himself for not knowing that the Christ must rise from the dead, whether he should have personal visual evidence of it or not; and he blamed himself for not believing throughout the earthly ministry of Christ that “the Holy One could not see corruption.”

o Still, the fact was obvious, that not until the disciples saw the Lord were they glad. Even in their gladness there was the mingling of surprise and disbelief. To whom, then, did the blessedness apply?

§ Surely, first of all to the multitudes of loving, waiting souls, who were prepared by their reverence and the new life given to them, and by the bewildering rumors of the Easter week, to believe in the Divine necessity of the Resurrection.

§ Christ told the disciples, on their way to Emmaus, that they were foolish and dull of heart in not accepting all that the prophets bad spoken.

📷 Before the final assurance given by their identification of his Person, he persuaded them to accept his statements, and believe in all that he was, including the fact of his resurrection.

📷 Whether they should ever have more convincing evidence or not, they were bound to believe that the suffering Messiah was, in the very nature of things, and by Divine necessity, Victor of death, and must see the effort of his soul. [12]

Thoughts to Soak On:

· What about us? The evidence is still just as substantive, just as palpable, just as clear. “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’ ” (v. 29).

o We can be part of that blessed company. It is not a ship of fools.

o We have the prophetic Scriptures to confirm our faith, not the least of which is Psalm 22.

o We have the testimony of resurrected lives.

o We have the Word of God itself.

· The Lord pronounced a final beatitude on those who do not see and yet believe. We have great joy now and will someday share in the likeness of his resurrection.

· In the words of Joni Eareckson Tada, “I know the meaning of that now. It’s the time after my death when I’ll be on my feet dancing.”[13]

John 20:30-31 (NASB) 30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

· To my readers: Soak on those last two verses and commit to God that you will share His love with all with whom you come in contact.

Grace and peace 😊

[1]Andrew Paterson, Opening Up John’s Gospel, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2010), 181–182. [2]John D. Barry et al., eds., “Cleopas,” The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016). [3]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from John, vol. 2, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2006), 357. [4]John F. MacArthur Jr., John 12–21, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008), 384–385. [5]J. Ramsey Michaels, The Gospel of John, The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 1015. [6]Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Luke & John, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 378. [7]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Gospel according to John, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004), 389. [8]Gerald L. Borchert, John 12–21, vol. 25B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002), 313. [9]John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of John: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Jn 20:27. [10]Colin G. Kruse, John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 4, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 378–379. [11]John Heading, John, What the Bible Teaches (John Ritchie Ltd., 2000), 331. [12]H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., St. John, vol. 2, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 479. [13]R. Kent Hughes, John: That You May Believe, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999), 458–459.