That You May Believe!

John 20:19-31

The Apostles Commissioned

19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Seeing and Believing

24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord."

So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

That You May Believe

30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Jesus rose Himself from the grave and met His followers afterwards, appearing in the room with closed doors.  This surprise visit was seemingly impossible but all they heard was the Lord reassuring them with the words, “Peace (be) with you,” (Εἰρήνη Peace ὑμῖν with you) as He displayed the nail scarred hands and spear hole in His side from His crucifixion to them to prove it was He who died and had risen from death to life.  He proved the resurrection to give them hope that He was able to raise them as promised in the last Day when He will return for them to bring them forever before the Father’s presence in the mansions prepared for them.  They were therefore exceedingly glad at this news and proof given before their very eyes in such a supernatural way.  He then told them to go ahead with the gospel of the kingdom of God and heaven as He had initially done with them.  They were to carry on the work of the kingdom in His name and with the presence of God to come in them beginning soon at Pentecost.  They would receive the Holy Spirit permanently then and offer forgiveness from sin in His name for salvation in reconciling them in the body of His death proven by His rising back to life from the grave.  Thomas was not there and refused to believe the eyewitness testimony of the other disciples when they told him plainly that they had seen the Lord.  Only when personally confronted with the presence of Jesus which he could touch the wounds shown them would he believe; blessed are those who do not see and yet believe (John 6:40, 20:29, 1 Peter 1:8) by trusting faith in His word as the only saving work (John 6:29) given to us!  We then exclaim, “My Lord and my God!” with these first believers in this certain hope that cannot ever disappoint (Romans 5:5).  This account and the rest of the scriptures have been written “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”  Trust Him.  Only trust Him.  The Jesus Christ at His word and receive Him because of His word proven by the sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection by His own will as proof of our hope springing eternal.  We only then have the peace with God that Romans 5:1-2 speaks of which we can never lose (John 10:28-29) or have taken away (Isaiah 43:13) from us.  These words were written that you may believe and receive Jesus Christ the Son of God for this hope.  This is true life (1 John 5:20) that never ends.