dev176

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.  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.”

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.”  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.”  Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus said^* to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

John 20:24-29

The more I reflect about the above verses concerning Thomas, the more I am amazed at the transition that takes place upon seeing Jesus. The man whom Thomas had been following for the past three years died on a cross. Indeed, Thomas had seen Jesus perform all kinds of miracles, from feeding the five thousand to raising the dead, but upon seeing Jesus’ bloody corpse, he had lost hope. In his despair he denied belief in the resurrection even though all of the other disciples were testifying to the fact. He needed to feel the wounds of the risen Christ to believe.

Be careful what you wish for. Thomas received a visit from Jesus, and was called on his bluff. Here was Jesus in radiant flesh showing off his wounds by which he redeemed humanity, and Thomas was invited to touch them. At this moment we see an incredible change, for the words that Thomas exclaims show that his belief concerning the person of Jesus had undergone a drastic transformation. The One he formerly considered dead he now pronounced as His Lord and His God.

This is not a small thing that Thomas has said. Thomas was a Jew, and Jews had been commanded to have no other gods other than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet what we see here is not a rebellion from Thomas’ Judaism; rather, it is a proclamation that declares that the God of the Hebrews and Jesus are in fact the same Being. He understood that the resurrected man that stood before him was the same Person that created the heavens and the earth. In a glance Thomas changed from thinking he had been following a dead rabbi to confessing the deity of Christ.

How does Jesus respond? Does he shush Thomas and say that He is not God? Does He scold him for committing idolatry? Not at all. He blesses him and confirms the accuracy of his belief. Jesus claimed to be more than an angel, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses say, and more than a prophet, as the Muslims say; His affirmation of Thomas’ bold declaration shows that He is claiming to be One with Yahweh. The word became flesh. His flesh was broken. His flesh was resurrected.

                                                                                                                     

Blessed are you who believe without seeing His wounds.