Jesus says to him, Because thou hast seen me thou hast believed blessed they who have not seen and have believed.
Thomas has touched the proofs he demanded and confessed his risen Master. The Lord answers with a blessing that reaches past that room to everyone who would believe later. His words weigh two kinds of faith: one that waits for evidence, and one that rests on a word.
The Lord does not scold Thomas, yet neither does He hold him up as the model. Commentators note that sight produced this confession, true as it was, and that this marks its limit:
Some have thought that the faith of Thomas here rises far above that of all the other disciples, and that nothing higher in testimony ever came from apostolic lips. This opinion, though common, cannot be founded on the general context. Christ, in reply to Thomas, pronounces those more blessed who did not see, and yet believed. It can hardly be called even Christian faith, as our Lord hints. Christian faith is believing in Him whom we have not seen — walking by faith, not by sight.
If sight is not the ground, what is? One writer separates faith built on evidence from faith built on Scripture. He warns how little the first can do:
To "see and believe" therefore falls wholly short of what the work of God gives; just as traditional faith or evidence answers to it now in Christendom. It is human. It leaves the conscience uncleansed and the heart without communion... Faith, to be of value and have power, rests not on sight or inference, but on Scripture... The faith that is founded on evidences may strengthen a person against Deism, Pantheism or Atheism. But it never gave remission of sins, never led one to cry, "Abba, Father," never filled the heart with His grace and glory.
Believing without proof is no poorer arrangement. It honours God:
We can render to God no tribute that is more welcome to Him than taking Him fully and simply at His word without asking for any confirmation by sight or by feeling.
He speaks the blessing over people not yet born. Writers tie them to believers of today, while the Lord is away:
The Lord does own the faith of Thomas. But He adds, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." This is the blessed portion of those who form Christ's assembly during the time of His absence, as the apostle Peter can say, "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory" (1 Peter 1:8).
One writer reads the whole scene as a sketch of God's dealings, with Thomas standing for Israel in the last days:
Thomas's doubts disappear. It is the expression, in this remarkable summary of God's dealings, of the position of the Jewish remnant in the last days. They will believe when they see Him, and Jesus makes the difference between believers who have not seen Him — our position — and those who will believe when they see Him. The blessing rests upon us. Thomas's confession, true and right as it was, shows, it seems to me, the Jewish position... The testimony of the others will not have convinced them. They will see and look on Him whom they have pierced.
Both groups are real believers, and both are happy; the difference is where the Lord places His special approval:
The latter order or character is that of today, for we "walk by faith, not by sight." The former order is that of the future — the day of the coming of the Lord, when every eye will see Him... Both classes are happy and privileged, but the Lord, by His words to Thomas, has placed a special mark of approval and favour on those who believe on Him during the time of His absence.
This blessing is not vague believing. It has a content — who the wounded Man in that room really is:
Happy Thomas, yet happier are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Believed what? That the One who bears in His body the wounds He received on the cross of Golgotha is none other than the Eternal Word, by whom all things were made. He is our Lord Jesus Christ.
We may wish we had stood in that room. One writer answers that wish:
We can easily imagine what a wonderful thing it was to have looked on Him and to have heard Him. But no thinking believer need hesitate to say this: we have far more of Himself in and by the word than if we had seen and heard Him all through His life and ministry on earth without that word.
- Sight — Thomas believed because he saw. His confession was true, yet the Lord does not call him blessed for it.
- Word — the faith Christ calls blessed rests on Scripture, not on evidence. Taking God at His word is a tribute He welcomes.
- Blessing — He speaks that blessing over believers of today, who love and rejoice in a Lord they have never seen.
- Reach — Thomas pictures those who believe only when they look on the pierced One. The blessing rests on those who believe while He is unseen.
- Result — believing without seeing is no second best. Through the word we have more of Christ than eyes alone could give.
Many other signs therefore also Jesus did before his disciples, which are not written in this book;
John pauses here, just after Thomas has seen and believed. He tells us that the book we have been reading is a selection. Jesus did far more than John wrote down. So why keep these works and leave the rest out?
This note comes right after the Lord met Thomas at the point of his doubt. That placing shapes what follows. One writer sees the whole book as God's provision for everyone who could never stand in that room:
No doubt this was a fitting moment here to pause and thus to speak. The unbelief of a believer — yes, of an apostle — gave the occasion. The Lord stooped to meet and receive His erring servant. He did it by the visible tokens and the tangible proofs that servant had foolishly insisted on... It was a priceless favour to have seen the things the disciples saw. It is better still to believe without seeing. And grace would provide for those who in the nature of things could not see, that they might hear and live. Hence the writing of this precious book.
The verse calls these works signs. A sign points past the power to the Person behind it.
The character of this Gospel is plainly significant, it being a record of signs which Jesus did, so manifesting His glory, that is, declaring His real character.
Because that is what a sign is for, the dispensational lessons drawn from each miracle are never the main thing:
The miracles recorded in this Gospel have the character of signs. Whatever dispensational features come before us in them, and they are rich in such instruction, let us always remember that their prime intent is to engage us with, and so show us, the glory of our Lord.
"Many other signs" means the written ones come from a much larger number. The choice was not the writer's preference but the Holy Spirit's design:
Here the Evangelist, as he sometimes does, breaks off the divine story for a moment. He says a few words about the gracious way of the Saviour in the abundance of signs, or meaningful miracles, that filled His ministry here on earth. He also speaks of the purpose of blessing the Holy Spirit had in view. The Spirit selected from that countless crowd the signs most suitable for permanent testimony to God's grace.
That same writer adds a reason for the restraint. God did not overwhelm us: "God graciously selects some signs out of many, in the considerate goodness which knows exactly what we can bear."
Older English translations start the verse with "And many other signs." That wording can suggest extra signs added on top of the recorded ones. The Greek reads a little differently:
The Authorised Version may have led some into a mistaken conclusion here, or confirmed them in it. "And many," and so on, is not quite a correct rendering. Word for word it is the familiar "Many and other signs," that is, "Many other signs."
He also notes that "his" before "disciples" is added by many copies, but not the oldest or best — hence the plainer reading "in the presence of the disciples."
What was left out is not lost. One writer thinks the unwritten works were not simply too many. They were beyond words:
If these things have not been written in the Scriptures for us to read and know in this mortal life, their record is still on high. We shall surely know them when we reach the glory of God. Some may say that these things were too many to be written. That may be so. But I prefer to think of them as beyond searching out. They are so infinitely blessed in their nature and character that no words of men could describe them... What is written is enough. It gives us the full knowledge of God and fullness of joy in that revelation.
A short record is not a poor record. One writer sees the brevity as God's wisdom, not as loss:
Even where writers were inspired, God did not preserve everything they wrote. He kept only what was essential to the plan and purpose of the Bible... One chapter more than God's purpose required would have spoiled the Bible. There is not a word too much. But there is not a word too little.
The result is a book small in size and vast in worth:
His reported history is very short. In the four Gospels it takes up far less space than many biographies of ordinary men of the world. Yet what He did was all of living, eternal, pure value. It far outshines everything the combined energy of all mankind has ever produced.
- Many. The Lord did far more signs than John recorded; the Gospel never claims to be a complete life of Jesus.
- Selected. The Holy Spirit chose from that countless crowd the signs fit to stand as permanent testimony. He chose in kindness, knowing what we can bear.
- Signs. Each recorded miracle is more than power on display. It declares who He really is.
- Enough. What is left out is not lost — its record is on high. What is written is enough for full knowledge of God and fullness of joy.
- Perfect. Not a word too much, not a word too little. God gave this short book so that those who could never see, as Thomas did, might still hear and live.
but these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life in his name.
Near its close, John's Gospel stops to state its own purpose. It records only part of what Jesus did — so why these signs, and what are they meant to do in the reader?
Jesus did far more signs than the ones written down. What we have is a chosen sample, picked with the reader in mind — including people who could never see for themselves.
It was a priceless favour to have seen the things the disciples saw. It is better still to believe without seeing. And grace would provide for those who by the very nature of things could not see, that they might hear and live. So this precious book was written. It was to be a witness to Jesus; it was to be known and read by everyone... God graciously selects some signs out of many, in the considerate goodness which knows exactly what we can bear.
The verse names something to believe and something that follows from believing. The order is not accidental.
The first of all divine claims is to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The first of all blessed results is to have life in His name.
Another writer states the sequence:
This is the right order, the Saviour first, then from Him and in Him the salvation.
The verse gives Jesus two titles. One points back to prophecy; the other goes further.
Two reasons he had for writing, and he tells us both here. First, that his readers might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus, then, the One he writes about, was the theme of prophecy, the true Messiah — and further, He is the Son of God, truly divine, yet really human as well. Second, John wrote so that, believing, they might have life in His name.
Faith cannot rest on miracles alone. The signs are there to show who He is.
The apostle adds here that he wrote to awaken and encourage faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. He wrote so that people might have life in His name. For this purpose he had not attempted an impossible account of all the signs that Jesus had done. These were countless. And a faith built only on miracles is not enough (John 2:23-25). His aim had been to let the divine glory of the Lord appear. Then His name — the display of Himself — might prove its power to do this, as it alone could.
Another writer unpacks both halves of the verse:
"That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God" — that you may commit yourself to Him without reserve. "That by believing you may have life in His name" — that you may understand that He makes you a sharer in His risen life before the Father.
The verse ties life to believing, with nothing in between. So when does a person receive it?
When does he get this life? The very moment he believes. "By believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31). The truth about Christ is the seed of eternal life, and when that truth is believed, life is given.
John wrote the Gospel for one purpose and his first letter for another.
In his Gospel he writes to everyone. He sets out the things that Jesus did and said to bring conviction "that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God," so that by believing they might have life through His name (John 20:31). In the letter he writes to those to whom the Son has made known the Father's name. He shows them what the life eternally with the Father is like, so that they may not just have the life, but understand it from the inside (chapter 5:13).
- Written — the Gospel is a selection, not a full record. God chose signs that suit what we can take in, so people who never saw Jesus could hear and live.
- Believe — the first thing asked for is faith in a Person. Jesus is the Christ promised by the prophets, and the Son of God, divine and truly human.
- Life — the result follows the claim. The Saviour comes first, then salvation from Him and in Him.
- His name — the name is the display of Himself. Faith resting on miracles alone is not enough; the signs are there to show His glory.
- Now — God gives life the moment a person believes the truth about Christ. The Gospel brings people to that life; the letter helps believers understand it from the inside.