What did Jesus say to Thomas?

A week after the disciples were again within, and Thomas this time with them. No one, that we are aware of, was expecting a fresh appearance of Christ. They were gathered there, a company apart from their countrymen, but not on the Sabbath, with objects and interests widely different from them and, conscious of the world's enmity, they met again with closed doors. A second time the Lord came, and stood in their midst. Saluting them afresh with "Peace be to you," He addressed Himself directly to Thomas: "Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing" (27). Why such a pointed address to Thomas? No one had seen the Lord as visibly present, when Thomas gave utterance to his unbelief. No one of the rest had told the Lord about it. Of that we may be sure. But He knew it. He had heard the words of His disciple, and now made Thomas aware of it. Unperceived by human vision, He sees, He hears, He knows all that goes on. He walks, so we read (Rev. 2:1), in the midst of the golden candlesticks. Thomas now needed nothing more. He did not, it would seem, touch the Lord, nor probe the wound which the spear had made. It was, indeed, the crucified One that He beheld. What could he say? But few words escaped his lips, just two in Aramaic, "My Lord and my God." He was his Lord whom he had known before the cross. He was his God, for He had heard the unbelieving remarks of His Apostle. After that Thomas must have relapsed into silence. But the Lord again spoke: "Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

"And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace to you. Then He saith to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and see My hands, and reach thy hand, and put (it) into My side, and be not unbelieving, but believing. Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith to him, Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed; blessed are those that saw not and believed" (verses 26-29).

The third time was after the resurrection. [John 20.] He was absent when the Lord appeared the first time to the disciples. When they told him that they had seen the Lord, he obstinately refused to believe what they said. From what he says, we may fairly gather, that he had seen the Lord on the cross, and that the overwhelming sight had produced a deep impression on his mind. "Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe." The following Lord's day, when the disciples were assembled, Jesus appeared, and stood in the midst of them — His own place as the centre of the assembly. He again saluted them in the same words of peace, "Peace be unto you." But He at once turned to Thomas, as if he had been the main object of His appearing that day. "Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side; and be not faithless, but believing." The effect on Thomas was immediate: all his doubts were removed, and in true orthodox faith he exclaimed, "My Lord and my God." "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

Some have thought that the faith of Thomas in this instance rises far above all the other disciples, and that nothing higher in testimony ever dropped from apostolic lips. This opinion, though a common one, cannot be founded on the general context. Christ, in reply to Thomas, pronounces those more blessed who saw not, and yet believed. It can scarcely be called even Christian faith, as our Lord evidently hints. Christian faith is believing in Him whom we have not seen — walking by faith, not by sight.

Should any one therefore be tempted to say, Is it possible that the Lord should be in the midst of His people when gathered now unto His name? the doubt is anticipated by this striking record of His presence in the midst of His disciples on the first day of the week. It meets, indeed, a greater difficulty and a more subtle danger. One might be inclined in unbelief to object, If now we could see Him with our eyes as they did, then we could receive it. The Lord knew the weakness and the subtlety of our poor feeble hearts, and thus in tender love has provided for this snare. One of the disciples, Thomas, "was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe" (v. 25). Eight days after, all, including Thomas, were once more assembled, and, as on the former occasion, "came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith He to Thomas" (for He had heard every word which Thomas had uttered), "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." Thomas, overwhelmed by His tender grace, and the sense of his own sinfulness, could only exclaim, "My Lord and my God." Thereupon "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed" (vv. 24-29). Thus the Lord had those in view (without entering now into the application of this scene to the conversion of the Jewish remnant, when they shall by-and-by look on Him whom they have pierced) who should believe through the word of His disciples, and pronounces their greater blessedness. And this blessedness is ours; for though we see Him not, we believe that, according to His own word, He is in our midst when gathered unto His name.

Should any one therefore be tempted to say, Is it possible that the Lord should be in the midst of His people when gathered now unto His name? the doubt is anticipated by this striking record of His presence in the midst of His disciples on the first day of the week. It meets, indeed, a greater difficulty and a more subtle danger. One might be inclined in unbelief to object, If now we could see Him with our eyes as they did, then we could receive it. The Lord knew the weakness and the subtlety of our poor feeble hearts, and thus in tender love has provided for this snare. One of the disciples, Thomas, "was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe" (v. 25). Eight days after, all, including Thomas, were once more assembled, and, as on the former occasion, "came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith He to Thomas" (for He had heard every word which Thomas had uttered), "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." Thomas, overwhelmed by His tender grace, and the sense of his own sinfulness, could only exclaim, "My Lord and my God." Thereupon "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed" (vv. 24-29). Thus the Lord had those in view (without entering now into the application of this scene to the conversion of the Jewish remnant, when they shall by-and-by look on Him whom they have pierced) who should believe through the word of His disciples, and pronounces their greater blessedness. And this blessedness is ours; for though we see Him not, we believe that, according to His own word, He is in our midst when gathered unto His name.

Thomas was not with the disciples on the first Lord's Day, but when they came together again he came with them, but it was with a cold and unbelieving heart. How will the Lord bring that stubborn, faithless disciple, who would believe nothing that he could not feel or see, into a right frame of mind? He brings him into contact with His wounded body: "Come hither, Thomas," He says; "reach hither thy hand. Behold the wounds in My hands. Thrust thy hand into My side, and be not faithless but believing." It was as though He said, "Those wounds were for you. Come near to them, Thomas, see what My love has done for you. Do not doubt Me. Do not stand coldly by with heart of stone. I want you near to Me to know what I have suffered for you. Be not faithless but believing." This has something to say, surely, to each individual heart. Are you a backslider? If you have become cold, if Divine things have lost their lustre and reality to you, if a distance has come in between you and the Lord, what do you need? You need to come afresh into the realization of what Jesus suffered for you. You need to reach forth your hand afresh and come into contact with His wounded hands and His side. Say, "The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me," and it will bring you where it brought Thomas, prostrate on his face at his Master's feet. It will make you cry as he cried, "My Lord and my God!"

Oh! the tender pity and grace of our Lord. On that second first day of the week the disciples were again together, and the dismal, disputing Thomas with them, and for his sake, it would seem, the Lord appeared to them that day. I can imagine Thomas, shrinking behind his brethren at the sight of Him; drawing away with wonder and fear. But looking upon him with pity, and stretching out His hands to him in entreaty, He said to him, “Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless but believing.”

There might have been none others there for twice did the Lord address him by name. He discovered that the very thoughts of his heart were all known by his Lord. The unbelief that was so dishonouring to Him, sinful unbelief, He knew, and yet those wounds in His incorruptible body were the mute though eloquent witnesses to the fact that He whom Thomas had seen crucified had taken His life again. The scales fell from his eyes, his heart cast off its unbelief, the glory of the only begotten Son burst upon his astonished soul, and falling prostrate before Him he cried, “ MY LORD AND MY GOD .”

Oh! the tender pity and grace of our Lord. On that second first day of the week the disciples were again together, and the dismal, disputing Thomas with them, and for his sake, it would seem, the Lord appeared to them that day. I can imagine Thomas, shrinking behind his brethren at the sight of Him; drawing away with wonder and fear. But looking upon him with pity, and stretching out His hands to him in entreaty, He said to him, "Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless but believing."

There might have been none others there for twice did the Lord address him by name. He discovered that the very thoughts of his heart were all known by his Lord. The unbelief that was so dishonouring to Him, sinful unbelief, He knew, and yet those wounds in His incorruptible body were the mute though eloquent witnesses to the fact that He whom Thomas had seen crucified had taken His life again. The scales fell from his eyes, his heart cast off its unbelief, the glory of the only begotten Son burst upon his astonished soul, and falling prostrate before Him he cried, "MY LORD AND MY GOD."

"And after eight days again the disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be to you." Again the closed doors did not keep Him from His disciples, and what a cheer His salutation must have given them, but this visit seems to have been specially for Thomas, for He addressed Him twice. He looked upon him with pity and met his unbelief with infinite grace; He showed him that He knew the very thoughts of his heart and had heard his stubborn words to his brethren during the week that had passed. Stretching out His hands to him in entreaty He said to him, "Reach hither thy fingers and behold My hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into My side; and be not faithless but believing." What a revelation of the Lord's grace was this, showing that no matter what the condition of soul His disciples might be in He was equal to it. He appeared first to Mary, for she loved much and had the first claim and He filled her desolate heart with a joy that no man could take from her, and last of all he appeared to Thomas, and there could not be a greater contrast than that between Mary and Thomas, and He drove from his heart its sinful unbelief. And the grace that He showed then abides for us to this day.

Thomas could doubt no more; those wounds in that incorruptible body were the eloquent witnesses that the One whom he had seen crucified but twelve days ago had taken His life again. The glory of the only begotten Son burst upon his astonished soul and falling prostrate before Him he cried, "My Lord and my God."

The Lord then addresses Thomas and says: "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God" (John 20:27-28). He is bowed in worship. He really becomes a worshipper at this moment. He had said, "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe" (John 20:25). This leads the Lord to add now, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29). These blessed ones I understand to mean the individuals who compose the Church of God at the present moment, while the Lord is absent.