‘So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe… Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands”’ (John 20:25-27).
Thomas was quite sure about it: ‘I want to see Jesus first; only then will I believe that He is alive.’ Jesus went out of His way to meet Thomas.
Eight days after their first encounter with the risen Christ, the disciples were gathered together again. And this time, Thomas was also present. Once again, Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst. Jesus’ resurrection was a physical occurrence. He appeared in human form, ate in front of His disciples and could be touched. At the same time, He was clothed in heavenly glory and no longer subject to earthly limitations. He could suddenly ‘show up’ anywhere at any time.
Jesus invited Thomas to touch his wounds and have faith. Thomas did not get a sermon on the dangers of unbelief. Rather, he received a summons to believe. Perhaps, in moments of uncertainty, fear, sadness or doubt, you too sometimes wonder: Is Jesus truly alive and really present? How nice it would be to be able to see Jesus with your own eyes, so as to have no doubt about His presence. Jesus said once: ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe, all those people who will not see me physically and yet believe that I am there’. We may trust that the words of the Bible and the testimony of other believers are true and certain.
Have you ever experienced Jesus reaching out to you in moments when you doubted His presence? What would you like to say to Him today as a result of this lesson?