May 6, 2020
Are You a Doubting Thomas?
John 20:19-31
Rick Black
Central Truth
The Bible is God's Word to inform and instruct our lives (2 Timothy 3:16). We are all born to sin, but God provided a rescue plan for us to be reconciled to Him through His Son Jesus. We are saved through grace by faith and have life in Jesus (John 14:6).
Key Verse | John 20:31
[B]ut these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:19-31
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, 1 20:19 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time Jesus came and stood among them 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 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending 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 withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Jesus and Thomas
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, 2 20:24 Greek Didymus was not with them when Jesus came. 25 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.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of This Book
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Dive Deeper | John 20:19-31
Are you a Doubting Thomas? Man, I sure am. When I lean on my own understanding and pursue what seems right to Rick, it leads to even more doubt and destruction. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." But when we trust in Christ, study the Word of our loving Father, and come to Him in prayer, He uses the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts.
Think about the disciples and all they had witnessed being with Jesus, including Jesus saying that He was going away and would return with a "helper." (John 14:15-31) Yet, we find the disciples locked in a room, scared, and uncertain.
Let's pause here to back up the tape. I can see the preceding events all going down differently. Imagine it is the last scene of the movie. Jesus is on the cross, and it looks like all hope for a miraculous recovery is lost. But then God intervenes to save Him. The wicked are struck down, victory is won—the happy ending. As much as that would make sense to me and my understanding, that is not what happened. There is no triumphant defeat of the wicked and no saving of our hero. But wait, it's not over. The screen flickers back to life with vibrant color. The stone is rolled away, and the grave is empty. There was a triumphant victory—Jesus is risen, and sin has been defeated.
Man, I'm so glad God didn't go with my version. Because what seemed right to me (and probably the disciples) in a vision of victory on the cross at that moment would not have provided the true victory that God was achieving. Sin had to be overcome. That is why Jesus died for all of our sins to reconcile us to a perfect and Holy God.
God's Word is written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you believe that the Bible is God's Word? If so, are you reading it daily? Why or why not? If you are not sure that the Bible is God's Word and you have questions, or if you have doubts, check out Great Questions at the Watermark Dallas campus on Monday nights.
2. During my early 20s, when I doubted myself and God the most in my life, God continued to pursue me and extend grace over my brokenness. I prayed for Jill during that time, and God united us soon thereafter. We have been married for 20 years now. Can you look back at your own life and see God's grace during tough times?
3. John 20:31 says "that by believing you may have life in his name." Do you now have eternal and internal peace that comes from following Jesus? Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36a) Where is your kingdom? Is it based on the perspective of eternity with Jesus? Do you feel the internal peace from reading God's Word, praying, having an eternal perspective, and participating in community with believers despite all external circumstances? Talk to your community group about your understanding of eternal and internal peace.