“He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” John 20: 27
Humans like to know what is going on. And they like to see it with their own eyes.
When my husband and I got our first high-efficiency washing machine with auto-sensing water fill, we did not trust the machine to put enough water in the tub to wash the clothes well. We chose the deep-fill mode a few times. And even when we finally tried auto-sensing mode, we kept pausing and peeking to see how much water it was dispensing. After several successful washings, we stopped doubting and chose to believe. We saw the results with our own eyes.
Thomas is a disciple who illustrates this principle. After Jesus’ resurrection, he proved his miraculous act by visiting the disciples and showing them the injuries from his crucifixion. However, Thomas was not present. And when he heard the details of Jesus’ visit, the word of his friends was not enough for him to believe. He wanted to see the scars for himself. (John 20: 19-25)
One week later, Jesus returned to the disciples and the first thing he did was show Thomas his nail-pierced hands and the hole in his side. Then, Thomas believed. (John 20: 26-29)
This story is often presented as a lesson is deepening our faith, compelling us to believe even when we haven’t seen. But as we “see” both Jesus and Thomas in this passage, we discover more about how God works to lead us to believe more deeply in him and how our responses to God create a faith where we can see him more often.
Jesus’ appearance to Thomas brings a loving comfort to my heart. Jesus gave Thomas what he wanted or perhaps what he needed in order for him to believe. Jesus knew Thomas’ heart and understood his pressing demand to see before he would accept the truth. That’s how God is. He is willing to show himself if we are willing to look.
If we focus on Thomas more closely, we don’t see a whiner who wanted things to go his way; we see a dedicated disciple who shows us some important actions for activating our own faith.
1. Thomas knew what he wanted. In John 20:25, Thomas was very specific about what he wanted to see. The “nail marks in his hands” and the hole “in his side” were quite familiar to Thomas because he had been there. He had witnessed the brutal death of his friend. For the past three years he spent time with Jesus developing a relationship and learning more about who Jesus was. He wasn’t going to just let that go and believe without observing the cruelty his friend had faced.
Do we know Jesus well enough to ask specifically for what we want? Are we aware enough of Jesus’ presence that we recognize him when we see him? Knowing Jesus is a first step in faith.
2. Thomas had a strong desire to believe. This quality is not always easy to see on the surface, but God knows our inner beings, the desires of our hearts, even better than we do. Something in Thomas’ spirit conveyed an inside urgency to know the truth. God appeased his need to believe.
How strong is your desire to believe? What inner urgencies drive your curiosity about God? Let God scan the inner regions of your soul and appease your need to believe.
3. Thomas was willing to wait. Jesus did not visit again for one week, so Thomas had to wait. He didn’t waver in his request or cave into a chorus of complaints. He let life continue and waited. Waiting is a form of trusting God. God has a perfect timing for all actions upon this earth. When we accept God’s course of events, life holds more peace. And we never wait alone. God is there in our waiting moments.
God’s greatest desire is that his children would believe; believe in who he is and what he can do. And through Thomas we can believe that God will do what it takes to help us believe.
Reaching in (allowing God’s word to work in our lives): Read through Thomas’ story in John 20: 19-29 carefully and see how Thomas was led to believe.
Reaching out (taking God’s word into the world): Believe that God wants to show himself to you and look for him in your life this week.
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