24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
Ever had hope turn cynically skeptical? What was banked on when hope birthed in the heart – what was perhaps believed to be a given - in a swift blinking of an eye becomes dashed to pieces without even a shard of hope remaining. Indeed, the Proverb is True:
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Prov 13:12 (NIV)
Thomas – one of our Lord’s twelve – had been absent on Christ’s first appearance to His disciples. Excitedly and overwhelmingly amazed, those present told him they had seen the Lord. Those who by faith have experienced the Lord’s presence and tasted that He is indeed good should be faithful to tell others what God has done for their souls. The imperfect tense of the word translated “told” indicates their continual activity. The others had not only told Thomas but had repeatedly told Thomas of the Lord’s resurrection.
We have no idea why Thomas had not been with the others when Jesus came – we only know that he missed out on the earlier blessing – shut out and empty in the cold chill of unbelief while the others were warmed and filled. When we forsake the assembling together of the saints we are the certain losers. We little know how dependent our spiritual health is tied to this – sermons and prayers and praise and fellowship are precious to our souls and how very much we suffer if we miss this blessed medicine. The writer of Hebrews warns us:
25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Heb 10:25 (NIV)
Thomas’ unbelief stands as a strong indirect evidence of the divine inspiration of the Scriptures and the genuine honesty of the Gospel writers. A dishonest imposter would never have written of the unbelief of a chosen Apostle – the transparency of both their weaknesses and strengths is abundantly evident throughout the Gospels. The Apostles wore garments of flesh just like us. In Scripture we are given hope as we constantly see Christ’s mercy and grace shown to sinful and dull people in order to encourage us to grab hold of His feet in repentance as well.
“Observe the truthfulness of the disciples. They hide no faults, either their own or others; but record them with great veracity.” Chrysostom
We must observe also the unbelief that Thomas expressed as being a sad fault in a good man and cannot be explained away. Refusing to believe what all the other ten disciples – his ten true friends and brethren - had repeatedly testified with great assurance to him; refusing to remember Jesus’ own Word to him before His crucifixion; refusing to listen to those who had no purpose in deceiving him – Thomas passionately declares that he will not believe unless he himself touches the Lord’s body. He therefore presumes to prescribe conditions for his faith – tying up his faith to the evidence touched by his hands and seen with his eyes – either he will be humored in this and have this desire gratified or he would not believe. All this was very sad and very sinful. Thomas’ case demonstrates how depression and doubt influences us to say things of which later we are deeply ashamed of. We should take heed to this and speak little when under the influence of such temperaments until we are able to align our thoughts properly on things above.
“After all, the case of Thomas is not an uncommon one. Some people are so strangely constituted that they distrust everybody, regard all men as liars, and will believe nothing except they can see it all, and work it all out for themselves. They have a rooted dislike to receive anything on trust, or from the testimony of others, and must always go over the ground for themselves. In people of this kind, though they know it not, there is often a vast amount of latent pride and self-conceit; and it is almost ludicrous to observe how entirely they forget that the business of daily life could never go on, if we were always doubting everything which we could not see for ourselves. Nevertheless they exist in the Church, and always will exist; and the case of Thomas shows what trouble they bring on themselves.” John Charles Ryle
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 (NIV)