We are one week removed from the celebration of our risen savior Jesus. It was a wonderful celebration, not just for our church but also for the global church as a whole. Easter Sunday is a great representation of what the disciples got to celebrate when they encountered Jesus 2000 years ago. The only difference is that the disciples actually knew Jesus, lived with Him, dined with Him, walked with Him, talked with Him, witnessed Him perform miracles and other things. And in an instant He was gone.
I believe that the encounter the disciples had with Jesus meant so much more than we can ever realize. Its not just about what took place on that Easter Sunday, it is also because of what happened eight days later.
Let’s dive into the text.
Jesus has risen from the grave that Sunday morning. Jesus revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene, Mary (mother of James), Salome, and other women, and to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. These were all special encounters that gave hope and life to each disciple that saw Him. Each encounter ends with worship and amazement.
That evening, the rest of the
disciples (minus Thomas) were locked in a room in a home in Jerusalem. Many
scholars believed it was the same upper room they were in with Jesus the last
time they were together with Him. Not sure, but it makes sense:
•
They already knew
the location
•
The room was
large enough to hold everyone
• It had also become a familiar meeting place
So just imagine, they are all
together (the core disciples and the other followers who were with them)
upstairs in a private home. The doors are shut tight, locked, windows likely
covered and carefully watched. They were all here because they were afraid,
confused, and uncertain. They were all trying to make sense of everything.
•
Women said the
tomb was empty
•
Mary said she saw
Jesus
•
Peter claimed to
have had his own encounter with Him
• Two disciples just came back from Emmaus saying that they saw Him
However, while some believed others still doubted. Some of them are confused, some are trying to connect the dots. There in a room full of fear, questions, and wondering of what comes next. In that room were differing levels of faith. There were some who had seen Jesus (Mary, Peter, Emmaus disciples), some who only heard the reports, and those who were still unsure and possibly doubted.
It was in that moment that Jesus showed up…
John 20:19-22
“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, 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.”
In the midst of all that was happening, Jesus showed up! In the midst of everything they were going through, Jesus came in at the right time. Jesus wasn’t waiting for them to be full of faith and doing all of the right things. He showed up in the middle of their fear and doubt. That is encouraging!
Jesus doesn’t just wait for you to have it all together to meet you where you are at. He meets you in the middle of your discouragement, if you will allow Him.
When Jesus showed up, He gave them three things:
1.
Peace
v19 — “Peace be with
you…”
Jesus gave them peace in the middle of their fear and doubt. He silenced all
the confusion and brought clarity to their mind and their hearts.
2.
Proof
v20 — “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then
the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”
Jesus reassured them that He indeed was alive and that He had risen from the
grave. He vindicated those who saw Him and encouraged those who were still
doubting.
3.
Purpose
v21-22 — “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.”
Jesus commissioned them to be His
witnesses. Jesus:
‣ Sends them — As the Father sent Him
‣ Empowers them — with the Holy Spirit
‣ Gives them Authority — of His own
So, imagine the scene… All of the disciples have seen Jesus first hand. They have inspected the wounds and have seen that He is truly risen. They are filled with joy and excitement. Jesus gives them peace, proof, and purpose. All is going well! However, one thing is off— Thomas its not present.
Every believer there was just like Thomas: scared, confused, and uncertain. The difference is that they still gathered together. It was when they were altogether that Jesus showed up. They were elated and filled with joy and certainty. However, their friend was still struggling. So they did what any born-again friend should do, they reached out to him!
They linked up with Thomas and told him all that happened.
John 20:24-25 — “24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,[d] 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.”
The other disciples saw the Lord! They knew He was risen and they all had a life changing encounter with Him. While this was true, they didn’t just keep it to themselves. No, they reached out to their friend and told him what happened. They were fulfilling their Christian duty to share with Thomas what had happened.
Like these disciples, we too have a Christian responsibility to share with our friends what Jesus has done in our life. We too have seen that Jesus is risen and have a personal testimony of how He has encountered our lives. It is our duty to share it with others!
Thomas did not and would not believe them. No matter what they said, he refused to believe their report. Thomas was adamant about staying in his position due to his hurt and disappointment. What I love about this is that the disciples didn’t just give up. Quite the opposite— they took him up on his offer when he said that he would only believe if he saw Jesus for himself. So they did what only made sense, they brought him where they knew Jesus would show up again, in the gathering of believers; they brought him to church! (Sunday)
One of the best things we can do is to invite someone who is struggling to believe to church with us. Why? Because Jesus shows up.
And that is exactly what happened when Thomas was invited that next Sunday:
John 20:26-28
“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!””
Wow! Thomas when from a doubting skeptic to a professing believer, all in one moment: when Jesus showed up. Thomas truly believed! Not only did he believe, Thomas was with the disciples when Jesus commissioned them again,. Thomas was there when the Holy Spirit fell upon all of the disciples. Not only that, but Thomas went on to be an incredible witness for Jesus as a missionary to India, allegedly being the first person to evangelize the people of India with the gospel. That is amazing! But that all happened because of his friends.
1.
They
told him about Jesus when he didn’t believe
2.
They
didn’t give up on him when he doubted
3.
They
stayed connected to him the entire time
4.
They
got him to the place where Jesus would show up
Because they did all of that, they also got to witness his breakthrough. They were there when Thomas proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” What a reward it was for them to be there in that moment. But it all happened because they refused to give up on a friend.
Let me encourage you, don’t give up on people too soon. Stay consistent with them and keep believing for them. Even when it seems like they aren’t going to change their position, they might be one moment away from encountering Jesus just like you did.
What would have happened if the disciples would have moved on? What would have happened if they had never reached out to Thomas? What would have happened if they had given up on him because he refused to believe in that moment? We don’t know the answer to that question, but we do know that he believed because his Christian friends refused to give up on him.
Let us too refuse to give up on our friends and family and continue to reach out to them, stay connected to them, and continue to believe for them.
TAKEAWAYS
I.
Stay
in the room—even when you don’t understand
‣
The disciples
where scared, confused, and uncertain
‣
However, they
still gathered together
‣
Don’t disappear
when life gets hard
‣
Don’t isolate
yourself when your faith feels weak
‣
Stay connected to
your fellow believers
II.
Tell
people about Jesus—even when they don’t believe
‣
The disciples
told Thomas “We have seen the Lord!”
‣
Thomas didn’t
believe them, but it didn’t stop them from sharing
‣
The disciple’s
testimony was still powerful even though Thomas doubted
‣
Keep sharing what
God has done in your life
‣
Don’t let
someone’s response silence your witness
‣
Your testimony is
still powerful even when its not immediately received
III.
Don’t
give up on people who are struggling to believe
‣
Thomas pushed
back and he pushed back hard
‣
However, they did
not give up on Thomas— they stayed consistent
‣
Don’t write
people off as “they will never believe”
‣
Don’t label
people by where their current season
‣
Keep loving on
them, keep reaching out to them, keep believing for them
A doubter today might
become a disciple tomorrow
IV.
Your
role is not to change them—but to get them in front of Jesus
‣
They couldn’t
convince Thomas no matter how hard they tried
‣
But they could
bring them back to where Jesus would show up
‣
Invite them
‣
Bring them
‣
Sit with them
‣ Let Jesus do what He can only do
Here is my question to you this morning…
Who is your Thomas?
Who is it God that God has put on
your heart to believe for? To pray for? To reach out to?
