May I turn in your Bibles to John chapter 20? John chapter 20 will focus on a hopefully familiar passage of Scripture, Jesus' interaction with Thomas. But I want to read beginning in verse 19 and we'll read to the end of chapter 20. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, peace be with you.
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Now Thomas, called the twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the Lord. So he said to them, unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came and said, I'm sorry, Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, peace to you.
Then he said to Thomas, reach your finger here and look at my hands, and reach your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, my Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. Amen.
Well, let us pray.
Opening Prayer
Father, thank you for this passage. We pray for the Spirit. We pray that you would guide us and instruct our hearts in these truths. We pray for those who are dead and their trespasses and sins, that you would make them alive that You would cause them to see the glory of Christ and by Your grace to believe on Him for the salvation of their souls.
We ask that You would forgive us for all iniquity and transgression, cleanse us in the blood, and cause us to approach Your Word with great joy, with great delight, and with the understanding and realization that truly it is the bread of life for our hungry hearts. And we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
Introduction
Well, as I said, this is a familiar portion of Scripture, so I want to take up the two broad sections that we've just read. First, the Lord appears to the disciples with Thomas, verses 24 to 29, and then verses 30 to 31, is the purpose of the fourth gospel. John the Apostle has an agenda, and it's stated here very clearly. He wants to set forth Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
And he wants you to believe on Him to the salvation of your soul. That's what he says. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life, in his name. It is a particular and a specific agenda that John has.
And I think what we find here in terms of Jesus dealing with Thomas furthers that agenda. It teaches us something about the Lord of Glory. Actually, it teaches us several lessons that we'll notice on the way as we expound this passage of Scripture. But just a few tidbits about this man, Thomas.
If we were to play a word association game, and I said, Thomas, you might say, Doubting. If you were brought up in the church, you've probably heard of him referred to as Doubting Thomas. Well, what happens in this particular narrative goes a bit further than a simple doubting. Thomas is more than likely of a melancholy spirit.
He's a glass is half empty sort of a guy. Probably some of us in this room can relate to him. He appears previously in John's Gospel as less a skeptic, but a pessimistic follower of the Lord of Glory. In chapter 11, Thomas expresses his desire to go with Jesus to Jerusalem and to die if need be.
Notice here, John 20, Thomas is in debt. Thomas did not die with the Lord Jesus. In John 14, 5, in the upper room discourse, Thomas is a bit perplexed about the way that Jesus is speaking of. And it's in that context that Jesus then answers, I am the way, the truth, and the life. no one comes to the Father except through me." So through Thomas' query there, or Thomas' question there in John 14, what we find is this beautiful declaration by our Lord in John 14 says, well in this particular occasion, When Thomas expresses his obstinance, not his doubt, but when he expresses this, Jesus uses the occasion to teach us something glorious about who he is.
And again, it fits in well with John the Apostle's agenda throughout this book. It ought not to perplex us that the book begins with a declaration of the Godhood of our Lord Jesus. It certainly ought not to surprise us that it ends with a declaration concerning the Godhead or the Godhood of the Lord Jesus Christ. functions as a sort of an epilogue where Jesus encourages his disciples and how they are to go and minister. But the book, the body of it, ends with this declaration of Thomas in verse 28, of course, Jesus' response.
So let's take up those two broad categories. The first, the Lord appears to the disciples with Thomas. And under this broad category, I want to consider four things.
The Character of Thomas
First of all, the character of Thomas. sketched it just a little bit in terms of his being, in terms of his person, but he was a hurt man. Now I'm going to say some things that are a little bit hard. I hope they're not harsh. A little hard about Thomas.
And don't think I'm saying this as some sort of a pope that is looking down at Thomas. I see a bit of Thomas in my own heart. I see a lot of Thomas in my own heart. I see a lot of Thomas in all of us.
But he was obviously hurt. The Savior whom he loved, the Messiah whom he had spent time with, was now gone. We need to understand that. These men spent three years.
Thomas was one of the twelve. He walked with Christ. He listened to Christ. He spent time with Christ.
I don't want to minimize the pain that Thomas was in. And then notice that the disciples come, having seen Jesus the previous Lord's Day, now they have come and say to Thomas, we have seen the Lord. And this is where we see something of his obstinate character. The first thing we need to understand is that
Dictating the Terms of Belief
Thomas dictates the terms by which he'll believe. Don't miss this, because I think there's a lot of this in a lot of us when we come to trial, when we come to pain, when we come to sorrow, when we come to difficulty. It comes upon a lot of those outside the church. They want to dictate the terms by which they'll believe.
Thomas is doing that, unless I see. Unless I touch, unless my heart is satisfied with the weight of biblical evidence, I will not believe. This is the wrong disposition. This is the wrong attitude.
This is the wrong way for a disciple to conduct himself. God doesn't owe us every answer to every why question or to every desire for us to be satisfied. God has never promised as creator that he is obliged to the creature to answer every jot and dintle about his character and about his ways in this world. Thomas is patently wrong.
Thomas is setting up a grid by which the creator must conform. Thomas sets up a hoop and says, God has to jump through it and satisfy these eyes and these hands before I will believe. He dictates the terms by which he would believe. Secondly, with reference to the character of Thomas,
Thomas's Emphatic Denial
he makes an emphatic denial. He doesn't just say, I'm having a few doubts. My faith is being a bit try. I'm experiencing some perplexity.
No, the way the New King James translates it here is correct. But, it only goes so far. When he says, unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, he says, I will not believe. Now, it's a double negative in the Greek.
So, if your translation supplies, I will certainly not believe, that gets closer at the meaning. Thomas isn't just saying, I won't believe, but I really won't believe. Unless this hoop has been successfully jumped through by the Lord, then there is no way under heaven that I am going to ascent. There is no way that I am going to nod my head in belief.
He's not just a doubter. He is obstinate. Here's what Calvin comments concerning this particular man. He says the stupidity of Thomas was astonishing and monstrous.
Again, we get this idea, he's the doubting Thomas. It goes beyond that. And I'm setting this up so that you'll appreciate our Lord. You see, until we see the wickedness, the wretchedness, the vileness, and the filthiness of sin, we don't fully appreciate the Savior.
I mean, what if somebody took this posture with you? What if somebody says, unless you do this, that, and the other, I will not believe what you have to say. My temptation would be to say, well then, forget you. I want nothing to do with you.
If you can't take my word for it, if one little thing happens and you disbelieve everything that we have said together for three years, my tendency and temptation is to say, forget it. Calvin says, the stupidity of Thomas was astonishing and monstrous, for he was not satisfied with merely beholding Christ, but wished to have his hands also as witnesses of Christ's resurrection. Thus he was not only obstinate, but also proud and contemptuous in his treatment of Christ. So with reference to the character of Thomas, we see that he dictates the terms by which he would believe, he makes this emphatic denial, ultimately,
Thomas Denies the Word of God
thirdly, with reference to his character, he denies the word of God. Doesn't he? He denies the Old Testament Scriptures, that Messiah would come, that Messiah would be cut off, that He would be crucified, that He would die, that He would be buried, and then according to Psalm 16 would be raised again. All that body of Old Testament biblical data, Thomas does not believe.
He does not believe the testimony of the Lord Himself. How many times had Jesus said in His earthly ministry that I must go to Jerusalem, I must be tried by wicked men, I must be delivered up, I must be crucified, and I will rise again from the dead. So every time Jesus said that, every time Jesus spoke that, Thomas negates it. He denies apostolic witness.
Eleven brethren come to Him and say, we have seen the Lord. We witnessed Him with our own two eyes. We spent time with Him on that Lord's day. He is risen.
He's alive. All that He ever said and spoke is true. This is apostolic testimony staring him in the face. And he has the gall, the obstinance, the contempt to say, unless I see.
He's not just a doubting man. He's an obstinate man.
The Grace of Jesus Christ
Notice, secondly, the grace of Jesus Christ. Verses 26 and 27. And after eight days his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace to you.
This is the great benediction of our Lord Jesus. This isn't a cheap wish. This isn't the hippies in the 60's saying, peace brother, peace man. This isn't the way some of us sign off an email with shalom or peace because it's cool to say such things.
Jesus Christ's wish of peace isn't cheap. It is based on His blood-shedding. It is based on justifying grace. It is based on redemptive reality and truth.
When Christ says, Peace to you, peace is yours. This is why so many of the greetings and the letters in the New Testament are grace and peace. This is the blessed possession of the children of God Most High. So notice His grace specifically expressed to Thomas.
Verse 27, then He said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and look at My hands, and reach your hand here and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Isn't this glorious? I've said He's obstinate.
Calvin says He's obstinate. Calvin says He's monstrous. Calvin says he holds in contempt the word of God most high. How does Jesus deal with him?
How does Jesus deal with him? Does he call him a monster? Does he call him obstinate? Does he correct the church's common parlance and say, you're not really doubting Thomas, you're obstinate Thomas?
No, he deals with him in grace. He deals with him in mercy. He deals with him in kindness. He deals with him in the manner that we would expect from our Lord Jesus.
He deals with him this way. Reach your finger here, and look at my hands, and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Thomas, I'm your Lord.
Thomas, I'm the crucified and risen one. Thomas, I am answering to the very criteria that you yourself have set down. And notice that Jesus uses the language of Thomas himself. Do you think he was told this?
Do you think someone said to Jesus, before you go into that room, I want you to know what Thomas had to say? No, Thomas uttered this to the disciples before Jesus was present with them. Jesus knows specifically what his desire is, and Jesus answers specifically to that desire. Here's the point.
We have a God who condescends. We have a God who is gracious. We have a God who is kind. We have a God who is merciful.
We have the God of Isaiah, the prophet, who says, look to me, all you ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God, and there is no other. You see, we see the condescension of God in the incarnation. The fact that Christ comes, the fact that Christ lives, the fact that Christ dies, the fact that Christ rises again, shows us something of the humility of Christ. But don't we see the condescension of Christ and the way that he deals with people?
He's tender. He's gracious. He's kind. He's everything we're so often not.
Jesus removes all grounds of unbelief. You have to marvel at the way that Christ deals with this man. You have to appreciate it. You have to enter in.
You have to understand, you have to see what's going on in this particular section. I'm ready to call the man obstinate, contemptuous, and monstrous along with John Calvin, the great reformer. Jesus comes to him and says, here, reach your hand. Well, there's a chiding.
There's a reproof. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Believe the Old Testament scripture. Believe the language of the Lord Jesus.
Believe apostolic witness. Believe that written word of God, Thomas. It's almost as if Jesus is giving him a gentle shake and saying, look, you need to understand that the things written, the things spoken concerning me are absolutely true. Do not be unbelieving, Thomas, but rather be believing.
This is grace and mercy in action.
Thomas's Lofty Confession of Faith
Now notice, thirdly, with reference to this appearance by the Lord to Thomas, this lofty confession of faith. Thomas' word to Christ. Notice in verse 28 it is specific. There is the absolute reality that Thomas is answering Jesus.
And Thomas answered and said to Him. And I make that point because the Jehovah's Witnesses say that what Thomas is doing is sort of making an exclamation here. You know, if you hit your thumb with a hammer, You might say, my word. I hope you don't say, my God, because that would be blasphemy.
But you make this exclamation, or you say, oh my. You do blaspheme, you misuse the name of God or the Lord Christ. Something a first century Jew, by the way, would never do. I mean, you may say a lot of things when you hit your thumb with a hammer, but my God, in terms of my Yahweh, in terms of my Jehovah, as an exclamation of disapproval for your particular activity, generally speaking, that didn't happen.
It is the case oftentimes with believers. God saves them. Maybe they used to cuss and curse and swear. A lot of times the first cuss, curse, and swear that goes is the blasphemy against the name of God.
They may still struggle with some of those correlated words. They may still have a tendency at times to whack their thumb with a hammer and let fly some things they ought not to let fly. But as a general rule, the people of God are pretty strict with reference to this idea of blaspheming the name of God. He's not doing that.
There's a dative. He says, to Him. He is speaking to Christ. He is directing this approbation, this term of approval to the Lord of glory standing right before his eyes.
Thomas' words to Christ are, my Lord and my God. This would not be an acknowledgment that Jesus was a God among many. This would not be an acknowledgment that Jesus was one amongst the pantheon. For a monotheistic Jew to utter this to the Lord Jesus Christ, the lofty confession of faith is put there by the Spirit.
This man says, my Lord and my God. George Beasley Murray in his commentary says this, so it comes about that the most outrageous doubter of the resurrection of Jesus utters the greatest confession of the Lord who rose from the dead. Do you see that in this narrative? He goes from, unless I see, I will certainly, I will know wise, I will not believe, to my Lord and my God.
The greatest skeptic has become the greatest confessor. The biggest doubter, if we can use that term, has become the strongest apology. He says to Christ, my Lord and my God. His utterance, again Beasley Murray, does not simply acknowledge the reality of the resurrection of Jesus, but expresses its ultimate meaning as the revelation of who Jesus Christ really is.
Beautiful statement and testimony. And again, note the flow of John's Gospel. See the theology in view. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
This post-resurrection appearance to the disciples, this time involving Thomas. How does John end? How does John conclude? How does John bring to fruition this statement concerning Christ?
Consistent with John 1.1. My Lord and my God. And I want you to notice something else about this lofty confession of faith. It's not abstract theology.
Notice that Thomas doesn't say, now that I've seen the evidence with my own two eyes, Now that I've seen the imprints of the wounds, now that I've seen the side, in this I testify truly you are Lord and God. It's not the academic theologian who's just doing theology. Not that there's anything wrong with that, especially in an age of anti-theology. But notice the personal pronouns.
And this is what sets Christianity apart from other religions. Do you say, my Buddha? Do you say, my teacher? Do you say, my Allah?
Do you say, my Brahman or whatever the case may be? Note with Thomas, it's not abstract theology. It is personal pronoun theology. I think John, again, if I can read between the lines and look at and compare what his final statement is in verses 30 and 31, wants to press the reader and wants the reader to consider, can I say my Lord and my God?
Can I say I, by God's grace, have believed on Him? I, by God's grace, believe the Old Testament witness, believe the testimony of the Lord, believe the apostolic testimony, believe the words of men like Paul, believe the words of men like Peter. By God's grace, I have seen my sin. By God's grace, I have seen the Savior.
And by God's grace, I have held on to Him. And I can say on that day, my Lord and my God. You see, that's what Christianity is all about. It's a redemptive religion.
It's about God saving. It's about God reaching down. It's about God in mercy delivering. I had cause to reflect upon this instance a couple of days ago.
I was speaking with a young man. Remember when Tiger Woods fell? I mean, he fell a long time ago, but it got on the news and everybody learned about his sexual exploits and his adultery and all that sort of a thing. Brit Hume on Fox News, a senior political analyst, said, you know, I believe that Tiger's a Buddhist, but he really needs a redemptive religion like Christianity at a time like this.
Wow. Preach it, Brit. And of course, everybody was thrilled with what Brigham said. But Brigham was absolutely right.
Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, all those isms are not the religion of redemption. It's not the supernatural grace of God reaching into the cesspit of sin and picking men up and giving them that blessed reality to say to Jesus, my Lord and my God. Paul knows something of this personal pronoun religion. He speaks of Christ who loved me and gave himself for me in Galatians 2.20.
I want you to ask yourself right now, can you say of Christ, He's mine? I am His and He is mine. Not because I'm good. Not because I've performed, not because I've kept the law, because none of us have, but because God in His grace reached down.
God in His grace opened the heart. God in His grace gave the gifts of faith and repentance, and God in His grace enabled you to see Christ as that all-sufficient One, as the One who is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand. Has God given you eyes to see the way the bride saw the bridegroom in Song of Solomon? Can you say, He is my Lord and He is my God?
If you cannot, then may I urge you not to end the year, not to end the day, not to end this hour without believing on Him. You see, this is most important. You know, a preacher's perplexity, at least for me, to figure out what to preach when I'm not in Matthew. I like books.
I like to be in the discipline of going through books. Usually at this time of the year, we take a few Sundays off. What's a New Year's sermon? What's something everybody ought to hear?
They ought to hear about Thomas' Lord and Thomas' God. They ought to hear about how we can call Him my Lord and my God. You see, we cannot credit this statement to Thomas' goodness. We cannot credit this statement to Thomas' obedience.
We cannot credit this statement to Thomas' good works. We can only credit this statement to Thomas' good God, who reaches down and who gives the gift of faith, so that Thomas can lay hold of Christ and call Him my Lord and my God. You see the same thing in the life of the Apostle Paul. Here's a man that would destroy, or would try to destroy the Church of God.
Galatians 1. Galatians chapter 1, verse 13. For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. When we get to saved Paul, what happened?
When we go from Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul, what happened? Was it obedience? Was it law? Was it merit?
Was it goodness? Was it improvement? Was it reformation? It was redemptive grace from on high!
It was Jesus coming to him on the road to Damascus, saying, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It was Jesus reaching down and saving this man, so that he goes from Galatians chapter 1, verse 13 and 14. He says in verse 14, I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. That's why when we get to Galatians 2.20, we have to understand the cross.
We have to understand grace. We have to understand redemption. When that man who was persecuting Christians, trying to destroy believers, trying to eradicate the world of this sect of the Nazarene says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
In the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. You may not be the most popular girl or guy in your school. You may not be the best worker in your place of employment. You may never get a trophy that says Husband of the Year.
You may never get an award for being Wife of the Year. But by the grace of God, if you are looking to Jesus Christ in faith, He owns you and you own Him. That's everything. That's it.
That's most important. That's what you need to enter 2013 with. That's what you need to enter into the rest of this day with. Can you say, my Lord, my God?
This is, in the language of John Owen, a gracious discovery of Christ. In another place, Owen says, it's a lofty confession of faith. How does the Lord respond? What does Jesus say?
Does Jesus sound like Paul and Barnabas? Oh no, don't worship us, we're mortal men just like you. Does Jesus respond the way the angel does when John the seer in Revelation bows down to him? Oh no, don't do that.
What does Jesus do when this man, Thomas, says, my Lord and my God? He receives it. He doesn't try and correct him. He doesn't say, oh no, you misunderstand.
You don't get it. You're not trafficking. You're not thinking properly. No, Jesus responds in the affirmative.
He receives what Thomas says. Jesus said to him, verse 29, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. You have believed that I'm Lord. You have believed that I'm God.
You have believed that I've risen. You have believed that I've died. You have believed that I've lived. You have believed everything that the Scriptures testify concerning the Lord Jesus.
He doesn't rebuff this. He doesn't say he's wrong. He doesn't say Jehovah's Witnesses are right. He says that I am indeed, Thomas, your Lord and your God.
It's beautiful.
The Last Beatitude of Christ
And then, as we conclude the Lord's appearance to the disciples with Thomas, we note Jesus' last beatitude in His earthly ministry. There's several beatitudes in the book of Revelation, but this is the last well-wish, the last good word, the last pronouncement of blessing that we have from our Lord Jesus prior to his ascension on high. The end of verse 29 he says, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. He affirms Thomas.
He affirms Thomas' declaration. He affirms what has transpired between them and then he pronounces this benediction upon those who have not seen and yet have believed. Now I don't think Jesus is saying the people who have not seen their faith is better There's a transition. Certainly the faith of the disciples, these early apostles, was not inferior.
They had seen Jesus. By God's grace, they had believed in Jesus. Jesus isn't saying our faith is better than Thomas's. But what he is saying, what he is stipulating, is that upon his ascension and his place of exaltation at the right hand of the Father, as the Word is preached, as the Word is proclaimed, as the Word goes forth, blessed are those who believe it.
He alludes to this in his high priestly prayer in John chapter 17. John 17 verse 20, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. Note the trajectory. Don't miss this.
Don't be like the block of wood you're sitting on this morning. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. And then we come to John's concluding statement, I want you to believe! I want you to listen!
I want you to trust. I want you to give your heart to this Jesus. I want you to listen to everything I've written from John 1-1 all the way through. I want you to know that this Jesus is Lord and God.
That this Jesus died. That this Jesus was buried. That this Jesus rose again. And that this Jesus now lives forever at the right hand of His Father.
John is making a final appeal, a final plea. He wants you to get this. He doesn't want you to die in your sins. He doesn't want you to go to hell.
He doesn't want the wrath of God to be upon you. John is being an earnest evangelist. There's a lot of question with the gospel. What is its purpose?
Is it to fortify the church or to evangelize the lost? It's both. It's both because it sets forth the supremacy of Jesus Christ. What can fortify the church more than that?
What evangelizes the lost more than that? But the supremacy and the glory and the majesty and the excellency and the beauty of Jesus Christ the Lord. If you are here this morning, listen. If you are here this morning, pay attention.
If you are here this morning and you have not come to Christ, come. The Spirit and the Bride say, come, believe on Him who alone can save you from your sins. If you don't have Jesus as my Lord and my God, you have nothing. This is most disconcerting in our own generation.
People make lots of money. I mean, guys that we called geeks in high school now own, you know, computer empires. They got more money than they could ever use in a world's lifetimes. They're empty.
They've got nothing. They don't know this peace that Jesus conveys, this blood-bought peace that Jesus alone provides. They don't know what it is to have a Lord and a God who saves them from their sins. You may have everything in terms of this world's goods.
You may have everything in terms of this world's prestige. You may have everything in terms of this world's attention. But without Christ, you've got nothing. But what's John's point?
With Christ, you've got everything. It's all yours. What could be better? What's more excellent?
What's more joyous? What's more profound? What's more sublime? What's more powerful than being able to say to the creator of worlds, seen and unseen, the one who governs and upholds all things by the word of his power, the one who came and died, what is better than to be able to say, my Lord, my God?
It's nothing. It's nothing. That's what makes a New Year happy.
The Purpose of the Fourth Gospel
We look at the final broad category, the purpose of the fourth gospel. We've already alluded to it. John is summarizing. John is summing up.
Truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book. Elsewhere, verse 25 in chapter 21, and there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. He is the altogether lovely. He is the chief among ten thousand.
Grace and truth fall from his lips. John said if there was a stenographer following him, if there was somebody with a keyboard right on his heels, the world itself could not contain the amount of books that would be written concerning his glory. concerning his majesty, concerning his excellence, concerning the power and the import of his glorious gospel. Same as what he says here in verse 30. Truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written.
John is one of those good authors that I really appreciate. If you're not the sharpest tool in the shed, sometimes it's hard to find an author's purpose. I hate to even admit that. You know, you read a paper, you read a book, you read something.
I like to find that thesis statement. I like to find the purpose. It helps me then to track. It helps me then to follow.
It helps me then to go, oh, okay, this is what he wants me to get. Some of us are that thick-headed. We need somebody to say, this is what you're supposed to get. John does that for us simple-minded folk.
John says, verse 31, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. Everything from John 1 up until this lofty confession of faith and our Lord's beatitude are written with this purpose, so that you won't reject, so that you won't despise, so that you won't rebel, so that you won't just say, who cares, what does it matter, I'm going to go do whatever it is I want to do. No, John says, I want you to believe. I want you to come to Christ.
I want you to come to the one alone who can save you from your sins. I want you to know the Lord. I want you to know God. I want you to understand what Christ is all about.
Don't reject this. Don't despise this. Don't neglect this. But rather, embrace it.
Believe it. Trust. John has displayed Jesus as Christ and Son of God throughout the pages of his Gospel. D.A.
Carson comments on verse 31. He says, John's purpose is not academic. He writes in order that men and women may believe certain propositional truth. The truth that the Christ, the Son of God is Jesus.
The Jesus whose portrait is drawn in this gospel. It is directed toward the goal of personal salvation. That by believing you may have life in his name. That is still the purpose of this book today and at the heart of the Christian mission.
That's it. It's everything. You may have come here this morning thinking you're a believer and in the course of the time realized I'm not because I can't call Jesus my Lord and my God. What's the answer?
Belief. You may come here this morning because it's what you do every Sunday. Dad says, jump in the van, let's drive. I'm not picking on only van owners.
Jump in the vehicle and let's go to church, because that's what people do. Believe. You may be in some certain sticky, sinful situation right now that you cannot possibly perceive there's any way out of. Believe.
That's the answer to every people group, believe. Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing in His name, you will have eternal life.
Lessons from the Passage
We learn a few lessons, then we'll close. First, the deity of Jesus Christ, the Godhood of Jesus Christ. Calvin says, and indeed, he who, after having received these striking proofs, which are to be found in the gospel, does not perceive Christ to be God, does not deserve to look even at the sun and the earth, for he is blind amidst the brightness of noonday. Say what you will about the gospel accounts.
Say what you will specifically about John's gospel. This much is clear He wants you to know that Jesus is God.
The Compassion of Jesus Christ
Secondly, we learn in this passage, and again we touched on this, but I want to bring it home a little. We learn the compassion of Jesus Christ. And here my purpose is a bit different than John's purpose in verse 31. I am speaking now to those who, by the grace of God, have believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Those who are currently possessors of everlasting life. In other words, I am speaking to the church. Jesus dealt very compassionately with Thomas. In fact, let me just read an extended quote from J.C.
Ryle. He says, it is impossible to imagine anything more patient and compassionate than our Lord's treatment of this weak disciple. Now I'm going to encourage us all to be like Jesus. But I'm going to encourage us all to be like Jesus with the absolute conviction that we probably still won't.
So I'm going to encourage us all to continue to look to this one who does. who does exemplify these traits. It is impossible. I shouldn't say you, I should say me. I got big struggles with this kind of compassion.
You may be the most compassionate creature on this side of Jesus, so I can't speak for you. National repentance is a bad thing, as St. Louis said. So is churchly or ecclesiastical.
Let me just read the Ryle quote for me. Your pastor needs to hear it. I suspect my fellow pastor needs to hear it, though I can't speak entirely for him. It is impossible to imagine anything more patient and compassionate than our Lord's treatment of this weak disciple.
He does not reject him or dismiss him or excommunicate him. He comes again at the end of a week and apparently for the special benefit of Thomas. He's already come to the disciples. He's already made that sort of enigmatic statement there when he breathes the Spirit on them.
That's a bit of a head-scratcher there. What's going on in that previous section, 19 to 23? He's already appeared to the disciples. I think Ryle's right.
This next section is there because Thomas is present. And in John's grand purpose, he wants us to see something not only of Jesus' lordship and godhood, but of his compassion. He comes again at the end of a week and apparently for the special benefit of Thomas. He deals with him according to his weakness, like a gentle nurse dealing with a froward child.
Reach here your finger and behold my hands. Reach here your hand and thrust it into my side. If nothing but the grossest, coarsest, most material evidence could satisfy him, even that evidence was supplied. Surely this was a love that passes knowledge and a patience that passes understanding.
He said a passage of scripture like this, we need not doubt, was written for the special comfort of all true believers. The Holy Spirit knew well that the dull and the slow and the stupid and the doubting are by far the commonest type of disciples in this evil world. The Holy Spirit has taken care to supply abundant evidence that Jesus is rich in patience as well as compassion and that he bears with the infirmities of all his people. Let us take care that we drink into our Lord's spirit and copy his example.
Let us never set down men in a low place as graceless and godless because their faith is feeble and their love is cold. Let us remember the case of Thomas and be very compassionate and of tender mercy. Our Lord has many weak children in His family, many dull pupils in His school, many raw soldiers in His army, many lame sheep in His flock. Yet He bears with them all and casts none away.
Happy is that Christian who has learned to deal likewise with his brethren. There are many in the church who, like Thomas, are dull and slow. But for all that, like Thomas, are real and true believers. Now, you may be let down by a lack of compassion in your pastors.
I apologize. You may be let down by a lack of compassion in parents, or in children, or in friends. You will never be let down by a lack of compassion in Christ. Notice that Ryle does not excuse Thomas, but rather, Ryle uses Thomas as a foil to highlight Jesus.
That's what John wants us to get.
The Folly of Negotiating with God
The third lesson that I think we learn from this passage, we're coming to a close. Don't roll your eyes or roll your hearts and say, huh, how many more lessons are there going to be? The foolishness of attempting to negotiate with God the foolishness of attempting to negotiate with God. In this instance, it's crystal clear, isn't it?
Unless I see, I will not believe. It's not as clear today. It's masked, it's disguised, it's covered, it's hidden. Sometimes it's openly promoted by false preachers.
Sometimes people say, unless I get all of the temporal benefits that those people over there have, I'm not going to believe the gospel. Unless I get a new car, or a new job, or a happy family, unless I get health, wealth, or prosperity, I'm not going to believe. Who do we think we are to negotiate the terms with God? Others demand comprehensive understanding.
Unless God explains every jot and tittle of everything in His Word to me, satisfactorily, I will certainly not believe. Have you ever met people like that? How did God make the world in six days? Where did Cain get his wife?
How did Gideon do what he did? How did, you know, judges do what they did? All these questions, all these answers, all this desire to have everything satisfied. I mentioned it before, the great debate between Dr.
Greg Bonson and Dr. Gordon Stein. At the end of the debate, somebody asked the question, Dr. Stein, what would it take for you to believe that God exists?
Dr. Stein says, one of two things, or both preferably, something like that. He said, if the deity put in a personal appearance, that would be evidence that I would accept. Or, if this lectern, I doubt it was a pulpit, but if this lectern was to rise and levitate, and it was obvious that there were no strings, there were no machines, there was no mechanism that made that lectern rise, he said, that would be evidence that I would accept.
Dr. Bonson's rebuttal, no you wouldn't. You see, Jesus, when he walked and lived and moved and had his being in person, did many miracles, did many wonders, did many signs, but that did not make men believers. He said, Dr.
Stein, you need your heart changed, you need to be born again, you need to believe the gospel. He says, if that happened, that that lectern rose, you would just go back into the drawing room and spend an eternity trying to figure out how things like that happen in this world. Do not suppose for a moment that all the evidence that you demand will necessarily make you a believer. You must be born again.
There are people like that. If you can't explain everything to me absolutely successfully, then I'm not going to believe. Oh, really? You're on the negotiating phase with God?
You think you have the right? And then there's the kinds of people that say, well, until God fixes this entire world, I'm not going to believe. I need comprehensive fixing. How in the world could I believe in a God when bad things like these happen all throughout the earth?
How in the world could I ever believe in a God who would allow suffering in children? who would allow men to get brain tumors. How could I ever believe? You don't know what God is doing. You don't know the mind of the infinite.
You don't know His plan and His purpose. You do know this. He sent His Son to die and to rise again. And He has called sinners to believe and be saved.
Please beware of negotiating with God. Unless something happens, I will not believe. No, you've heard the Gospel. Believe it.
That's what you most desperately need. You need what John ends with. These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. It's a promise from the scripture.
It's a promise from the Spirit. It's a promise from God most high. Believe in him and you will have everlasting life. Let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word and we thank you for the Lord Jesus. We thank you that he is Lord, that he is God, that he is Savior, he is Redeemer, and that he is so full of compassion and pity and mercy and grace. God, how we bless you and how we praise you that you have saved us. It's not because of our good, it's not because of our strength, it's not because of our wisdom. but it's solely and alone because God Most High is good and wise and strong and powerful.
I pray for any and all who hear these words that they would take John's exhortation and believe in the Son. And we pray in His most blessed name. Amen.