I Won't Believe Unless...

 Business Bob trained his dog Fido to empty office wastebaskets. He kept bragging about Fido to Salesman Sam. But Sam was adamant. "I won't believe it." One day, Sam dropped by to see Bob. Only Fido was in the office. There he was, emptying wastebaskets. Sam blinked. "Are my eyes playing tricks on me?" Fido looked up. "Don't be alarmed. This is just part of my job." "I can't believe it!" exclaimed Sam. "Does Bob know you can talk?!?!" Fido pleaded, "Please don't tell him. If he finds out, he'll make me answer the phone, too!" Likewise, no one believed Jesus that He'd be resurrected on the 3rd day. He kept telling them. Even so, who expected it? No one. Even after the others saw Jesus, Thomas still refused to believe. Let's turn to the story in John 20:19-31. 19aIt's the evening of that 1st day of the week. Easter evening. Early that morning, the women saw Jesus at the tomb. Only Peter & John raced back to see for themselves. All they saw were His empty grave clothes. All day, they talked about nothing else. Mid-afternoon, 2 disciples left on the 3.5mi trek home to Emmaus. At some point after they leave, Jesus appeared to Peter. As they head to Emmaus, Jesus appeared & opened the Scriptures to them. Thinking Him a stranger, they invited Him to dinner. But when Jesus broke the bread, they recognized Him, & He disappeared. They raced back to Jerusalem. In Lk 24:33-34, they arrive. 19bThe disciples are together, still talking about Jesus' appearance to Peter. But 19cthe doors are locked for fear of the Jews. Plural doors. They've bolted the doors to the house & their inner room! Jews had already crucified Jesus. Are they next? Fear weighs down their joy. In Lk 24:35, the 2 disciples from Emmaus told their story. As they do, 19dJesus came & stood among them. He passes through sets of locked doors & greets them. 20b"Peace be with you!" Lk 24:37 says they're startled, frightened, & think He's a ghost! 20aTo ease their fears, he shows them his hands & side. 20cThe disciples are overjoyed to see the Lord. In Lk 24:42-43, they're even more overjoyed to see Him eat a piece of broiled fish. This proves He's no ghost! 21aAgain Jesus said, "Peace be with you! This time, it isn't a greeting. It's an impartation. Jesus is giving them His peace. His shalom: all they need for health, welfare, & joy. Their fear? Gone. Without fear, they can hear His command. 21b"As the Father has sent me, I'm sending you." They have a mission! From now on, they are the Sent Ones. ἀποστόλοις. Apostles. Their mission? Same as Jesus. Reach the lost. Preach, teach, & heal, but doing all in obedience to the Father. Do what He's doing. Say what He's saying. They're sent. 22aWith that Jesus breathed on them. This is another impartation. 22b"Receive the Holy Spirit. It's a command. And on Pentecost, they will receive Him. To support their mission, Jesus imparts a responsibility. 23aIf you forgive anyone his sins, they're forgiven. Only God can forgive. But disciples can hear a confession. And if disciples proclaim forgiveness, it's done. 23bIf you don't forgive them, they aren't forgiven." Likewise, if disciples don't proclaim forgiveness, others retain their sins. They aren't forgiven. Remember Mt 16:19? These are the keys of the KoG. Forgive a sin & loose a believer from its weight. Don't forgive & bind it. 24Now Thomas (aka Twin), 1 of the 12, wasn't with the disciples when Jesus came. He's too deep in grief. 25aThe other disciples kept telling him, "We've seen the Lord!" 25bBut he retorted, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands & poke my finger where the nails were, & poke my hand into his side, I won't believe it." His mind is made up. Death is permanent. Don't confuse me with facts. Know anyone like that? (Besides me, lol.) 26aA week later the disciples were in the house again. 26bThomas was with them. 26bThe doors were locked. Still! Again, 26cJesus came & stood among them. "Peace be with you!" It's more than a greeting. Once again, it's impartation. He's giving them His peace. Thomas, especially. 27aThen he said to Thomas, "Poke your finger here. 27bSee my hands. 27cReach out your hand & poke it into my side. Jesus may not have been there, but Jesus heard Thomas! He offers exactly what Thomas said he needed. Same words! Jesus meets him where He is. Just as He meets us wherever we are. Jesus doesn't come to condemn but to rescue us! Nor does He condemn Thomas for his doubt. But now, Thomas has enough evidence. If he continues to doubt, it's rebellion. 27d"Stop doubting. Believe!" He could believe. But he won't! That has to stop. For Thomas, & for us. However we've seen Jesus (in Word or person), we have to stop doubting! Thomas gets it. He realizes who Jesus is. All doubt is gone. He doesn't take Jesus up on His offer. He's humbled & submits. 28Thomas said to Jesus, "My Lord & my God!" This is the highest view of who Christ really is. Yahweh. God. For a Jew to say this is blasphemy. Unless it's about Jesus Christ. He's the Yahweh of Scripture. God the Son. Jesus the Christ. 29aJesus then told him, "Because you've seen me, you've believed." He's saved. He's in the KoG. That's blessing enough. What about those with no chance to see Jesus? 29b"Blessed are those who haven't seen & yet believe." A special blessing is theirs. And ours, generations later. No one in the NT since Thomas made such a demand before believing. John now turns to his readers. Us. 30aJesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples. 30bThey aren't recorded in this book. In Jn 21:25, John says Jesus did too much for anyone to write it all. 31These are written John recorded 7 miracles. 7 signs. In Jn 2:1-11, Jesus changed water to the finest wine. Instantly. He's master over Creation & all its processes. In Jn 4:46-54, with a word Jesus heals a royal official's son from a distance. He isn't limited by geography & His word grants life. In Jn 5:1-9a, Jesus heals an invalid by a pool. He isn't limited by the 38 years that the man's been an invalid. Jesus makes broken people whole. In Jn 6:1-13, Jesus feeds 5,000. He's the source of physical needs and spiritual needs. In Jn 6:16-21, Jesus walks on water. As master over Creation & chaos (in the wind & waves), He's master over physics as well. If He's in our boat, we've reached our destination. In Jn 9:1-34, Jesus heals the man born blind. He's master over all misfortune or disaster. And He's the light of the world. He overcomes all darkness, whether physical or spiritual. And in Jn 11:38-44, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus has power over life & death. He is the life & the resurrection. 31These 7 signs are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, & that by believing you may have life in his name. We have enough proof. Stop doubting. Now! Believe! Who He is. All He taught. All He promised. Believe! Do we really believe? Do we really have faith (same Greek word)? For example, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit. He commands disciples (aka believers, by end of NT) to receive Him. Yes, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to all believers. Jesus already wrote the check. But we have to cash it. We have to receive the Holy Spirit. Have we? Do we really believe Jesus? Jesus told us to go & make disciples. Did we believe Him? Or in practice are we unbelievers? We can start with our families-maybe children & grandchildren. But let's move on & make disciples in our city, county. Let's believe & help reach the ends of the earth. Do we believe Jesus when He imparts His peace to us? Or in practice are we worrying ourselves about everything? Do we believe? We get the idea. DO we really believe Jesus is Who He says He is? And, given Who He is, do we believe all He taught? All He promised? All He commanded? Do we really? Remember the 7 signs John presented. They're enough. We have all the proof we need. Jesus will help us through His Spirit to do all He teaches, claim all His promises, & obey all He commands. Stop doubting & believe! Act on the little faith (belief) we have. Ask for help in our unbelief. Just offer Him what little we have, & take the 1st step. Act. He'll do the rest. I Won't Believe, Unless... - John 20:19-31 Page 1 of 1