Nail scarred hands

John 20:19-29 | BEN WEISE

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I think all of us have at times been sceptical about something. Whether it is a story a friend told us, an article in a newspaper or the latest action movie that halfway through throws all believability out the window. “Doubting Thomas” did not just doubt the other disciples; he totally rejected their account of physically encountering the resurrected Jesus. Unless he saw Jesus, he would not believe. I think in the same way we are often quick to doubt Jesus being at work and, if you are anything like me, you might doubt the gentle nudges the Lord gives us and instead ask for a more obvious sign. I think this passage teaches us two things:

First of all, it shows us that the Lord is a Lord of second chances, of patience, and of grace. Surely it was not by chance that Thomas was the only one absent during the first encounter and Jesus made a point to appear again when Thomas was present. Jesus purposefully came back a second time. And is that not true today? The Lord constantly pursues us and gives us endless opportunities to see him.

Secondly, although none of us have physically seen Jesus and we have not had the chance to feel his nail-scarred hands and his pierced side, we know that our Redeemer lives. We have seen transformation in the lives of others and in ourselves. Jesus says blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe – we have not physically seen, and yet by believing, we see the evidence of His life at work today! And we are invited to respond as Thomas did in verse 28: “My Lord and my God”! Thomas’s life was changed by his encounter with the risen Lord Jesus, and ours can be too. It’s incredible that, of all the disciples, ‘Doubting Thomas’ took the Gospel the furthest.