From Doubt to Confidence
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※Text: John 20:19~29
In Matthew 16:21, Jesus said that he would go up to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and scribes, and that he would die and rise again on the third day. This is how Jesus often spoke to his disciples about the resurrection. And when the women saw the resurrection of Jesus, they went to the disciples and testified that they had met the risen Lord. Nevertheless, Thomas in today's text says, "I cannot believe in the risen Lord unless I touch the nail marks of Jesus with my hands and put them in his side." After Thomas, who was in this unbelief, met the resurrected Jesus, he praised Jesus as my Lord and my God and had certain faith in the resurrection (John 20:19-29). Thomas was an unhappy man when he doubted the resurrection of the Lord, but after he believed for sure, he became a happy man. And I went to Madras, India, which was the end of the world at that time, and preached the gospel. Just as Thomas gained confidence from his doubts on the first Sunday after the resurrection today, I hope that we too will live a happy life of faith with the confidence of the resurrection faith.
First, who is Thomas?
Second, in the text, Thomas is in great doubt.
The disciples were afraid because they thought that they would be next in line after Jesus died on the cross. But the resurrected Lord came to visit right there. And in John 20:19-23, Jesus gave the disciples peace, gave them a mission, promised the Holy Spirit, and gave them the power to forgive sins. The disciples who met the resurrected Jesus were overjoyed. It is because I have received a new mission and authority from anxiety to peace.
However, Thomas does not believe in the resurrection of Jesus in verse 25. Why? Thomas was not at the place where the disciples were gathered, where the risen Lord appeared. It is also because of his character who does not listen well to others and does not believe unless he sees them with his own eyes. So the other disciples rejoice with their faith in the resurrection, but Thomas is in fear and anxiety.
Third, Thomas was changed from doubt to conviction.
2006-04-28 20:02:39