Belief that Has Not Seen

Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

John 20:24-29 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, 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.”

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!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

INTRODUCTION

Last Sunday, in vs.19-23, we saw that Jesus’ disciples were huddled together, behind locked doors, afraid the Jews would do to them what they did to Jesus. But we also saw Jesus appear before them, commend peace to them, and commission them to continue on in His ministry.

We learn from the opening lines of our passage for this morning that Thomas was not with them at the time. John doesn’t tell us why Thomas wasn’t there, only that he wasn’t. The significance of that is quickly revealed—eight days later, the disciples were still afraid and Thomas still didn’t believe that Jesus had raised from the dead. That was about to change, however, as Jesus appeared yet again to the disciples who were huddled together behind locked doors yet again. This time, Thomas was there.

In this exchange, we’ll catch another glimpse of Jesus’ unmatched power and determination for His followers to know His unparalleled peace. In addition, we’ll catch a new glimpse of Jesus’ kindness and the kind of faith that sees it.

The big ideas of this passage are that the risen Lord is patient with His people and faith is His gift to us. The main takeaway is to identify the promises of God and fight in the Spirit’s power to believe them because Jesus has risen from the dead.

One more thing before I pray… As I mentioned in the beginning of the service, this is Orphan Sunday and our prayer is that Grace Church would continue to be a place that champions the cause of the fatherless. Therefore, although this sermon isn’t explicitly about Orphan Sunday, I’ll conclude by (1) talking about what obedience to God’s charge to care for orphans looks like and (2) rooting it in belief that has not seen. That is, I’ll wrap up this sermon by helping you to see that the kind of orphan care we’re advocating for on Orphan Sunday is rooted in the kind of faith Jesus commends in v.29.

THE LORD IS PATIENT WITH HIS PEOPLE (24-27)

Here’s an uncomfortable question: What’s the most obnoxious you’ve ever been? Looking back, what have you done that you can now see was absolutely insufferable? I’m fairly confident my family would tell you that a few of my top ten would involve watching MSU sports. Before DVR was a thing (and probably before a decent amount of sanctification—with a decent amount still to go), I was often hard to be around in anything other than an absolute blowout.

What we usually need most when we’re acting like that is for someone to tell us the truth and then be patient with us. I’m not sure that “obnoxious” or “insufferable” are the right words for Thomas’s behavior, but I am sure that he was not acting rightly and that truth and patience were what He needed most. Graciously, those things are exactly what Jesus extended to him and the rest of the disciples. The disciples were still afraid and Thomas still doubted, but Jesus patiently revealed the truth to them all.

Thomas Doubted (24-25)

As I said earlier, for reasons we’re not told, Thomas was not with the other ten disciples when Jesus first appeared to them after His resurrection. That much is made explicit in v.24.

²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came [the first time, vs.¹⁹–²³].

Can you imagine going out to pick up some milk and bread and coming back to find out that you’d missed Jesus?

“Hey guys, I’m back. Did I miss anything while I was out?”

“Well…”

That’s a funny way to say it, but it is the gist of what happened to Thomas. So, when he came back…

²⁵ …the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord…”

We probably expect Thomas to be a bit bummed that he’d missed Jesus, but ecstatic overall that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. We have to assume that between John and Mary there was at least some discussion concerning His resurrection. Jesus’ appearance to the whole group must have been more than enough to convince Thomas that Jesus had in fact risen from the dead, right?

Well, as you know, that’s not what happened. Thomas still refused to believe. In fact, he was adamant—maybe even obstinate—in his unbelief.

²⁵ … 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.”

Just as we don’t know why Thomas wasn’t with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared, we don’t know why he was so skeptical or why he didn’t believe the testimony of his friends. There is no evidence of doubt or skepticism from Thomas prior to this this (11:16; 14:5). There’s no textual explanation for why he was so committed to resurrection agnosticism.

Before moving on, let me ask… where are you like this, Grace? Are any of you saying to God, “I will never believe in you at all unless _____”? Unless you heal my mom or cure my cancer or stop my spouse from hurting me or save my child or, like Thomas, let me see you in person.

More than likely, for most of the people in this room, I imagine the skepticism is a bit more subtle. I’m guessing it’s more of a silent, implicit, I will never believe your word in this area unless _____. I will never trust you with all of my money unless I have enough of it or I will never trust you with sending my kids as missionaries unless you assure me that they will not get hurt or I will never trust you with foster care or adoption unless you guarantee that it won’t mess up my plan for comfort.

Seeds of Thomas’s doubt are in all of us. It is right, therefore, for all of us to use his skepticism as a magnifying glass into our own hearts; to look through Thomas into the pockets of unbelief in our own lives—in order that we might weed out every remaining pocket of unbelief.

Jesus Was Patient (26-27)

The disciples’ fear and Thomas’s skepticism were palpable, but the heart of this passage is that rather than turn His back on any of them or simply leave Thomas in his unwarranted doubt, Jesus was graciously patient with them. In fact, Jesus appeared to the disciples again, seemingly, primarily for “Doubting Thomas’s” benefit. Look at v.26.

²⁶ Eight days later…

That is, eight days after Jesus originally met with the disciples in the locked room; eight days after Jesus had commended peace to them and commissioned them; eight days after the ten had revealed these things to Thomas who missed it…

… [Jesus’] disciples were inside again…

They were not out, on their mission as they ought to have been. They were, once again, in spite of Jesus’ miraculous appearing, reassurance, and charge, huddled together.

…[This time, however,] Thomas was with them…

John doesn’t tell us what they were doing “inside”, but He does let us know that this time Thomas was gathered with the others.

…Although the doors were locked [again]…

Not only were they not yet heeding Jesus’ commission to them, to go out as the Father had sent Him out, but they also had not yet received Jesus’ peace. It seems that the fear of the Jews was still the dominant driver of their actions.

As I’ve said a few times already Grace Church, reading this passage rightly means being simultaneously convicted by the fact that the same obstinance and fear lives in us, and encouraged by the fact that Jesus has been lovingly extending this exact same grace to His fearful followers from the beginning.

I can’t help but wonder how different our lives would be if we could learn the lesson the disciples were struggling to learn here. That is, I can’t help but wonder how different things would be if we were not driven by any fear outside of God alone. What would our lives look like if we really walked in the peace that true belief in Jesus brings? And on this Sunday, I wonder how many more families would participate in foster care and how many orphans would be adopted through the people of Grace Church if we truly believed God’s promises.

I know it’s good to wonder those things because Jesus, once again in parallel with Jesus’ previous encounter with the huddled, afraid disciples…

…came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

Jesus’ resurrection meant that peace was theirs to be received. Nothing more needed to be done for Jesus’ followers to know it in the deepest recesses of their being.

It is like the poor person who has been told they have inherited a fortune, but does not yet really believe it. All of the money is already theirs and immediately available for them to use as they see fit, but they haven’t quite gotten their minds around it yet.

If the disciples were to simply believe what was already true, they would have been able to instantly let go of their fear and walk in the spiritual tranquility that Jesus purchased for them. Jesus knew this and commended it to them once again.

In case it isn’t already clear to you, Grace, that’s the case for every one of us, right now, as well. If you are a Christian, the exact same, perfect, understanding-surpassing peace () that Jesus called on the disciples to walk in is just as available and effective for us today as it was for them back then; maybe even more so since we already have the Spirit dwelling in us. Nothing more needs to be done for it to be ours. Jesus accomplished everything for us. We need simply to believe what’s already true.

But what about Thomas’s demands? He made it clear that he would not believe in Jesus’ resurrection if Jesus wouldn’t allow him to see and touch His crucifixion scars. Would Thomas relent in Jesus’ glorified presence? Would Jesus indulge Thomas’s faithless demands?

To be clear, as Paul stated explicitly in his letter to the Romans, God did not owe Thomas, nor does He owe any of us anything more than we’ve already been given.

Romans 1:19-20 …what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse…

God has revealed to everyone, everywhere, everything we need to see that He is God, that we have sinned against Him, and that we need, but don’t deserve His mercy.

Often times, therefore, God in His justice, does not give us what we demand. He is does not respond to our threats or our stubbornness. He is not moved by our ultimatums. And yet, as long as we draw breath, for both those who struggle to believe in Jesus at all, as well as those who struggle to believe in certain promises of Jesus, He is always patient with us. And sometimes, sometimes, that patience does take the form of honoring our “demands.”

This was one of those sometimes.

²⁷ [Jesus] 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.”

It would have been entirely right for Jesus to rebuke Thomas for his pride and doubt. Instead, however, it was grace, upon grace, upon grace. Mercy, upon mercy, upon mercy. Kindness, upon kindness, upon kindness. Love, upon love, upon love. Humility, upon humility, upon humility. Patience, upon patience, upon patience.

As I said, Jesus does not always respond to our demands like this. But sometimes He does. And best of all, either way, our confidence is in the fact that it is universally for His greatest glory and our greatest good.

Grace, God’s kindness is always upon you if your hope is in Jesus. The particular form of His kindness changes continually, but the fact of it doesn’t. Believe that and know the unique and perfect peace Jesus purchased completely in His death and resurrection.

FAITH IS THE LORD’S GIFT TO US (28-29)

I mentioned at the outset that there are two big ideas in the text and sermon. The first big idea is that Jesus is patient. We just saw that in the way He responded to Thomas. The second big idea addresses the question of what we do with His patience. Jesus was patient with Thomas. How would Thomas respond to His patience?

Thomas Believed (28)

Many years ago, I saw a Christian comedy sketch. In it the comedian talked about a time in his life in which he was convicted for not sharing his faith. He was afraid to evangelize. And so he prayed and asked God to put an unmistakable opportunity right in front of him.

In that way, he was like Thomas. Thomas said, “I will not believe in the resurrection unless…”. The Christian comedian said, “I will not share my faith with someone unless…”

Just like Thomas, God was under no obligation to meet this man’s demands. He already had all that he needed to evangelize and demanding more of God was not right.

Nevertheless, just like with Thomas, although under no obligation, God obliged.

The man sat down on a bus, still thinking about his prayer and how God might answer it and a bit afraid that He would, when a disheveled man sat right next to him when the bus wasn’t crowded at all. After a few moments of the comedian trying to figure out how to get away from the guy, the guy turned to the comedian and said, “My life is a mess. I need God. Can you tell me about God?”

Again like Thomas, God did exactly what the comedian said he needed. So what would he do? The punchline is that the comedian, recognizing his own faithlessness and folly, acknowledged that his first and deepest impulse was not to be amazed by God’s clear answer to his prayer, but to ask God, “If this is really from you, please turn this man into an armadillo so I can know for sure.”

The point I want to drive home as you consider that story, is one I’ve already made: Whatever we think we need in addition to what we already have is a lie. The commedian got exactly what he asked for and his response was to ask for just one more thing. Our problem is never what we don’t have, it’s always failing to believe what we’ve already got in Jesus.

The Israelites did that in the wilderness. They wanted food, so God gave them manna. No sooner did He give them that, than they decided what they really needed was meat to go with it.

If Jesus is not enough—His person and promises—then nothing will be. Unless we settle on this, apart from the Spirit’s conviction, every act of obedience we require something of God to perform will only lead to another demand for God to perform something more.

So again, what would Thomas do? Jesus gave him exactly what he asked for, how would he respond? Would he do what the comedian did (and we often do) and ask for something else, or would that truly be enough?

²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Thomas believed! Jesus was patient and kind and Thomas believed. Indeed, in this he is a model for what true conversion and belief looks like. In that moment Thomas had eyes to see and what he saw was that which has always been true: Jesus is Lord and God. He was echoing the first words of John’s Gospel and the words of everyone who truly believes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.”

There’s just one more thing I want to highlight from this passage. It concerns the nature of Thomas’s belief. What was it and where did it come from? Jesus addresses that in v.29.

The Nature of Faith (29)

Thomas made a demand of Jesus before he would believe. Jesus graciously obliged. And true to his word, Thomas believed. But again, what kind of belief did Thomas have and where did it come from?

²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

In these few words Jesus made a subtle but important distinction that helps answer our question. Jesus spoke of (1) a kind of faith that honors Him and blesses the one who has it more and (2) a kind of faith that honors Him and blesses the one who has it less.

The kind that honors and blesses less is the kind that demands to see. And the kind that honors and blesses more is the kind that makes no such demands.

In Thomas we see the kinds that honors and blesses less. In Matthew 8 we see the kind that honors and blesses more.

Matthew 8:5-10 When [Jesus] had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ⁶ “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” ⁷ And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸ But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed… ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

I hope the distinction between the two “kinds of belief” is easy to see in our passage and in Matthew 8. The kind of belief the centurion had simply trusted Jesus. He believed in Jesus such that he needed no further evidence or proof. That kind of faith caused Jesus to “marvel”. Jesus praised that kind of faith.

Thomas believed, and that was good, but in a way that revealed the self-attesting truthfulness of fact that God is most glorified in us when our hope is most fully in Him.

In all of this, the key is that the kind of belief that comes from sight and the kind that believes without seeing alike are always a gift from Jesus. We are commanded to work at it (Philippians 2:12), strive for it (Philippians 1:27), press on in it (Philippians 3:12), but any and every measure of genuine faith is always a gift from Jesus.

It is a gift when we first hear the gospel and believe. And every subsequent decision we make in faith is a gift as well. Again, the Apostle Paul says it well, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The big ideas of this passage are that the risen Lord is patient with His people and faith is His gift to us. The main takeaway is to identify the promises of God and fight in the Spirit’s power to believe them because Jesus has risen from the dead.

CONCLUSION

To help you put all of this into action, we’ve done two things. First, we’ve put together a list of God’s promises (thanks to Michael) for you to fight in the Spirit’s power to believe in light of the resurrection. They’re on the back table. Please take a copy home. Please consider them carefully, pray over them, memorize them, and fight continually to live in light of them in everything and always.

And second, as I promised at the beginning, I want to close with a more explicitly Orphan Sunday application. In conclusion, then, let me say three quick things connecting the kind of faith Jesus marveled at and a right response to orphan care.

CONCLUSION

To help you put all of this into action, we’ve done two things. First, we’ve put together a list of God’s promises (thanks to Michael) for you to fight in the Spirit’s power to believe in light of the resurrection. They’re on the back table. Please take a copy home. Please consider them carefully, pray over them, memorize them, and fight continually to live in light of them in everything and always.

And second, as I promised at the beginning, I want to close with a more explicitly Orphan Sunday application. In conclusion, then, let me say three quick things connecting the kind of faith Jesus marveled at and a right response to orphan care.

1. The kind of faith that Jesus marvels at is defined by belief in specific promises of God. Faith apart from God’s promises is not real faith, and certainly is not the cause of Jesus’ marveling and praising. It is imperative, therefore, that any response we have to Orphan Sunday has deep roots in the Word of God.

2. The Word of God is clear about…

   1. God’s heart for the orphan.

      Deuteronomy 10:18 [God] executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

      Deuteronomy 27:19 “‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      Psalm 10:14, 17-18 [God has] been the helper of the fatherless… O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear ¹⁸ to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed…

      Psalm 68:4-5 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! ⁵ Father of the fatherless … in his holy habitation.

   2. God’s commands for His people concerning the orphan.

      Deuteronomy 22:3 Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

      Isaiah 1:17 … learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless…

   3. The relationship between orphan care and the good news accomplished in Jesus’ resurrection.

      Ephesians 1:5-6 In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

3. Orphan care is near the pinnacle of the kind of faith that has not seen. Almost every aspect of caring for the fatherless involves living by faith and not sight. How do I find a child to care for? Will they receive my love? Will they bring challenging behaviors into our home that wouldn’t otherwise be there? How will it effect my other kids? Will there be interaction with biological family? Is our family at the right place for foster care? Will this end in adoption? Will we have the resources we need?

   We simply cannot know the answers to those questions on the front end, so if we are to engage in orphan care as God does and commands, it will be because we are blessed with the kind of faith that has not seen, yet believes.

   Finally, then, here are a few ways to develop the kind of belief that has not seen and yet believes, and to live it out for the cause of the fatherless.

   1. Worship. Carve out a time each day to read God’s Word, pray, and worship him. The more you fall in love with God, the more you’ll care about the things God cares about—especially the fatherless.
   2. Evangelize. The more the gospel is able to take hold in the world, the fewer orphans there will be—because the gospel produces godliness and godliness produces healthy homes and people with a heart to invite others into them.
   3. Consider. Consider the many passages I listed above on the mind/heart of God toward orphans, His commands for His people concerning orphans, and the relationship between orphans and the gospel.
   4. Talk. Seek out one of the many families at Grace Church who have adopted or are fostering. Hopefully we’ll be able to share our heart, describe the reality of the process, and answer any questions you might have. It might help overcome some of the scariness. But even if it helps you realize that adoption/fostering isn’t for you, at least you’ll better know how to pray for and support those who do.
   5. Pray. Pray for orphans. Pray for specific children to receive specific love, justice, and families. Pray for Christians to pursue God’s mind and heart. Pray for Christians to obey God’s commands.
   6. Give. Give lots of money to adopting couples, godly grant and adoption agencies, and those who are engaged in orphan care. Specifically, please consider giving to the adoption fund at Grace to help the next family at Grace with their home study. We’re making it easy for you to do so by giving you some tasty treats if you do.
   7. Help. Work to prevent kids from being orphaned by helping with Together for Good. Talk to Gerri or Lauren to know more about the many ways you can do so.
   8. Care. Care for orphans locally through making meals for foster and adoptive parents or internationally through a godly organization like Global Fingerprints.
   9. Become. Seriously and prayerfully consider becoming foster or adoptive parents. Obviously, the most direct way to care for an orphan is to bring them into your home.