"Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20: 24-25, NIV)
For some reason, Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them for the first time after His resurrection. Guess Thomas was out playing a round of golf --- haha. They tell Thomas what had happened. Jesus appeared to them while they were in a locked room. They spoke with him; they saw the scars on his hands and feet. But, since Thomas was not there to witness it, he did not believe the other disciples. Wonder why? He lived and traveled for years with these men. Why would he not have taken their word for it? It was like he had to see it for himself. And, that's exactly what Jesus did! A week later, Jesus appears to the disciples, behind closed doors once again, and this time, Thomas gets to witness the account firsthand. And, in this instance, seeing was believing!
Jesus goes on in vs. 29 and says, ". . .blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed". That's why we have to have faith in God's Word. We don't have Jesus appearing to us in bodily form. We can't reach out and touch a physical body like Thomas did. We have to know that the Holy Spirit living within us is guiding and directing our steps.
"Jesus wasn't hard on Thomas for his doubts. Despite his skepticism, Thomas was still loyal to the believers and to Jesus himself. Some people need to doubt before they believe. If doubt leads to questions, questions lead to answers, and the answers are accepted, then doubt has done good work. It is when doubt becomes stubbornness and stubbornness becomes a lifestyle that doubt harms faith. When you doubt, don't stop there. Let your doubts deepen your faith as you continue to search for the answer." (footnote, Life Application Bible)
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