Fear and Gladness, Doubt and Belief

Sunday, 19Apr09     John 20: 19 - 31 KJV

 . . . the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, v19

That Easter Sunday evening, the doors were shut, perhaps even bolted.  The disciples were afraid of the Jews.  The Lord's body was missing from his grave, and the Jews could be looking everywhere for them, to arrest them, accusing them of having stolen the body.  The disciples were full of fear.

Then suddenly, Jesus appeared and stood in the midst of them!  He showed them the wounds on his hands and his side.  He pronounced peace upon them and imparted the breath of the Holy Spirit on them, and commissioned them, 

"As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you" v21

 

When the disciples' saw the Lord, they were very glad indeed. 

However, Thomas was not among them.  For some reason, he was not hiding in that house together with them that Sunday evening.  Perhaps, he couldn't make it there, and the angry Jews had already launched a man-hunt for them. Probably he was holed up in some other home, waiting for the frenzy to die down, before making his way to meet up the other ten disciples in their safe-house.

And there was doubt.  Thomas couldn't believe his ears when they told him, "We have seen the Lord." (v.25).  Or rather, he wouldn't believe his friends.  He would not believe them, unless he saw the Lord himself, and touched the wounds on the Lord's hands and side.  For the next eight days, Thomas and his friends stayed indoors: in fear of the Jews, in gladness of having met the resurrected Lord in person and, for Thomas, in doubt of what his fellow brethren had told him. 

Finally, came belief.  The Lord appeared in their midst again, this time telling Thomas to inspect his wounds, to touch them and to stop being sceptical of His resurrection.  Thomas answered with those famous words, "My Lord and my God" (v 28).

"Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." v29

Thus, for the disciples, those eight days after the first Easter was an emotional one. There was paralysing fear and exhilarating gladness. There was also nagging doubt for Thomas.  But at last, there was enduring belief.