Gospel Light Christian Church Thru-The-Bible Series (6.3)

The Gospel Of John

John 20:19-31 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

Jesus among His Disciples

v.19 The disciples had assembled together because they had heard news of Jesus' resurrection. This is the Lord's first visit to His disciples after His resurrection. The doors were shut because of fear of the Jews and the Romans, because the Roman guards had been bribed to say that the disciples had stolen Jesus' body (MAT 28:13). Therefore, they were considered "criminals." There were others in the room besides the disciples (LUK 24:33). We are not told how Jesus entered into the locked room. Did He miraculously unlock the door, or did He simply go through the walls? Though Jesus' body (LUK 24:39) was resurrected. His resurrected body is different from the physical body and is able to go through walls. Jesus' first salutation to His unfaithful disciples is "Peace be unto you." Jesus came into this world to give us peace with God through His atoning death, and peace with men by making us "new creatures" (2CO 5:17). At His birth, the angels announced “Peace on earth” (LUK 2:14)and throughout His ministry He promised peace (14:27, 16:33). The disciples had forsaken Him and had doubted that He rose from the dead, therefore, they did not expect to be greeted in this manner. [1]

v.20 Though Jesus' resurrection body was gloriously perfect, yet the wounds in his hands and his side were left as perpetual reminders of His sacrifice for us (REV 5:6). Jesus saw the doubts in the hearts of His disciples, so He showed His wounds to them to convince them that He had indeed risen bodily from the grave. He even asked them handle it (LUK 24:39). [2] The word '"glad" is better translated "rejoice." He had earlier promised them that they would rejoice when they saw Him (16:22).

v.21 Though the disciples rejoiced to see Jesus, there were lingering fears that He would rebuke them for their disgraceful behaviour.  Hence, Jesus again says "Peace be unto you." Jesus wants us to have peace in our lives. Most Christians are aware that God the Father sent Jesus into the world, but few Christians are aware that as surely as the Father sent the Son, the Son has also sent us into the world. All Christians have been sent by Jesus as His ambassadors into the world, but few realise this. They think it is an option for them to consider. Also, few Christians realise that as the Father sent Jesus, even so Jesus sends us. In other words, in the same manner as Jesus was sent into the world, we are sent into the world, eg. with sacrifice; subjection, humility, authority. Most Christians think that only a select few are expected to walk in Jesus' footsteps, while the majority can live compromising lives!

v.22 The thought of being sent into the world as Jesus' ambassadors must have frightened the poor disciples because the events of the past few days had proven them to be faithless cowards who were so ignorant of the important truths of God (LUK 24:45). Therefore, Jesus encourages and enables them for their great mission. He breathes on them to symbolically demonstrate the giving of the Holy Spirit to them. This is the only time that Jesus ever breathes on His disciples. As wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (JOH 3:8, ACT 2:2), breathing on them is a correlating symbol of giving of the Spirit. Jesus explains His action by saying "Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”  This does not mean that these disciples never had the Spirit with them.  Believers receives the Holy Spirit when they were converted and became Jesus' disciples (ROM 3:11, 8:9, ICO 12:3), but we can grieve the Spirit by our sin of unbelief (EPH 4:30), and quench the Spirit by refusing His leadership in our lives (ITH 5:19). 

Jesus’ actions refer to the transmission of the working of the Spirit in a broader sense, which in the present context, is that of the mission and authorisation of the disciples.  They were enabled by the Spirit to be effective apostles. The filling of the Spirit was not given to them so that they could perform miracles because they had already performed miracles before this (LUK 10:17), neither was it to enable them to speak in tongues because they did not do so till after Pentecost (ACT 2).

v.23 The Romanists use this verse to justify their practice of priestly absolution (removal) of sins that are confessed in Romanist confessionals. Since sins are committed primarily against God, only He can forgive sins (MAR 2:7, LUK 5:21). The Bible records no occasion when any of the apostles received confessions from the people and forgave them. Neither is this practice every mentioned or taught in the three pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus) which teach pastors of their duties. However, the Bible records how the apostles went into all the world and preached the remission of sins to all that believed in Jesus (ACT 10:43, LUK 24:47), and the retention of sins of all that rejected Jesus (JOH 3:36). Faithful preaching of the Gospel always results in sins being remitted from those who believe the Gospel and retained in those who reject it. This statement is closely related to Jesus' earlier promise in LUK 24:47 and ACT 3:19. In other words, sins are remitted from those who receive Christ as their Saviour, and retained in those who reject Him as Saviour.

v.24 The reason for Thomas' absence is not mentioned. The two previous records of Thomas' words (11:16,14:5) reveal him to be a very despondent person. There are many Christians who, like Thomas, have true saving faith but are so despondent by nature that they never enjoy the blessings of their salvation. John Bunyan (the author of “Pilgrim’s Progress”) calls them "Fearing," "Despondency,'" and "Much afraid.” Such believers love Jesus but habitually focus on the difficulties and dangers of everything. Therefore, a likely reason why Thomas' was not present with the other disciples when Jesus came was because he was depressed by the events of the past few days and had therefore been late in coming to the meeting. He missed a great blessing by being absent from the assembling together of God's people (HEB 10:25, PRO 8:34). The meeting that we miss is often the very one from which we would have received a great blessing.

v.25 When depressed Thomas finally arrives, Jesus had already left. None of the disciples or Jesus rebukes Thomas for not being present. The other disciples excitedly tell Thomas about Jesus' visit, hoping to encourage him.  Instead of believing the testimony of ten trusted credible friends, he claims that he will only believe when he himself sees and feels Jesus' body. Most of what we know and believe (whether secular or scientific) is based on the testimony of others. Only a very tiny fraction of our secular knowledge is based on personal experience. In spite of this, many people reject spiritual matters because they claim that "they will only believe if they see ". As the spiritual realm is invisible, this is an impossible demand. [3]

v.26 The Jews reckon part of a day as a day. Therefore, eight days later means the next Sunday (v. 19). Jesus' timed His appearances to His disciples on two consecutive Sundays, thereby honouring Sunday as a special day. While the other disciples were rejoicing over the resurrected Lord through the whole week, poor Thomas spent the week in doubt and despondency. Christians who fail to assemble with other Christians often end up as discouraged Christians. Jesus appears in the same manner as in the previous Sunday (v.19), and gives the same salutation. Thomas probably expected to be rebuked for the arrogant demand that he made eight days earlier (v.25), but instead is comforted by Jesus' salutation of peace.

v.27 Jesus made this visit especially for Thomas. Faithless Thomas deserved rebuke. Instead Jesus condescends to his weakness and offers His body as proof to Thomas. We too must learn to show the same condescension to those who are weak in faith and not despise their weakness. Jesus' chest wound must have been large enough for Thomas' hand to enter! Jesus' rebuke (ie, "be not faithless") is directed primarily at what Thomas had said eight days earlier (v.25), and also to his whole attitude of unbelief.

v.28 Thomas is shamed by Jesus' condescension to offer His body for inspection and does not accept the offer. Instead he immediately answers "My Lord and my God" thereby acknowledging His faith in Jesus. In this short declaration, Thomas expresses repentance, faith, adoration, delight and amazement. He also declares the divinity of Jesus. If Jesus was not God, Jesus would immediately have chastised Thomas for calling Him God (ACT 10:26). Doubting Thomas is credited with having brought the Gospel all the way to India and being martyred there, though there is no firm evidence that he actually did so.

v.29 Jesus rebukes Thomas for his weak faith, and tells him that God blesses those who have not seen, and yet have believed (ROM 4:20). To believe only what we have seen will cut us off from most of life's higher experiences and certainly from all vital spiritual truths because the spiritual realm cannot be seen by the physical eyes. God does not expect us to have blind, unreasoning faith. But God expects us to begin by believing many things that are above, not against, our reason, and promises us that as we take these steps of faith He will give us spiritual "light" to understand more and more. Unbelievers say "If I could see I would believe," but God wants us to say " I will believe God and will trust God to show me more and more as I believe. " In other words, we must begin by simple faith, and God will supply the rest. Almost all knowledge in the world is received in this same way. A person who will not believe anything till he fully understands will never begin to understand anything. Some commentators have credited Thomas with a scientific inquiring spirit that will not believe without evidence. The truth is Thomas did not have an inquiring spirit at all – he never interviewed the disciples, nor visited the tomb to find out the truth.

v.30 The other signs that Jesus did in the presence of his disciples probably refer to signs regarding the reality of His resurrection. Jesus' resurrection is so vital to the Gospel that Jesus confirmed and reconfirmed this to His disciples before sending them into the world.

v.31 John wrote these things regarding Jesus' resurrection, that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And whosoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God will have everlasting life.  This is the reason why John’s Gospel was written, and it should be the reason why we read and teach it to others.

----------------------------
Footnotes

[1] It was His fifth post-resurrection appearance. His first was to Mary Magdalene, second to the women returning from the sepulchre (MAT 28:9), third to Peter (LUK 24:34), and fourth to the two disciples walking to Emmaus (LUK 24:13).

[2] God does not expect us to believe anything contrary to our senses, though He often expects us to believe things that are above our senses. But Romanists expect their followers to believe that the bread and wine of the Mass change into the literal body of Christ, though it is evident to their followers that the bread still appears, smells, and tastes like bread (and not a human body).

[3] Two factors mitigate Thomas' unbelief. Firstly, none of the disciples really expected Jesus to die and resurrect. Secondly, as a Jew, Thomas believed in angels and spirits and probably thought that what the other disciples had seen was Jesus' spirit and not His body. This unflattering record of the weak faith of one of the apostles, reveals the truthfulness of the Bible writers. Yet, observe the patience love of Christ reaching out to Thomas.