John 20:24-29

THOMAS IS CONVINCED

John 20:24-29. “ And Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. Then the other disciples continued to say to him, We have seen the Lord. And he said to them, Unless I may see the print of the nails in His hands, and thrust my finger into the place of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe. Again, after eight days, His disciples were within, and Thomas was with them. Jesus comes, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you! Then He says to Thomas, Bring hither thy finger, and see My hands; and bring thy hand, and thrust it into My side, and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas responded and said to Him, My Lord and my God.

Jesus says to him, Because you hast seest Me, thou hast believed; happy are thou not seeing, and believing.” This is the seventh appearing of our Lord after His resurrection, occurring eight days subsequently to His last manifestation on the night following the resurrection. Thomas was peculiar for looking on the dark side, he and Peter being at opposite poles of the battery. He was slow, but sure; moving cautiously, but holding every inch of ground with the tread of a conqueror. Historians contend that he proved the greatest apostle except Paul, most abundant in labor, traveling through Ethiopia, far up in Central Africa, and preaching extensively in Persia, a great country in Asia, and finally took vast and populous India for his field of labor, where God wonderfully blessed his ministry. At last, like his apostolical comrades in their respective fields of labor throughout the whole world, he sealed his faith with his blood, his body being interpenetrated by a cruel iron-bar thrust through him by the Brahmin priests, who saw that their religion was ruined if he continued to preach the Gospel in their country. Never did the world look down on more stalwart faith than that of Thomas after the fires of Pentecost consumed all his doubts.