This past Sabbath I preached a message from John 20:24-31 entitled Nail Marks. We explored the tension between Thomas’ statement, “Unless I see… I will never believe”(v.25) and Jesus’ statement, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe “(v.29). These statements raise questions about the role of evidence in our faith. On one extreme we have blind faith that closes it’s eyes to the evidence and just believes. On the other side we have blind doubt that closes it’s eyes to the evidence and just doubts. We don’t want either of those. In John 20 Doubting Thomas becomes Believing Thomas. His story displays how faith relates to evidence, in this case, Nail Marks:
- Requiring Nail Marks (v.25) – Thomas insisted on having evidence to base his faith on.
- Waiting for Nail Marks (v.26) – Thomas showed that he was more of a seeker than a skeptic by the fact that he waited to the Nail Marks by coming into fellowship with the other disciples. He put himself in the best position for the evidence to be seen.
- Experiencing Nail Marks (v.27) – Thomas didn’t need another explanation; he needed an experience with Jesus. And Jesus provided the very evidence Thomas was looking for, Nail Marks.
- Belief from Nail Marks– (v.28)- Thomas believed because of a personal experience with Jesus and the Nail Marks. He didn’t just believe that Jesus had risen from the dead but he called Him “My Lord and my God”.
- Belief Beyond the Nail Marks (v. 29-31)- Because of the Nail Mark we are able to believe beyond them. Belief without sight is not believing against the evidence but building a level of trust, based on the evidence God provides, so that we are able to trust beyond what we can see.
Here’s what I forgot to say…Thomas didn’t make a ridiculous demand of Jesus! When he required Nail Marks he didn’t dream up a wild sequence of events to test God. He didn’t say, “I will only believe if I see three shooting start and if I get a perfect score on my exam and I have a check for exactly $75,250.50 in my mail box.” He wasn’t testing God. He wasn’t expecting God to bow to his demand or conform to his understanding. If you consider “evidence” for God to be that He does what you tell Him to do then you are looking for a different god. Thomas identified something that would be characteristic of Jesus, Nail Marks. When we require evidence we must look for the things that are characteristic of Jesus (like healing, peace, conviction, hope, grace, purity…). If we demand Jesus to behave according to our understanding, and call it an honest search for evidence, we will be disappointed.
And notice this, when Jesus showed up Thomas didn’t even need the proof he once demanded. Jesus appeared and told him to reach out his finger and touch His hands and side(v. 27). If Thomas did, the text didn’t record it. It appears that Thomas was so impacted by Jesus showing up and exposing the Nail Marks that he didn’t need any further proof. Perhaps you have a requirement of God. You are convinced that your belief, or joy, or hope depend on some specific thing. You are certain you cannot move on unless God does this thing in your life. You don’t see any other way. But perhaps, like Thomas, experiencing the presence of Jesus will be enough. And you won’t need the further proof you think is required.
Once Jesus becomes your Lord and your God you can believe beyond the Nail Marks!