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Seeing the Wounds
Sep 23, 07:58 PM
“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 20:25
Thomas was a thinker. He had a good mind. He liked to figure things out. Thomas was not the kind simply to accept something just because somebody said it to him. He did not lack trust nor was he intellectually cynical. It was simply a matter of things having to line up for him. I know a lot of people like that and there are many in this generation just like him.
I am constantly amazed at how the minds of different people function differently. Some are more emotional and lead with their hearts while some are more pragmatic and straight-forward. One is not better than the other. Some people have very analytical minds and others are more artistic. I tend to see things in straight lines and right angles. My artist friends tend to see things more in gentle shades and hues. I like to stay close to them and try to see the world through their eyes.
Different people process information differently, see the world differently, and make decisions differently. One is not better than the other – just different. It is very helpful to get to know different people and how they tick. If we are going to befriend different types of people, it behooves us to get to know how they think and what it important to them.
Thomas is among those who think well. Things have to make sense to him. Do not misunderstand Thomas. He is not one of these people who use their intellectual acuity to dance around truth so as to avoid commitment. He is ready, willing, and able to commit to truth if it makes sense to him. He is not looking for a way to torpedo truth so as to justify his own sinful lifestyle. He is not looking for proof – for emperical evidence verifying the validity of Jesus’ identity. He is wise enough to know that supernatural reality cannot always be empirically verified. No, Thomas is looking for something else.
There are a lot of people around just like Thomas. They will not believe until they see what they are looking for.
That day Jesus showed up in the room where the Disciples were gathered after His death. The door was locked. Jesus supernaturally appears. I am weary with those who would dispel the notion of the supernatural manifestation of God’s reality and power. It is essential to the Biblical witness and integral to our faith. Besides, it is the reality of who God is. The miraculous power of God is as fundamental to God’s nature as is Love.
When Jesus showed up in that room, the sense of reverence and wonder were palpable. The men and women in the room were rendered speechless. Tears of awe and flowed . . . right up until the moment when Jesus turned to Thomas and said, “Thomas, I have something to show you.” The air went out of the room. Men dove for cover as awe turned to dread. And super-intelligent Thomas melted in a puddle before the Lord. The Lord’s appearing does that sometimes.
One of my earliest revelations from the Gospels was from this account of the post-Resurrection appearance of Jesus. It was the wounds that intrigued me. He still had them. The dust had settled on the Crucifixion, the glorious Resurrection had occurred, but the wounds had not magically disappeared. Jesus carried them into heaven. To this day, that fact still amazes me and I continue to ponder the full depth of its meaning. Why did Thomas have to see the wounds? He wasn’t looking for proof. He had seen plenty of demonstrations of the miraculous power of the Savior. Why the wounds? Why was seeing the wounds so important to him?
In this generation, the mindset of Thomas is quite common. They will not accept something just because we say it is true. While there are an abundance of cynics out there, there are even more people hungering for spiritual reality and love. People want to see us out there helping people. They want to see us engaged in selfless service. They want to see us out among the people in need regardless of the personal cost. They will not believe until they see the wounds. Until they witness us being willing to be wounded for love’s sake, they will not believe.