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gives peace, removes weakness and gives power. 7. He who could enter through closed doors or stone walls can penetrate .any difficulty that surrounds us and come to our relief. 8 . Self-will should never dictate the kind of proof that God should give us. Sufficient foundation for faith is given in the Word o f God. There is no need to look elsewhere for signs and tokens. 9. The biggest doubter, if honest, may become the strongest believer. God has grace for every kind of weakness a dis ciple may possess. 10. Until we say to Jesus, “My Lord and my God” we have not taken a proper Christian attitude. * • * # G olden T ext I llustration According to ' legend, Thomas was troubled by doubts, even after the ascen sion o f Christ. Wishing to get rid o f them, he determined to tell them to the other apostles. But Paul was busy combating the errors of the Greeks. Philip was deep ly interested in an epistle that he was writing to the overseer o f a church in Ethiopia. Peter had gone to Caesarea to preach the Gospel. No one had time for poor Thomas. Downcast and perplexed, he determined to. go to Joppa to look up Dorcas, the philanthropic, sympathetic sis ter. But there he had no better success than in Jerusalem. Dorcas had been very ill, and in order to make up the lost time, she had redoubled her exertions to relieve the needs of the poor. So Thomas had to return, having accomplished nothing. On the way home he began to think. Sudden ly it dawned upon him that he alone had doubts. The others had none, probably because they were too busy to entertain them. Thomas then and there decided to preach the Gospel to the Parthians and, because he did so, he was never again troubled with doubts.
had a new meaning to the disciples and to the world after the resurrection of Christ. V. 27. Reach hither thy finger. Thomas had demanded to “see.” The very fact that Christ showed that He knew in what language doubt had been expressed must have convinced the doubter at once. Reach hither thy hand. The Lord Jesus answered every demand that Thomas had made for proof. The doubter must not be left in doubt. Be not faithless, but believing. More correctly, “ Do not become faith less.” His cherishing of doubt and refusal to believe testimony were leading him to ward faithlessness. He must turn face about and believe. V. 28. My Lord and my God. The man who had shown the strongest tendency to unbelief, with one leap came to the place of the very highest possible faith. He stands before Jesus whom he had thought dead and accepts Him as both Lord and God. V. 29. Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. The other disciples were in the same class. They also had needed vis ual evidence. Thomas might have believed without seeing, but he failed to do so. Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Countless thousands have been in this class. They have never seen Christ in the flesh, but by faith He has been made wondrously real. With Thomas, cured o f doubt, they say, each in his own tongue, “My Lord and my God.” V. New Evidence fo r Thomas (21:1, 2). V. 1. Jesus manifested himself again. This was at the Sea o f Tiberias, also called the Sea of Galilee. It was at this place that some of the disciples took up the old trade o f fishing. V. 2. There were together. Simon Peter is first mentioned. It was there that he received his new commission to service (John 21:15-17). Thomas is named sec ond, not necessarily but possibly indi cating his prominence among the disci ples. * * * L esson Q uestions 11:14. At what place was Jesus? Why did He not go to Jerusalem when He heard that Lazarus was sick? V. 15. What effect had the death and resurrection o f Lazarus upon Jewish leaders? What effect did it have upon the disciples? V. 16. What suggestion did Thomas make? What reason did he have to fear danger to Jesus at Jerusalem? Does his suggestion indicate courage ? Despondency ? 14:5. What had Jesus been saying about the place to which He was going and “the way” ? How did Thomas betray his ig norance? How could he be ignorant in the light of such clear statements by Jesus ? V. 6. In what sense is Jesus “the way” ? Should we think more o f heaven than of Christ, “the way” ? In what sense is He “the truth” ? In what sense is He “the life” ? Is there.any approach to God ex cept through Christ? V. 7. Can one know God except through Christ? What events made the disciples certain of the deity o f Christ? V. 8. How do you account for Philip’s dullness of mind? How can one see the Father?
BLACKBOARD LESSON
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20:24. How many disciples were present in the upper room? What did Jesus say when He entered the room? V. 25. What testimony did the disciples give to Thomas? Had they perfect ground for believing that Jesus Christ was risen? Were they sensible, intelligent men? What kind of evidence did'Thomas demand ? V. 26. Who were present with Thomas in the upper room? Why had the disciples shut the doors? How could Jesus enter the room when the doors were locked? What did He say when He entered? V. 27. What did He ask Thomas to do? How did He know what kind o f evi dence Thomas had demanded? In what way was Thomas in danger o f becoming “ faithless” ? Do many people become faithless by refusing testimony? V. 28. What overcame the doubts ot Thomas? What wonderful testimony did he give? V. 29. Is it better to believe without see ing than to believe because we have seen? Why? 21:1, 2. At what place did this manifes tation of the risen Christ occur? What disciples are named as being present? What occurred there o f interest to Peter? * * * P ractical P oints 1. A sincere doubter can always be convinced. Willful unbelief is incurable. 2. The sisters at Bethany were plunged in deep sorrow because Jesus had appar ently failed them. Jesus was glad He was not there. If we would always see our sorrows through His eyes, how different they would seem. 3. Trials give opportunity for the Lord to work and so to develop faith. 4. The Lord Jesus is never impatient with an honest doubter. The unbelief of Thomas called forth some marvelous teaching about Christ, “the way.” 5. If Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life,” He must be God. And yet He is also the one “mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” 6 . The realization o f the presence, of the risen Christ always banishes fear and
Thomas, the Man Who Wanted to be Sure
John 11:14-16; 14:5-8; 20:24-29 ; 21:1, 2. Memory Verse .—-“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Approach. —To the soul who says, “ Be Thou Thyself the answer to all questions,” the Lord Jesus Christ is always ready and glad to reveal Himself as the Saviour,
the Son of God, who “gave himself for our sins.” Lesson S t o r y .— Thomas is first men tioned in the ac count o f the raising o f Lazarus from the dead, tw o months b e f o r e the cruci fixion o f Ch r i s t . Thomas had been w i t h J e s u s all
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through His ministry, had seen the mir acles performed, had come into close con tact with the Master, and was ready to fol low Him even though it meant peril for himself. This we learn from his own words : “ Let us also go.” Because o f the enmity o f the Jews, this journey might be a dangerous one, yet Thomas was
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