I do not propose to take a text this
evening but have a little talk about the Apostle Thomas. He was not one of the
foremost of our Lord’s disciples, and there is nothing about the call he
received and there is really nothing about his life before our Lord called him
but I think it is fairly certain that he was a Galilean fisherman, and we know
from John 21[1]
that after our Lord’s resurrection he was with Peter when he decided to go
afishing, and was included in the “we” who decided to go with him. But there
are three outstanding occasions recorded in John’s gospel when Thomas’s remarks
reveal something of his character and in Young’s Concordance[2] we have
the statement that he was zealous, inquisitive and incredulous at the report of
our Lord’s resurrection[3]. And I
would like to mention these three things in this order and so let us first
listen to John 11, where we have the remark in verse 16. Thomas had listened to
our Lord’s conversation respecting Lazarus who had died and he knew that Jesus
loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus and that He had received a message
concerning the sickness of the brother and had made the suggestion “Let us go
into Judea again” and the disciples in their love for their Lord sought to
deter Him, reminding Him that the Jews of late sought to stone Him and he asks “goest
thou thither again”. And our Lord replies, Are there not 12 hours in the day?
etc. I think he means to convey to them the fact that the night cannot come
before the 12 hours are expired. And His own 12 hours of day-time are not yet
expired and no stone cast at Him can hit Him before that expiration. His
surrender to the will of God is so perfect that He can face a hostile crowd of
Jewish persecutors and rest assured that He will be preserved till the end of
His day[4]. And so
after telling His disciples that Lazarus is now dead He says nevertheless “let us
go unto Him” And Thomas upon hearing this says, to his fellow disciples “let us
also go that we may die with him”. I do not think we can say with any degree of
certainty that the word HIM of Thomas remark refers to Lazarus or Jesus.
Lazarus was dead. Our Lord was going where humanly speaking He was very likely
to be stoned and Thomas was sufficiently zealous to prefer death to life, if
life was to be apart from the Lord. Are we extremists? Do we love Him like
that. Are we in any way like Ruth in her love for Naomi, where thou diest will
I also die and there will I be buried[5]. There
is a verse of a hymn in Redemption Songs[6] which
runs like this: And where He died would I also die, And far dear a grave beside
Him, Than a kingly crown among living men, In the world where they crucified
Him[7]. Yes I
think you will agree with me that the zeal of Thomas leaves us cold and ashamed,
and we do well to listen to the word of our Lord to the church of the Smyrna,
Be thou faithful unto death and I will give me a crown of life[8]. Now let
us turn to chapter 14. v5. The time has come and our Lord knows that very soon
he will be leaving His beloved disciples, and He has many things to say to them
privately, and one of the principal things is, that He is soon leaving them,
but He is going to prepare a place for them, and is coming again to receive
them unto Himself, and I think Thomas is puzzled.. everything is different to
what he expected. And he is rightly inquisitive concerning the future and asks wisely,
he goes to the fountainhead[9] and in
his perplexity says Lord we know not whither thou goest and how can we know the
way, and our Lord replies with those well-known words… I am the way, the truth
and the life. No man cometh unto the father but by me. Now I would like to
point out that the word He uses is “cometh” not “goeth”. I do not think we need
to be very scholarly to see the difference between the two. He is going first
to the Father, and He is anxious to have us with Him and with the Father, and
so He uses the word, cometh. To Thomas in chap 11, we saw that life apart from
Christ was not worthwhile. Our Lord says Come.. O how often He used the word
and He still uses it. It is the word of life. Go is the word of death, These
shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal[10]. Now
let us pass on to chap 20, and here we see in the experience of Thomas
something that was expressed by Mary Magdalene at the sepulchre. They have
taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid Him[11]. And he
is passing through a time of great anxiety. Let us not forget this is the man
who was willing to die rather than be separated from Him and yet in a moment of
extreme weakness, they all forsook him and fled. And if Peter repented after
the Lord looked upon him, I think in all probability Thomas (had also repented
for forsaking Him)[12]. The
effect of those three years of close intimacy with Jesus could not be thrown
off very easily. And I think that probably Thomas had faced what he thought was
inevitable, “That he would have no opportunity of seeing Him and telling Him
how deeply grieved and sorrowful he was, He was crucified, dead and buried, but
he had not got as far as the next item in the creed, He rose again the third
today (sic), and now like a bolt from the blue the news comes, We have seen the
Lord. Do not be hard on him, but he had heard the Lord say he would rise again..
and his unbelief was a sin against God and also a sin against his fellow
disciples, but the Lord had prepared them for it Whosoever sins ye remit, they
are remitted unto them[13]. And
ultimately they witness his repentance and hear his declaration of faith, and
his sins are forgiven by God and they must forgive also, and receive him back
in the circle and fellowship of the church[14]. He
came to God by Jesus Christ, and was commissioned for service and heard the precious
declaration of his Lord, Lo I am with you alway[15], and
his heart’s desire is granted. To be with Christ & Christ with him
eternally.
[1] v. 2
[2] Analytical Concordance to the Holy Bible by Robert Young first published 1879. A standard reference work which analyzes the words of the AV according to the Greek and Hebrew words they translate. RRA mentions that Lloyd made extensive use of it
[3] Full quote is "One of the 12 apostles of Jesus and called also Didymus; he was zealous and inquisitive, yet, at first incredulous at the report of the resurrection of Christ"
[4] see John 8:59
[5] Ruth 1:17
[6] Redemption songs : a choice collection of 1000 hymns and choruses for evangelistic meetings, solo singers, choirs and the home. A popular Brethren hymnbook first published it would seem in 1889 by Pickering and Inglis who were broadly at that time a Brethren publisher " after Sankey's "Sacred Songs and Solos", "Redemption Songs" was one of the hymn books to popularise American revivalist hymns here in Ulster/UK/British Isles" http://clydesburn.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/redemption-songs.html this has lots of fascinating information about "Redemption Songs" including two posts from Jamaica, making one think it was indeed the inspiration for Bob Marley's famous song!
[7] A Homeless Stranger amongst us came
To this land of death and mourning;
He walked in a path of sorrow and shame,
Through insult, and hate, and scorning.
A Man of sorrows, of toil and tears,
An outcast Man and a lonely;
But He looked on me, and through endless years
Him must I love—Him only.
Then from this sad and sorrowful land,
From this land of tears He departed;
But the light of His eyes and the touch of His hand
Had left me broken-hearted.
And I clave to Him as He turned His face
From the land that was mine no longer—
The land I had loved in the ancient days,
Ere I knew the love that was stronger.
And I would abide where He abode,
And follow His steps for ever;
His people my people, His God my God,
In the land beyond the river.
And where He died would I also die,
Far dearer a grave beside Him
Than a kingly place amongst living men,
The place which they denied Him.
Then afar and afar did I follow Him on,
To the land where He was going—
To the depths of glory beyond the sun,
Where the golden fields were glowing—
The golden harvest of endless joy,
The joy He had sown in weeping;
How can I tell the blest employ,
The songs of that glorious reaping!
The recompense sweet, the full reward,
Which the Lord His God has given;
At rest beneath the wings of the Lord,
At home in the courts of heaven.
—Paul Gerhardt "one of the great German pietists in the 17th century."
[8] Revelation 2:10
[9] This would appear to be a reference to the well-known hymn by May Agnew Stevens rather than a biblical reference
We’re feeding on the living bread,
We’re drinking at the fountainhead;
And whoso drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never, never thirst again.
What, never thirst again? No, never thirst again!
What, never thirst again? No, never thirst again!
And whoso drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never, never thirst again!
[10] Matthew 25:46
[11] John 20:13
[12] This inserted later as a footnote marked with an asterisk
[13] John 20:23
[14] Lloyd had to deal with a case of one of the leading members of the Witley fellowship having an affair with a local woman, something which caused him great pain and difficulty. It does not seem impossible that this address was reused in order for Lloyd to encourage the Fellowship to welcome back their erring brother into the fold after his repentance. But whatever the exact circumstances it clearly illustrates his attitude to church discipline.
[15] Matthew 28:20