Skip to main content

Nail Marks


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!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shadow of a Doubt

Last Sabbath I preached a message from Matthew 16:13-23 entitled Shadow of a Doubt. I challenged the idea that believers are called to live beyond the shadow of a doubt. Instead, we are called to have faith within the shadow.  In the text there are two stories, both about Peter and Jesus.  When we put these stories side by side there is an interesting contrast. Faith Within the Shadow (vv. 13-20) Certainty Beyond the Shadow (vv. 21-23) Confusion about Christ (vv.13-14) Clarity about Christ (v.21) Faith in Christ (vv.15-16) Certainty about Christ (v.22) Affirmation from Christ (v.17) Rebuke from Christ (v.23) “Blessed are you, Simon” (v.17) “Get behind me, Satan” (v.23) Truth Revealed to the Mind by God (v.17) Not Mindful of the Things of God (v.23) Where the Church is Built (v.18) Where the Church is Threatened  (v.23) When Pet...
Post a Comment
Read more

A New Living Faith in an Old Rugged Cross

This past Sabbath I preached a message from  Isaiah 43:14-21  entitled  A New Living Faith in an Old Rugged Cross .  I explored the tension between welcoming the new and holding onto the old.  Through the prophet Isaiah God called His people to “Remember  not the former things, neither consider the things of old” (Isaiah 43:18). Three chapters latter the same God called the same people to “Remember the former things of old” (Isaiah 46:9). Which is it?  Are we to run to the new or cling to the old? Well, both.  We are to welcome the new things that God leads us into while holding onto the unchangeable truth of who God is.  At the same time we are to run from the new things that will lead us away from God and from the old things that have kept us from Him. The point is not that it is new or that it is old but that it is God.  Here’s what I forgot to say…. God has ...
1 comment
Read more

Return to My Rest

This past Sabbath I preached on a message from Zechariah 6:1-8 called Return to My Rest . Here’s what I forgot to say…. The Christian experience is characterized by resting in God’s completed work.   We don’t rest in what we can do but in what He has already done.   God created man on day six. The seventh day was man’s first full day in existence and it was spent in rest. What did man need to rest from? He hadn’t done anything yet?   That is the point.   Man wasn’t resting from something; he was resting in something. God invited man to rest in His completed work. Sabbath is a rest in what God has done.   This is how the human story started. This is how our story continues. This is the story of our salvation! God sent His son, He lived the perfect life, He die on the cross, He rose from the dead, His work accomplished our salvation.   We don’t do the work. We rest in what He has done.   This is the story of our eternal home! This ...
Post a Comment
Read more