The Thomas Moment - John 20:28

  
 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” - John 20:28

    I often think about people who have yet to come to Christ. Many of them explain their unbelief away, stating lack of evidence. I myself was guilty of the error. And those of us who are fervent believers could each share our moment of enlightenment. For some, it was a “lightning moment”, like that of Martin Luther. For others, it was the effect of attrition: God wearing us down until we had no other choice than to believe.
    For the apostle, Thomas, he needed evidence of the risen Lord. His hope of being with the Messiah ended abruptly and cruelly, dying on the cross with Jesus. - “The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’” John 20:25. “Unless I see, I will not believe.” His doubt has marked him for ages.
    We know that Christ returned later and approached Thomas, He chose to speak specifically speak to him - “Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’” - John 20:27. Christ chose Thomas specifically, just as God has chosen each of His elect, specifically! The proof, the evidence of Christ’s resurrection was undeniable and led to Thomas’s belief. His doubt was shorn from him in that moment. This was the Thomas Moment. Then - “Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” - John 20:29.
    What a wonderful and exhilarating moment it must have been for the apostles to be present with the risen Lord; to experience seeing Him and hearing Him. But what of the doubters and unbelievers here, today in the 21st Century? How can we see and hear Him today? “And He said to them, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’” - Mark 4:9.
    So, we cannot “see” Christ as His disciples did. That doesn’t mean we are without recourse. Christ has declared that we must hear Him. We must hear His word. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” - Romans 10:17. Yes! If we hear; if we listen to the word of God we may come to faith in our own “Thomas Moment.” The Holy Spirit will not be quenched in the hearts of God’s elect. It is not necessary that we “see” Jesus to believe in Him and His word. We need not ever doubt - “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” - 2 Corinthians 5:7.
    It is believed that Thomas preached the Word of God as far as India, where he was martyred around 72 AD. And although no credible evidence exists, there have been suppositions that Thomas traveled as far as Paraguay via Indonesia.
    Thomas had the unique blessing of having been taught firsthand by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without a doubt, Thomas walked with the Word of God, just as we too can walk with the Word - “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” - Matthew 11:15.