Tag Archives: unbelief

My Lord and my God – John 20:26-28

Posted on by
Reply

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

History has somehow given Thomas the nickname Doubting Thomas. Maybe it is at least a little bit deserved, since he wanted to not only see, but touch, the risen Jesus before he would believe. Then again, all his friends had already had a resurrection appearance of Christ. Nobody likes to be the only one left out.

When Jesus appears among them again eight days later, the Lord singles Thomas out asking him to touch his wounds. Thomas’s response is one of the clearest declarations of the deity of Christ anywhere in the Bible.

“My Lord and my God” is not just an exclamation pointed at a God who is only God knows where. It is an expression of worship directed at Jesus who is standing right before the previously doubting apostle. And, as he is prone to do, Christ accepts the worship of his follower.

In a society and religious culture that essentially defined monotheism for the world, Jesus is willing to be worshiped. Thomas is willing to worship him and proclaim him his Lord and God. We also may be aware that a similar designation, Dominus et Deus, was applied to the Roman emperor Domitian, who likely was on the throne at the time of John’s writing.

This is then a pointed statement. No one deserves the titles “My Lord and my God” other than Jesus. To worship him is not only appropriate, it is required.

John 10 – Verse by Verse

Posted on by
Reply
John Pic

Jesus, drawing on Old Testament imagery of sheep and a shepherd says that he is the door of the sheepfold by which God’s sheep enter. Further he calls himself the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep

John 10.pdf

John 10.mp3

Here is a link to the livestream video. Note that there are two parts due to some technical difficulties.:

John 6 – Verse by Verse

Posted on by
Reply

John Pic

After the feeding of the 5000, Jesus returns to Capernaum.  There, in the synagogue, he declares himself to be the bread of life.

John 06.pdf

John 06.mp3

Here is a link to the livestream video:

Lord, to whom shall we go? – John 6:66-69

Posted on by
Reply

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

If you have walked with Jesus long enough, you are familiar with this problem.  People hear things, experience things, do things, or maybe someone does something to them.  The end result is just as in John 6:66.  

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 

Whatever the reason, this is a sad outcome.  At its root it is an expression of unbelief, of a lack of trust.  There is a way in which it belittles Jesus, his identity as God and his work on the cross for us.  It is saying that you, Jesus, are not big enough, nor is your cross effective enough to resolve this issue.  It is saying that my inability to understand why you work the way you do gets the final say.  There is nothing you, Jesus, can say or do to persuade me otherwise.

If we could see the big, eternal picture, we would know that this response would border on insanity.  However big our problem is, however difficult to understand, however wicked the forces that have raged against us, however cruel the attack, Jesus is bigger still and his cross provides the ultimate victory. 

Through faith in him we will eventually rise above the battle just as he rose from the grave and conquered death.  In eternity we will hear remarkable stories of incredible evil experienced by weak but trusting saints.  And the end of each and every one of them will be along the lines of, “But that is over now, and we have found everlasting joy in the presence of our Savior.  The cruelty of the battle that almost ended in utter defeat only makes the victory sweeter.  He rose, and he reigns forever and I am one of his.”

May our response to Christ when we don’t understand what he is saying or doing ever be,

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”