DOUBTING THOMAS
"MEMORISE them; learn them off by heart!," our teacher
insisted, referring to the names of the twelve Apostles. Now, we
sometimes had difficulty remembering all of their names, but we
always remembered Thomas, for we referred to him as 'Doubting
Thomas'. This was because of his doubts concerning the
resurrection of Jesus. Later on, as I read in the Bible the
account of Thomas' doubts, I saw that on one occasion, after the
resurrection, when the Lord appeared to some of His disciples,
Thomas was not present at the time: "So the other disciples
told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he said to them,'Unless I
see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails
were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe
it.'" 1
Thomas certainly had doubts about the resurrection of the Lord. I
said to myself: "Perhaps Thomas needed to be certain that if
someone, or something had, in fact, appeared to the other
disciples, that it was really the Lord. He needed to be sure it
was not a counterfeit, deceiving spirit, which claimed to be
Jesus." Thomas knew what the Apostle Paul later wrote about:
"And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of
light." 2
Surely Thomas wanted to be certain that this 'apparition,' this
appearance, was genuine, and that what had manifested itself was
the very One he had seen go to the cross. He needed to be sure it
was the same Jesus, the one who had been crucified, had died, and
was buried.
All Thomas' doubts disappeared a short time later: "A week
later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with
them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among
them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put
your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it
into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' Thomas said to Him, 'My
Lord and my God!'" 3
Yes, Thomas believed when He saw the same Jesus, the Man Christ
Jesus, in His resurrected body, with the nail-prints in His
hands. Now, I wondered what Thomas would have thought if he had
seen the apparition of a child, which claimed to be the Child
Jesus. I was convinced he would have recognised it to be a
counterfeit, an impostor, and would never have acknowledged it as
"my Lord and my God". And yet, so many people are
claiming that what they see at these apparitions is, in fact, the
Child Jesus. In the light of God's Word it was very clear to me
that, if people did, in fact, see or hear apparitions, their
identification of them as the Child Jesus was a mistake.
According to the Scriptures, the Child Jesus grew up to be the
Man Christ Jesus. In fact, there never was a time when Jesus was
in Heaven as a child. He was a child only when He was being
reared by Mary and Joseph, prior to growing into manhood.
The Bible teaches that Jesus is not now, never has been in the
past, and never will be in the future, in Heaven as a child. The
people who claim that the Child Jesus left Heaven and came down
to appear at places like Fatima, etc., are mistaken. The vital
importance of the presence of the Man Christ Jesus in Heaven
became increasingly clear to me as I read the Scriptures. God's
plan of redemption required that the merits of the sinless life
of the Man Christ Jesus, and His substitutionary death on the
cross, be put to the account of the sinner, if he was ever to be
saved. Sin could not be forgiven on the basis of the Child Jesus
standing in the sinner's place, for the Child would not have
fulfilled all the requirements of the Law concerning atonement
for sin. The Man Christ Jesus, after living a sinless life, died
a substitutionary, vicarious death on the cross. He was buried,
but rose again on the third day. He ascended to Heaven, where He
is now at His Father's right hand, as our great High Priest,
Mediator and Advocate. He is there on our behalf, with the
nail-prints in His hands. He will remain there, interceding for
us at the Throne of Grace, until His Second Coming, when the Man
Christ Jesus will return. As I read the account of what Jesus
said to His disciples shortly before He left them, I realised
that this message was not just for those who were there present
with Him at that time, but for all who would acknowledge Him as
Saviour. Jesus said: "In my Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also." 4
It was a great joy to me to read of the great plan God has for
the salvation of sinners.This plan included even my salvation. He
sent His own Son into this world. The Child Jesus was born to the
Virgin Mary, in a stable in Bethlehem. He grew to manhood,
fulfilled His ministry and, having led a sinless life, died upon
the cross. After His resurrection, He ascended to Heaven, and one
day will return, to take all who acknowledge and trust Him as
Saviour to be with Him for ever. Here was God's plan, outlined so
clearly in His Word.
1. John 20:25.
2. 2 Corinthians 11:14.
3. John 20:26-28.
4. John 14:2-3.
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