John 20
IT was evening on that first day of the week, and the disciples were gathered within closed doors through fear of the Jews, and without peace of conscience before God, or peace for their path before men; neither had they power or authority for the new service of grace to be confided to them.
Remark that first of all they receive instruction as to their new relationships, in association with Jesus. Then, when gathered, Jesus comes and stands in the midst and speaks peace to them in especial connection with the cross. He showed them His hands and His side. Not only had He really hung there, but the public testimony of propitiation made had been rendered before God, and in the sight of men. Thus they had peace of conscience through the Word of Jesus, and joy fills their heart in seeing Him.
A second time He says, “Peace be unto you!” but now it is in view of their commission — as authoritative as His own was from the Father, and as absolutely of grace, both as to their path as well as the proclamation. To capacitate them for this, and that they might be livingly empowered as individuals for their divine relationships, He breathes into them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”
This breathing into them was no doubt the inaugurating act of the new creation. The new man was thus set livingly in his place. It is not the coming of the Spirit, the Comforter, as at Pentecost, to take the place of an absent Christ, for Jesus was still in their midst, though risen; nor was it, therefore, to bear witness to Jesus on high, for He had not yet ascended; nor, of course, was it to constitute the body, the Church, the doctrine of which is not found in John’s writings. It was the new man set in living power in relationship with Him who created him. At Pentecost the Spirit would baptize them into one body, members of Christ, and members one of another, making the body of each His temple, and dwelling in the house as a whole. But all this is foreign to John’s teaching.
The passage undoubtedly sets before us the full Christian relationship and blessing, so far as regards the individual.
But John’s doctrine, while connecting our life and relationships with the Son ascended in manhood on high, nevertheless invariably views the saints on earth, except in two or three passages, where Jesus returns for us, or prays that we may be with Him where He is. In consequence of this, the link of divine testimony is carried on in several instances, notably in the Revelation, to an order of things that will follow the Christian testimony and form a sort of transition between it and the millennial world to come.
In this passage also the same thing occurs in connection with Thomas, who was absent from the apostolic company on the evening of that resurrection day. The other disciples tell him that they had seen the Lord; but he is incredulous, for death held sway in his heart as on a previous notable occasion, and he says, Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and put my fingers into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. He required ocular demonstration, and the testimony of his senses to the fact.
Jesus will condescend to his unbelief, but to believe on the evidence of one’s senses is not in any sense the principle of Christian faith. It is the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem who shall look upon Him whom they have pierced, and mourn every family apart in true repentance (Zech. 12:1010And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)). “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God: we have waited for Him” (Isa. 25:99And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (Isaiah 25:9)). But the essence of Christian faith is the believing a divine testimony as to One we have not seen; and it is things unseen we look upon.
Eight days after, His disciples were again within and Thomas with them. The doors were shut; for the world in which they were, was still unreconciled, and, when cognizant that the Spirit and testimony of Jesus were with this feeble company, would quickly prove it by a murderous persecution. But the risen Saviour cannot be shut out. With the same greetings of peace He comes and stands in their midst as before. Then addressing Thomas He says, “Bring thy finger here, and see My hands; and bring thy hand and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving but believing.” Thomas answers, “My Lord and my God.”
This appears to be the expression of the faith of the future remnant of Israel who shall enter into millennial blessing; even as Nathanael’s confession, Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel, was that of the remnant brought subsequently into the Church. Well might Thomas have recalled those prophetic words, What are those wounds in Thy hands? And He will say, Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends! The faith, the confession of Thomas was indeed beautiful and true, but the Lord clearly gives it an inferior place to the faith of those who have not seen and yet believe — a faith especially found among the Gentiles who believe in the day of His rejection and absence. It is the proper character of Christian faith.
John has given us, out of the many signs which Jesus did, a few specially selected, so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, we might have life through His name. This was the great object of the gospel, and is the Christian blessing; but he adds a sort of appendix to give the link with what shall follow it, and the path on earth meanwhile, pending His return. But this is given in the next chapter.
W. T. W.