JOH 20:21-2921Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:21‑29)"Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” John 20:21-2321Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:21‑23)
I believe that the thought in John 20:2222And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (John 20:22) is the Lord Jesus taking His place here as the head of new creation. We find in Genesis, where man is created, that God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Adam was placed there as the head of the creation, having received his life directly from God—a life that will go on. But we know that Adam failed, and he became the head, really, of a fallen race. So, isn't it blessed to see here the Lord Jesus now in resurrection—He is the beginning of the creation of God; He is the One who can take that place, as we read in John 17:22As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. (John 17:2), "As thou past given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him.”
Adam was placed in a position as being head over the creation. But here is the One who takes His place, and imparts eternal life. The Holy Spirit of God is the power of that new life. It is by the operation of the Spirit of God that new life is imparted. Then, on the Day of Pentecost, the power (the coming of the Holy Spirit is-the power), and the Lord here is taking His place as the head of new creation—the life-giving Son. Before He was taken up (Acts 1) He said that He would send the promise of the Father. It was on the day of Pentecost that the disciples actually received the Holy Spirit. But, I believe this passage is showing what He really was in resurrection.
The apostles were told to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. What took place on the day of Pentecost included the whole 120 who were in that upper room. This scripture is showing who the Lord was; but it wasn't until the day of Pentecost that the Spirit of God came down as a divine Person indwelling them, and uniting them to one another and to Christ, their Head in glory. I believe in our chapter the Lord was showing who He was, which was to have its fulfillment when the Spirit of God came on the day of Pentecost.
In 1 Cor. 15:4545And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45) (the wonderful resurrection chapter), it is lovely to notice that we have that last Adam brought out: "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam (leave out ‘was made,’ because the Lord Jesus really wasn't made anything) a quickening spirit." Then it speaks of the "first man" and the "second man." He is the "last Adam" because there is not to be another creation; but He is the "second man" because there were other men to follow.
There were occasions in the Old Testament when the Spirit of God came upon and gave power in the lives of certain ones, but it was not an abiding thing—only for a special purpose. It has been likened to a sailing vessel that has its sails up, and the wind came up and blew the vessel in the direction that was intended. That is like the work of the Spirit in the Old Testament individually. But here we are beginning to see the start of a new thing where it is no longer just an occasional action, but it is as if a motor was put into the boat. So, on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to indwell each believer and to fill the house. (Acts 2:1-41And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1‑4), 1 Peter 1:1212Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:12).)
We spoke briefly about forgiveness, which is of the judicial forgiveness of sin. We know it is only through the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus—"in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins." That is once and for all. "I write unto you little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His Name's sake." "Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." So, to make it clear, every one who receives the Lord Jesus as his Savior is looked upon as judicially forgiven. And that is once, for all. He is justified and brought into a new position, for God looks upon him and sees him in a new life to which sin can never be attached. That is the place that the believer has been brought into.
But now there can be, and there often is sin in the believer's life. So, we are told in 1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9), "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." That is governmental forgiveness. But, not until we have acknowledged sin in our lives is there restoration to the Lord. So, very often because of some unconfessed sin in our lives, God has to deal with us as children. The unconfessed sin has come between the soul and God; but it has not interrupted the believer's standing. It is God's governmental way in connection with the family, or with the house of God. So, it is important to see this distinction. We read in Matt. 6:1515But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:15), "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." That is God's government. If I do not forgive another, then in the governmental ways of God, He has to deal with me.
Then there is what this verse really refers to, that is administrative forgiveness. In order to make it very simple, suppose a manager in a company gives certain authority to his foreman.
That foreman can hire a man, or he can discharge a man. He acts on behalf of the manager of the company. He is carrying out his responsibilities in an administrative way. So God has given that authority in the assembly. That is the meaning of Matt. 18:1818Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18), "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." So, when the foreman hires a man, the company recognizes that he has been hired. God has given this authority in the assembly, and it is a very solemn thing to exercise that authority. It does not mean infallability; the assembly can make a mistake. But the authority is there.
Of course, never authority to set aside the Word of God. We must be careful about that! God never gives authority to a father in the home, to a husband, to government, or in the assembly to ever set aside His Word. So we find that when the authority demanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fall down and worship the golden image, they said to the king, "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter." We will not bow down; we will submit to whatever judgment you may bring upon us, but we will not bow down. We find also that the Lord recognized that authority when He was before Pilate. Pilate said, "Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?" The Lord recognized the power that he had, and He said, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." In other words, He said, "You have authority, Pilate, but you are very responsible, and it is a very great sin to use that authority in a way that is wrong." So it is a very solemn thing, whether it is in government, a father in the home, a husband, or whether it is in the assembly to use that authority. But the point in this scripture (John 20:2323Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:23)) is the authority given.
Paul recognized that authority when he wrote (2 Cor. 2:1010To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; (2 Corinthians 2:10)), "To whom ye (the assembly) forgive anything, I forgive also." There was a man who had been disciplined (1 Cor. 5) by the assembly for a life of sin. They were told to "put away from among yourselves that wicked person" (1 Cor. 5:1313But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. (1 Corinthians 5:13)). Now, consequent upon repentance, the assembly, who first had the authority to deal with the man, now has the authority to forgive and restore him. Paul, as a servant and an apostle, recognized that God had given that authority in the assembly.
It is important to understand these things, because John 20:2323Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:23) has been misused to make people think that they can go to a man who pretends to forgive their sins and fit them for heaven. Peter, who was the one they often speak of as having this authority, and whom they think could pass it on, did not misunderstand the Lord. We read in Acts 8:2424Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. (Acts 8:24), when Simon was not right in the sight of God, and he said to Peter, "pray ye to the Lord for me;" Peter had said, "pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee."(Peter could not judicially forgive sin,) So it was necessary that Simon first get right with God, because his heart was not right in the sight of God. We must distinguish between the different aspects of forgiveness in the scriptures. Each verse has some particular line of truth connected with it.
In connection with the matter of remitting and retaining sins, it seems to me that the verse in 2 Cor. 2:1010To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; (2 Corinthians 2:10), "To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also," conveys two lines of truth to us. One is that we, as individuals, should never act ahead of the assembly. The apostle Paul would not act ahead of the Corinthian assembly, even though he, himself, was personally convinced about the restoration of soul of the one who was under discipline. Also, it seems to me that there was the other side as well: that is that the apostle was saying that if the assembly forgave, he forgave also. So, it should never be with us that if an assembly had forgiven one, which we, as individuals would withhold our forgiveness; that we would refuse to go along with the assembly for some reason. If the assembly has forgiven such a person and they have been restored, then it seems that that verse would convey to us that we also, without reservation, without any withholding of forgiveness on our part as individuals, should accept the decision, and not act independently of the assembly.
In that same portion, 2 Cor. 2:88Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. (2 Corinthians 2:8), "Wherefore I beseech you that you would confirm (or, 'affirm') your love toward him," it seems that the apostle is saying that the time had come for them to show, since the restoration of his soul was so complete, that the assembly was prepared to forgive, if that was true. Then if the assembly were to forgive, the sin was to be remitted, and now was the time to confirm their love. Not to begin loving him, because the assumption was there, and I trust it is so with us all, that the love had continued all through the exercise, all through the discipline. But now, since the assembly presumably was ready to forgive, and such an one was now ready to be restored, now they were free to show the love that was there in their hearts all along.
Is there not another aspect of this truth that is important to consider; that is, that administrative forgiveness supposes that the soul is restored with the Lord? This is the important consideration for the assembly. It was so with Peter in the next chapter (John 21). There had been a personal meeting between Peter and the Lord, and then comes the restoration in the midst of his brethren. There, of course, the Lord had personally the main role, But, though He is not bodily in our midst, there should be that also that He would direct in the restoration of anyone to the assembly. We should seek to discern His will and His direction to be assured that the soul has been restored with the Lord.
That is very important. But that involves the subject of a person's soul when we speak of forgiveness. But it is right that the assembly is to be exercised as to whether a person has been restored to the Lord. That is why we find two things with Peter. Apparently there was first a private restoration, for we read in Luke 24:3434Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. (Luke 24:34), that the disciples said, "The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon." Then as we have seen in John 21, the restoration was public. We also find the same thing in the Old Testament with Jacob. We read that the place where Jacob wrestled with the angel was called Peniel (Gen. 32: 30). Peniel means "the face of God." Shortly after this, the Lord said to Jacob (Gen. 35:11And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. (Genesis 35:1)), “Arise, go up to Bethel;” Bethel means, "The house of God." So that he was first personally restored to the Lord—Peniel, "the face of God"—and then he was restored to the place which was spoken of in the Old Testament as the "house of God," which would represent to us the assembly.
I believe we also have the principle in Num. 19. There we read that when a man was unclean, he was sprinkled on the third day, and then he was clean on the seventh day. That is, there needs to be an exercise as to whether the confession is a real thing. The sprinkling on the third day brings in the thought that the person has really judged the thing in the light of what it cost the Lord to put it away. In the water of separation that was sprinkled on the man were the ashes of the heifer, cedar wood, scarlet, and the hyssop. The ashes of the heifer bring before us the death of Christ and what it cost Him to put away sin. Notice, he is not sprinkled with blood, because the cleansing by the blood is once for all. The continual cleansing by the blood is never spoken of in scripture; that is once for all, "for by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified (Heb. 10:1414For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)). When the unclean man was sprinkled, it was with the ashes of the heifer mixed with water, not with blood. That is the Word of God applying the death of Christ, which brings before us the cost to God of putting away sin—not only in its fruit, but in its very root as well. Then the cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop bring before us that the root of our failure has been judged.
We can see this in connection with Peter in John 21 where he is restored. Why did the Lord ask him three times, "Lovest thou me?" And why did He add that little phrase the first time, "more than these?" Peter had indicated that he loved the Lord more than the other disciples; so the Lord was probing Peter—what was it that caused him to make this boast? It was because he thought he was better than the rest of the disciples. Not until the Lord had asked the third time, did Peter say unto Him, "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.”
That shows that now Peter had really judged the root—that pride and self-confidence. If there are any of us that think we are better than our brethren, that we would not do the things that they do, the Lord may let us have a fall to show us that we are no better.
So He got to the root. It is like the cedar, which speaks of man's greatness. I believe the scarlet is human glory. Sometimes we may seek after the glory of this world, and this can lead to a fall. Then sometimes the hyssop may come in as well. There may be such discouragement that we may think, "the Lord is not interested in me." That would be like the hyssop; it also had to be burned. The Lord is interested in every one of us. There is no one here who should be so discouraged as to think, "the Lord might be interested in some prominent brother, but I don't think He could be interested in me." The cedar wood as well as the hyssop, all had to be burned. All this, with the ashes of the heifer, was in the water.
On the third day the water of separation was sprinkled on the unclean person, and he was clean on the seventh day. That is why, I believe, in 1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) we read, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." But, notice, it does not stop there. "And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." That is, when we have owned it before the Lord, then there is forgiveness. But it is not what we speak of as real restoration until we come to the sense of what we have been speaking about with the "third day" and the ashes of the heifer. Then comes the cleansing from all unrighteousness. Then, the brethren might say, "We believe he has really judged it." Then, when they feel there has been real restoration, there can be restoration to the assembly. but first there must be restoration to the Lord. This is important, and that is where priestly discernment comes in; that is, the assembly exercising that discernment as to whether the person is really restored. Just because he says that he has confessed it may not be enough to satisfy the conscience of the brethren that he has come to the meaning of the third day and of the seventh day.
Notice that one was three days, and the other four days. Sometimes the restoration may take longer. So there is not to be a quick reception; there must be time given for every evidence of the restoration. It was four days after the confession that the person was restored.
There could be no restoration until there has been an open-hearted confession of the sin and failure to the Lord. There was a recent case in an assembly where a brother had fallen into sin, but he had not confessed it to the Lord as far as could be determined. We believe that the correct thing for him would be to do so before there can be any sort of restoration. As soon as he has done that, we have the promise of the verse just quoted, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Then it is the part of the assembly to forgive him too.
May we just add this little phrase from Mr. Darby (I believe it is an important phrase in connection with what we have been speaking of), "The greatest proof of restoration before God is humility before men." We feel that it is a very important expression, because sometimes we hear people say, "Well, I have owned it to the Lord." But you do not see the humility which would commend itself that it had been real before God. How could we, if we realize what sin is in God's sight, lift our heads very high, even before our brethren, much less before the Lord.
It is true, "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." We should always identify ourselves with the failure. That is the thought of eating the sin offering in the holy place. We identify ourselves and realize that the sin of one is the sin of all. Not until we have done that can there really be blessing in the assembly.
We find that in the case of Achan, do we not? It was Achan who had sinned; but the Lord said, "Israel hath sinned." They were all identified with the failure, but the actual sin was only by one man. I believe there is something very important in connection with that also: "Joshua said unto Achan, My son,... give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him, and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done." (Josh. 7:19, 2019And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. 20And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: (Joshua 7:19‑20).) Is it not important that the one who has failed not only confess it to the Lord, but also to the assembly? Joshua said Confess it unto me, tell me what you have done. But, when you say confess it to the assembly, I am not just clear for a person to stand up in the assembly and confess it. But he certainly would confess it to those who are responsible, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
As long as the man in 1 Cor. 5 was set aside from the assembly, the sin was looked at as being upon him—until he had owned it. And, when he had owned it and had been truly restored to the Lord, and his brethren feel that it is a real work, then, in the administrative way, they remit, or forgive. But, it is looked at as upon him until he has been restored to the Lord and to his brethren. I believe that is the thought in "retained." He might say, "I have owned it to the Lord. Won't you forgive me?" But, until the assembly has been satisfied, the sin is retained—that is, it is still there. It is looked upon as the position he is in until he has really owned it, and the assembly is satisfied that it has been a true work. But, again, it requires priestly discernment: as with the case of leprosy; the priest had to discern whether or not there was leprosy, and whether the plague was healed in the leper. So the assembly becomes very responsible in that connection.
John 20:2323Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:23) says, "and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." It seems to be speaking of the power that is in the assembly. If the assembly says "this brother has not truly been restored," the assembly, as it were, is retaining the sin or sins-and they are retained. It is not a question of whether the man has retained them, but it is a question of the assembly forgiving.
The subject here is the authority given by God to the assembly; and it seems clear that this, of necessity, is the local assembly. I believe that we are living in a day of lawlessness, where every one is the judge of all that is taking place, whether they know about it or not. So, because of the principles we have here, we do well to recognize that the authority God has established, and we should not set ourselves up to judge it. This authority does not necessarily mean infallibility, but it is very dangerous for every man to be the judge of what is right in his own eyes. Certainly, if we are exercised, we can pray about the matter, but there is a real danger of setting ourselves up to be the judge in these matters.
Another very dangerous thing is that there may be a few who seek to set aside the action of the assembly. These things are solemn, and even more so because the Lord is in the midst!
This is very powerfully illustrated in Deut. 17:8-138If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose; 9And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment: 10And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall show thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee: 11According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. 12And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. 13And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously. (Deuteronomy 17:8‑13). We see there the authority of that One Center, which was Jerusalem. Those from the place where the sin had occurred must of necessity, according to the law that God gave to Moses, come to that center, Jerusalem. There the whole matter was brought before the priests and the judge who was there in that day; and there must be the bowing to that authority. Notice especially Deut. 17:1212And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:12): "And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken to the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel." There was absolute authority there in Jerusalem. Now that is applied to the assembly today, that there is this authority. There might be a mistake made, but there must be bowing to that authority of the Lord in the midst. (Matt. 18:18-2018Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:18‑20).)
Perhaps we should also notice Deut. 17:1111According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. (Deuteronomy 17:11) of that chapter: "According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left." Notice the order here: "According to the sentence of the law;" that is, the Word of God and its authority came first. The decision about the man and his guilt is second. We must remember this, brethren, the assembly does not decide on whether the Word of God has authority in a certain matter. The assembly decides merely whether the man is guilty of what the Word of God condemns. Thus, the assembly does not decide on whether or not a fornicator should be put out-the Word of God has decided that. We read clearly in 1 Cor. 5 what must be done. What the assembly does decide is whether the man is guilty of what the Scripture says must require discipline. We should never lose sight of this, because no assembly has any authority above the Word of God.
So, every individual certainly cannot look into all the facts of every case, but we do have the Word of God. The Word of God gives the instruction about what is to be done in certain cases. So the assembly then looks into the case to decide whether or not the person is guilty. Acting upon that, they have a responsibility. This is important, for we find in the great system about us the tendency to make the teaching of the church the authority; then, every one must bow to that authority. We must remember, the church does not teach; the church is taught. The church of God is responsible to hold the deposit of truth committed to it, and to act according to it. So, when we judge things by the Word of God, we are perfectly right and within our responsibility. Otherwise we would be forced to go along with evil. So let us remember the order: "according to the sentence of the law" first. Then, "according to the judgment.”
That is, here was a matter which was difficult—was the man guilty, or was he not. It was between blood and blood, between plea and plea, stroke and stroke. It might be that some of the people said he was guilty, and some said he was not. That was decided in the assembly. But the question of whether the sin should be dealt with is settled by the Word of God if the person is guilty.
And, if the person is guilty and has to be put away, some might say, "Now, what is our attitude toward him? He has been dealt with and is under discipline; am I to shake hands with him? Am I to eat with him?" If I were to shake hands with the brother who had been disciplined would I not be showing fellowship with him? (Gal. 2:99And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. (Galatians 2:9).) Should not the brother be made to feel the solemnity of the sin he has committed? If I were to shake hands with him, am I not really just showing a friendly and a party spirit?
But it is important that he must be made to realize that everyone loves him still. As soon as a brother has been restored, it is our duty to show love to him. But, even before the confession, we still love that brother, although we cannot show him fellowship.
It used to be among us that there was clearly a "within" and a "without." That is, those who were breaking bread sat by themselves; but, of course, making allowance for the children. Even those who were Christians, but not in fellowship, sat behind. But we do not see that today. I believe it is orderly, that there should be that difference. We see the confusion that is slowly creeping in when that is not followed.
I believe it is also offensive to a person who may visit the meeting to sit with those who are breaking bread, and the emblems must be passed around him. It would be better if he were asked to sit back; then he would not be in the position of being by-passed—he would know that there is a difference—a "within" and a "without." But if they are allowed to sit among those who are in fellowship, they are often offended by having the emblems passed around them.
"But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” John 20:24-2924But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:24‑29).
It is so lovely here (John 20:24-2524But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. (John 20:24‑25)) that the disciples should go to Thomas, because there are many instances where coldness comes in. In the case of Thomas it was not discipline that was needed, but what he needed was that which would warm his heart. Here, the disciples were able to go to him and say, "We have seen the Lord—Thomas you missed something by not being there." It was not a matter of discipline in this case, but coldness or indifference which, it seems, had kept him away. And what brought him back was that reminder from the others that they had enjoyed something very precious—the presence of the Lord.
In 1 Kings 19:99And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? (1 Kings 19:9), we have the account given of Elijah, who was fleeing from Jezebel: "And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here here, Elijah?" But before the LORD said that to Elijah, we find that (reading from the end of 1 Kings 19:44But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. (1 Kings 19:4)) he had said, "I am not better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee and he arose, and did eat and drink...”
It seems that we have here something of the principle of how the disciples acted toward Thomas in our chapter (John 20). I believe that there is perhaps a danger for us of being very hasty to come out with the accusation, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" instead of the first step, which was the ministering of that which he needed in his soul. There was food provided for him, and it was done twice before the LORD ever said to him, "what are you doing here?”
And so we find with Thomas: there were so many things they could have said to Thomas; but what they did say to him was simply, "We have seen the Lord." And, I believe there would be more of the restoration of those who are drifting away, if there was the seeking out of them, and the ministry of Christ—the feeding of the soul; not just simply the administering of an open rebuke. It is the ministry of Christ that restores the soul, and that makes the heart long to be back—not the rebuke which just says, "You were wrong.”
There is also a very practical thing to notice about Thomas. He penalized himself by not being present at that meeting. The other disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. But, Thomas penalized himself by not being present on that occasion. And do we not penalize ourselves when we absent ourselves from the various meetings, whether it be the Bible Reading, the Prayer Meeting, the Gospel Meeting, and especially the remembrance of the Lord on the Lord's Day? Our hearts can become rather cold and indifferent, as with Thomas. One step leads to another. How important it is to heed the exhortation, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching" (Heb. 10:2525Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)).
But, those five words, "We have seen the Lord," really had their effect on Thomas. The next week he was there. I really believe he said, "I wouldn't miss the second time—the Lord is there." It is not just a question of just getting people to come to the meeting; sometimes we say, "We haven't seen him for three months—why doesn't he come to the meetings?" That is really the second reason. The first is that the Lord is there! We often say here in Canada, "If the queen was going to be here—it might be stormy, it might be 25 degrees below zero—but people would be there by the thousands to see the queen. And we have something far better than the queen; that is the Lord Jesus. So Thomas said, "Next week I will be there, I won't miss a second time.”
Can we have just a short word for the "doubting Thomases" among us. We find that doubts so often come in. What does one do when those come?
Remember what was said of Daniel: there was in him of the resolving of doubts and the answering of questions. So what dissolved the doubts here for Thomas was to get into the presence of the Lord; and, as soon as he did, he was no longer faithless, but believing. Of course we know, that with him it was actual sight, he actually saw the Lord, so that his doubts were removed in that way. But the Lord also said to Thomas, John 20:2929Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29), "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." So, we see that the answer to his doubts was seeing the Lord with the natural eye; and, the only answer to our doubts is seeing Him by faith.
So, it is very blessed that doubts are removed by resting on God's Word. The Devil uses this to perplex many Christians, and to bring doubts into their minds about all kinds of things. But, is it not lovely to see that the Lord answers these doubts Himself!
In Matt. 28, even on such a wonderful occasion as that, when they actually saw the Lord, we read: "When they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted." (Matt. 28:1717And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. (Matthew 28:17)) Even in the meetings it is possible for doubts to intrude into our minds. But, the Lord's answer to them on that occasion (Matt. 28:1818And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18)) was, "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth." What a lovely answer that is to every doubt! Does our salvation rest on anything in ourselves—any feelings? No, it rests on what Christ has done. Is there something in connection with the problems of life that is perplexing and troubling us? Why hasn't the Lord changed this situation? Why doesn't He help us out of that difficulty? Again the answer is that He has the power, and if it were His will, He would do it; because all power is given to Him in heaven and in earth. What a wonderful answer that was to every doubt—"all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." The doubts are because we may look in and question why He allows such things. The answer is seeing Him, and hearing what He has to say to us.
We see a beautiful example of that also in Luke 24, where the two disciples were filled with reasonings and doubts as to why the Lord had not acted (Luke 24:13-3213And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 14And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 17And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 19And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. 22Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 24And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 28And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. 29But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 30And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:13‑32)). But, when they got to Emmaus and they were in their home, they got their eyes opened—they saw the Lord. And the moment their eyes were opened, they recognized that they were in the wrong place. So, all the doubts, reasonings and sadness are gone now, and they walked that whole six and a quarter miles in the night to be back in the place where they should have been all along. It was when their eyes were opened that they saw the Lord, and then immediately they started back.
Is it not remarkable that the two who were in Emmaus recognized the Lord at the breaking of bread (Luke 24:30-3130And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. (Luke 24:30‑31)). I believe that they saw there the pierced hands that were breaking that bread. And, is it not true, that where there is a sight of the Lord crucified, it has a restoring effect on the soul?
I don't think Thomas stayed away because he doubted—I think he doubted because he stayed away.
In the case of the two who went back to Emmaus, there was a cause for their questionings and reasonings. Here it is said (John 20:2424But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. (John 20:24)) that it was Thomas, "called Didymus." Didymus means "a twin." I think sometimes that is intended to be a bit of a warning to us; that poor Thomas still has some twins that are right here. "But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came." I believe, brethren, that if we want to be spared these doubts, we can be well reminded to keep in the company of the Lord Jesus.
But, we see another thing about Thomas. The Lord overruled his mistake, and He came with a statement which remains to this day for blessing to the people of God. He said, "My-Lord, and my God.”
Could we look at John, 11:16: "Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him." Is it possible that this is the same Thomas we are considering? Yes, he is the same. But, why the difference?
Do we not find that it is a warning, such as we find all through the Word of God? We can wonder how a man like Abraham could leave his native land and go on such a journey; not knowing whether he went, simply at the command of the God of glory that appeared to him. And then we find that he ended up denying his wife. Then we might wonder why it was that someone like Peter could have given unto him such a confession as "thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God;" and then try to turn the Lord away from the cross, and have to be rebuked as being the mouthpiece of Satan. So, we might well wonder when we read about Thomas, who had such devotion and love to the Lord that he would go with Him, even if it meant death. Then find that there can be those things that come in, whatever they were with Thomas, so that he missed that first occasion of seeing the Lord.
Is it not a voice to our own hearts, that the very fact that we may be kept in any measure today, and enjoying the Lord in these meetings together, is no guarantee that we can go in the strength of that for another week? It means that we have to be kept close to the Lord, and be dependent on Him for tomorrow and the next day, if there is to be one. Otherwise, we can very well be like Thomas—one day seeming to enjoy the love of the Lord in our souls, and the next day forgetting Him.
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