On the resurrection-day the apostles were not all present, for “Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples said to him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, Except 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.” (Vers. 24, 25.)
His state of soul coincided with his absence on that day. He resisted the blessed news of the resurrection, and did not join the gathering of the disciples to share the joy of the Master's presence in their midst. Slow of heart to believe, he missed the early taste of the blessing, and abode in the darkness of his own unbelief, whilst the rest were filled with gladness. He becomes, therefore, no unmeet type of the Jew, not of the ungodly mass who receive another coming in his own name, but of the poor sorrow-stricken remnant, who cleave to the hope of the Messiah in the latter day, and will enter into rest and joy only when they see Him appearing for their deliverance. “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace to you. Then he saith to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and see my hands, and reach thy hand, and put [it] into my side, and be not unbelieving, but believing. Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith to him, “Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are those that saw not, and believed.” (Vers. 26-29.)
It is a blessed picture of the fruit of Christ's resurrection in the latter day: not the church, but “the great congregation,” brought, in infinite grace, to know and praise the Lord, when He is no longer hidden, but visibly reigning. Those before will have had the good portion, which shall not be taken from them-they saw not, yet believed. Israel will see and believe: blest indeed, but not after the same high measure of blessing. There will be no such revelation of the Father to them, no such association with the Son, no conscious link by His ascension with the heavens. The rejected One will have returned to reign in power and glory, and the heart of Israel, long withered and dark, is to be lighted up at length with the brightness of their hope accomplished in the presence of the Lord to make good every promise, when they, on their part, boast no more of their own righteousness, but take their stand on the mercy that endureth forever. They recognize the Judge of Israel that was smitten with a rod upon the cheek, and themselves given up by Him, until the birth of God's great final purpose in their favor, when He shall be great to the ends of the earth, and they as a dew of blessing from the Lord in the midst of the nations, and all their enemies shall be cut off. “They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him,” in bitterness of self-reproach, but with a spirit of grace and supplication poured upon them; for truly He was wounded in the house of His friends, but wounded, as they learn afterward, for their transgressions, bruised for their iniquities, stricken for the transgression of Jehovah's people.
Hence we hear nothing now of not touching the Lord because of His ascension to His Father, nor of going to His brethren, and saying to them, “I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.” On the contrary, grace will condescend to those who demanded signs and tokens ere they would believe, and they will stand overwhelmed and abashed at the fullness of visible proof when Messiah returns here below. There is peace to them, “for this man shall be the peace” in that day also, whatever the pride and power of the foe. But there will not be the same mission of peace in the power of His risen life; all their iniquities forgiven, all their diseases healed, but not the place of the church to forgive or retain sins in the name of the Lord.
Accordingly there is the characteristic exclamation and confession withal of Thomas, “My Lord and my God." So will Israel say in the kingdom. “And 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.” It is the truth, and true blessing for Israel to possess and blessedly acknowledge, especially for those who had so long despised Him to their own shame and ruin; but it has not the intimacy of that fellowship into which the Christian is now called. “For truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” “We walk by faith, not by sight;” and having not seen Christ, we love Him, “in whom, though now we see him not, yet believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”