Page 16 - October 2024 - Truth & Tidings

ou missed a really good meeting on The Stipulation
Sunday. Many of us have heard
Ythese words before, but never were We are not told why Thomas was else-
they truer than when spoken to Thomas where, nor did the Lord rebuke him later
just after our Lord’s resurrection. John tells for his absence. But the disciples informed
us that “Thomas, one of the twelve, called him that “we have seen the Lord,” yet
Didymus, was not with them when Jesus he refused to believe. And they told him
1
came” (Joh 20:24) on the first day of the more than once. The verb tense for “said”
week. There was one of the twelve absent (20:25) is imperfect, meaning, “they kept
that does not surprise us – Judas. He had telling him.” “But he said unto them,
betrayed the Lord, taken his own life, Except I shall see in his hands the print of
and gone “to his own place” (Act 1:25). the nails, and put my finger into the print
There was one of the twelve present that of the nails, and thrust my hand into his
2
does surprise us – Peter. He had denied side, I will not believe.” Thomas claimed
the Lord three times, his public restora- to need visual and tangible evidence. He
tion not recorded until the next chapter. stipulated that he must be able to both see
But there was one of the twelve absent and feel before he would believe. Words,
that does surprise us – Thomas. He had no matter how often repeated, would not
spoken to the other disciples earlier about be enough for him. Thus, the disciples’
dying with Jesus (Joh 11:16), but as they first witnessing experience was a bust.
glanced around the upper room, Thomas The Lord commissioned them to tell the
was notably missing. And what a day to world about Him; they told one in their
be missing! The Lord Jesus suddenly ap- own group, and he did not believe. Just
peared to them, giving them peace, power remember that the next time someone re-
and purpose, but Thomas missed it all. jects your testimony about the Lord Jesus.
And for at least a week, Thomas was likely
the most miserable man in Jerusalem. The Invitation
A week went by. The disciples met
1 The Greek Didymus means “twin.” We are not
told who his twin was, but we have all played 2 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV
the role of his twin in our doubts. unless otherwise noted.

304 TRUTH kTidings October 2024