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The Fact of the Resurrection

Bryan Schneider

April 8, 2023

John 20:24-31

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Explore John 20:24-31 in this sermon: Thomas initially rejects the other disciples' testimony and demands direct physical evidence of Jesus' wounds before he…

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Thomas initially rejects the other disciples' testimony and demands direct physical evidence of Jesus' wounds before he will believe.
Eight days later Jesus enters the locked room, declares peace, and addresses Thomas with the exact evidence he had demanded.
Jesus' scarred hands and side establish bodily continuity: the risen Lord is neither a ghost nor a psychological projection, but the same Jesus who was crucified.
Jesus' knowledge of Thomas's absent conversation also reveals that Thomas stands before more than an ordinary resurrected man.
Thomas responds with the direct confession, 'My Lord and my God,' and Jesus receives rather than corrects that worship.
Those who have not seen Jesus physically are blessed because God has given the apostles' written testimony as sufficient historical witness.
John selected his signs so readers may believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God and, through believing, have life in his name.
Christian hope requires the bodily resurrection: the living King has defeated death, reigns at the Father's right hand, and will return to raise and judge the dead; every hearer must ask whether he receives this historically attested Christ as Lord and God.

John 20:24-31 presents Thomas's movement from declared unbelief to the confession 'My Lord and my God.' Jesus appears bodily in a locked room, offers the very wounds Thomas demanded to inspect, and commands him to believe. The encounter verifies both the physical resurrection and Jesus' divine identity. John then explains that his written signs serve readers who were not in the room: they are given so people may believe Jesus is the Christ and Son of God and receive life in his name. The risen Christ therefore stands at the center of faith, hope, obedience, and eternal life.

Biblical Themes

The bodily resurrection of Jesus
Apostolic eyewitness testimony
Jesus as Lord and God
Faith without physical sight
Scripture's saving purpose
Life in Christ's name
The reigning and returning King

Scripture Connections

John 1:1-18 — The Word is with God, is God, and becomes flesh, preparing for Thomas's confession of the incarnate Son.
John 19:31-37 — The spear wound and flow of blood and water establish the reality of Jesus' death before his wounded body appears alive.
Luke 24:36-43 — The risen Jesus invites examination of his hands and feet and eats before the disciples to show he is not a spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:1-20 — Paul records Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and appearances and explains that faith is futile if Christ has not risen.
Romans 10:8-13 — Salvation is promised to those who confess Jesus as Lord and believe God raised him from the dead.
Hebrews 2:14-15 — Through death Christ destroys the one with the power of death and frees those enslaved by fear.
Acts 17:30-31 — God assures the coming judgment by raising the appointed Judge from the dead.

Practical Applications

Bring honest doubts to the apostolic testimony rather than making endless demands for new proof.
Receive the peace purchased and announced by the risen Jesus instead of remaining captive to fear.
Confess Jesus personally as your Lord and your God, not merely as an interesting historical figure.
Trust the written Gospel as God's appointed witness for people who did not see the resurrection themselves.
Bow to Jesus as Christ, allowing his Word to govern thought, love, conduct, and hope.
Reject every account of Christianity that leaves Jesus dead, merely spiritual, or less than God.
Take courage that the living King has defeated death and will raise his people.
Examine whether your faith rests upon the historically proclaimed Christ and receives life in his name.

Historical Context

Crucifixion left unmistakable wounds, and a Roman spear was used to confirm Jesus' death. The disciples' locked gathering reflects fear following their Teacher's public execution rather than confidence or an expectation that they could manufacture a resurrection story. John's Gospel presents selected signs from a larger body of remembered acts and explicitly explains that these written witnesses are intended for readers who did not see Jesus in person.

Westminster Standards

Westminster Confession of Faith 8.1, 8.4
I. It pleased God, in His eternall purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, to be the Mediatour between God and Man; the Prophet, Priest, and King, the Head, and Saviour of his Church, the Heir of all things, and Judge of the World: Unto whom He did from all eternity give a People, to be his Seed, and to be by him in time Redeemed, Called, Justified, Sanctified, and Glorified. IV. This Office, the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake; which that he might discharge, he was made under the Law, and did perfectly fullfill it, endured most grievous torments immediatly in his Soul, and most painfull sufferings in his Body; was crucified, and died; was buried, and remained under the power of death; yet saw no corruption. On the third day he arose from the dead, with the same body in which he suffered; with which also he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth at the right hand of his Fathers, making intercession, and shall return to Judge, men, and Angels, at the end of the World.
Connection to the sermon: Thomas meets the crucified Jesus alive in the same wounded body, and the sermon traces his reign and return. The confession states the bodily continuity, third-day resurrection, ascension, session, and coming judgment at the heart of that hope.
Westminster Larger Catechism 36
The onely Mediator of the Covenant of Grace is the Lord Jesus Christ, who being the eternall Son of God, of one substance and equall with the Father, in the fulnesse of time became man, and so was and continues to be God and man in two intire distinct natures, and one person, for ever.
Connection to the sermon: Thomas confesses the visibly human Jesus as his God, and Jesus accepts the confession. The catechism explains how the eternal Son remains God and man in two distinct natures and one person forever.
Westminster Shorter Catechism 21
The onely Redeemer of Gods elect is the Lord Jesus Christ; who being the eternall son of God, became man, and so, was and continueth to be God and man, in two distinct Natures, and one Person, for ever.
Connection to the sermon: John writes so readers may believe in the Son of God and have life in his name. This answer identifies that incarnate and living Son as the only Redeemer.

This transcript is provided to make the message easier to revisit. Minor transcription errors may remain.

Scripture Reading

You may be seated. Will you please turn in your Bibles with me to the Gospel of John. The good news according to the Apostle John chapter 20. And this morning we'll be looking at verses 24 through 31. If you're using the New King James Bibles in front of you, find that on page 962. John chapter 20, beginning at verse 24. Here now, God's perfect and never failing Word.

Now Thomas, called the twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the Lord. So he said to them, Unless 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. And after eight days the disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace to you. Then he said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and look at my hands, and reach your hand here and put it into my side.

Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. And truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Prayer for Illumination

Let's pray. Father, we have read the very words of life, but we need Your Spirit now to apply these words to our hearts. God, give me a weak and broken vessel, words to speak unto your people. We pray, Lord, that the word here would not just be dead words on a page, but you would make them alive in our hearts. In Jesus' name, amen. You know, it's always hard to try to prove someone wrong, or to convince them to believe something they don't want to believe.

Sermon

I was reminded of this just recently. I think it's kind of fun to listen to some of these theories by flat earth people. Have you heard some of these theories before? People modern day who think that the earth is flat. And there was a group of these people who were convinced of the earth not being a sphere but being flat.

And so they devised an experiment. And this experiment was that they would get one of these extremely expensive self-leveling lasers. I mean, this is like 20 grand for this laser. And the idea was, if the earth is really round, and when they shoot the laser and they know it's perfectly level, then if they go a certain distance, the dot should be higher than where they're standing. And so they live-streamed this experiment to prove they were right.

And they went up there, and they walked a certain distance, and they held up the piece of cardboard, and there was no dot. And they lifted up the cardboard, and there was a dot. And they said, something must be wrong with our experiment. Do you see, the proof was right in front of their eyes, but they didn't want to believe even their own experiment, even their own proof that was presented before them.

And this is what we find when we come into Jesus interacting with Thomas. See, the context of this is Jesus has already died. Jesus was already crucified, and now Friday is over, and now they're on Monday. And the Lord has appeared to them, but Thomas wasn't there. And so all the disciples are really worked up about this. I mean, they've seen this amazing thing, and they come to Thomas, and they say, we've seen the Lord!

And He does what any reasonable person would say. I ain't going to believe that. This is what happens, right? What did they say, verse 24 and 25? They recount these to him, and Thomas' response in 25, the second part, is perfectly reasonable. So he said to them, unless 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. It's totally reasonable for him to say this.

Why? Because normally you don't have dead people who walk around. He is a first century empiricist. Give me the proof. Give me the facts. I've got to see it with my own eyes. I've got to put my finger there, and I've got to put my hand in His side. Then I'll believe it. But until you show me the indisputable facts, it's off the table, guys. I think, I don't know what you ate for breakfast, but you must be seeing something. Can't believe that.

And then eight days later, verse 26, what does Jesus do? After eight days, His disciples were again inside. By the way, why are they inside? They're afraid of the Jewish people. The Gospels tell us that they're hiding. They're in Jerusalem, but they are hiding from the Jewish people because they're in fear for their very lives. They're not doing this out of a place of pride, but they're doing this out of a place of fear. The doors are locked. The door is shut.

And all of a sudden, Jesus appears. Is this guy a ghost? Is he a phantom? Are they having a figment of their imagination? Jesus is standing in their midst and He says something to them. He declares something to them. And what does He declare in verse 26?

Peace. Guys, you don't need to be afraid. It's gonna be okay. The peace has been fought for and purchased. You don't need to cower in this room anymore. I'm alive. I'm here with you. And then, and then he does something that's amazing. Verse 27. Then he said to Thomas, it's like our Lord looks him dead in the eyes. He locks his gaze with him. He says, you want the proof?

Reach your finger here. Look at my hands. All right, you remember? You remember when they pounded in those nails into my hands into the cross? The evidence is here, Thomas. Go ahead. I'm not a phantom. I'm not a figment of your imagination. I'm not a ghost. Go ahead.

If that's not enough proof for you, remember when they took the spear just to make sure I was actually dead? And they pierced my side according to what the prophets had said? and blood and water flowed out, go ahead, take your hand and thrust it into my side. If you need the proof, the flesh and the bones are right in front of you, Thomas. Go ahead, do it. See, Jesus is not a figment of their imagination. He's not a ghost. He's not a happy wish that they have. It's not psychologically dealing with the traumatic stress of His death, but He is physically really in front of them.

And he commands Thomas in verse 27. By the way, before we get there, how did he know? Did he notice the exact parallel language? How did he know that Thomas said this? He wasn't in the room. How did Jesus know that Thomas had said, I have to see where they put the nails? How did he know the exact words that he said, I need to put my hand into his side? How could he know that? What do you think? What do you think? But he shows up and he knows exactly what Thomas' words were. And exactly what he needed to be shown.

And he tells him in verse 27, a command. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. We're working through the gospel of Mark right now. And we just got done with one of these episodes when Jesus told them that He was going to go to Jerusalem and He was going to be tested and thrown out by the elders and by the Pharisees and by the leaders. He was going to be killed and He was going to rise again from the dead. He teaches His disciples this not once, not twice, but three times the Gospel of Mark records that.

And he's saying, you didn't understand and you didn't believe my words when I told them to you, but I'm standing here in front of you today, Thomas, and I am real. Put behind you your disbelief. The proof is right in front of your eyes. Start living a life of faith. He puts him in a crisis moment. What are you going to do, Thomas? Am I real? Am I actually standing in front of you? Are you going to believe my words and trust in who I am?

And notice Thomas' declaration. I named our firstborn son after these words. Nathan is Nathan Thomas. It's one of the clearest proofs of Jesus' divinity. Thomas cries out and said to Him, my Lord and my God. He cries out to Him and He calls Him His Lord, His Master, His Leader, His Sovereign, the One that He will follow, but that's not enough. You see, it's not just enough that Jesus is His Lord, that He'll follow Him, But He's also His God. It says, ὁ κύριος μου, καὶ ὁ θεός μου, My Lord and my God. And notice what Jesus doesn't do. Jesus doesn't say, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm just an angel, don't worship me like that. Jesus doesn't say, Thomas, you ought to have better monotheistic theology by now. Guy, come on, I'm not your God.

Now notice how Jesus responds to him in the next verse. Thomas declares, my Lord and my God, and Jesus recognizes that, receives that, and blesses that Thomas. Verse 29, because you have seen me and believed. Believed what? That he was, that he was the Lord and that he was God himself in the flesh, Emmanuel. God walking amongst them. And what does He say to him? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. Thomas says, my Lord and my God. And Jesus says, you're right. You're right, Thomas. You've put your finger on the truth.

You know what's true, but you know what's even better? You sitting in the pews right now. Those of you who have not seen this with your eyes, and yet it is the most sure truth you know in your soul. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.

Were you there in that room with the door locked? No. Have you opened your eyes and have you seen Jesus' hands where they put the nails in? No. Have you put your hand into His side? So why would you believe? You haven't seen the proof for yourself. Come on, guys! You've got to be able to see this for yourself to believe it, don't you?

If that was the case, Jesus would have to come every 20 years and die for every single generation for us to have the proof. But God has given us the testimony of the apostles to give us a historical Easter is not a day that we come and we say, oh Jesus has resurrected from the dead because we hope it's true. No, we believe that it is a historical fact that a man died, was crucified, suffered under Pontius Pilate, truly was buried in the grave, and three days later he got up.

And it wasn't a figment of their imagination, but he ate breakfast. Walked with his disciples, was seen by 5,000, and did more signs and said more things than could be written down in any volumes of books. And this is what verse 30 and 31 get at. And truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that believing you may have life in His name. Why did John write this book?

Who's the you here? It's you all. It's second person plural. It's you who open up this book and read it. See, there's a condition of signs and sayings that Jesus had said, and there's a condition number one. Right, verse 30, condition number one. Jesus is the Christ. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ.

Do you believe that? Do you believe that Jesus is the anointed one of God? Do you believe that He is the only King of the universe? That He is the Sovereign, the Lord of your soul, of your life. That it is Jesus who gets to call the shots in your life. How you feel, what you think, what you love, how you believe, how you live. Is He truly your Lord? Is He the Christ? Is He the prophet? Is He the priest?

Condition number one, we must believe that Jesus is the Christ. Condition number two in verse 31. The Son of God. I must give you an absolute condition, because this is the condition that John gives of Jesus. If you do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you have no hope. You cannot call yourself a Christian, because a Christian by default believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. What does it mean to be the Son of God?

It's what Thomas had just confessed. My Lord and my God. That He is not some demigod, that He is not less than God, but He is truly God in the flesh. The only Beloved of the Father. The one who precedes Abraham, the one that John said in chapter 1, that He is the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It's a non-negotiable. Condition number one, is Jesus Christ? Condition number two, is Jesus the Son of God? If that is true, what does that equal?

That believing you may have life in His name. Our hope in life and death is that we have life in Him. Brothers and sisters, it is appointed for every person to die once. And after this, the judgment. The question is, will you have life following that judgment? Will you have eternal life? Will you have life everlasting? Will you have a place in that mansion that Jesus has gone to prepare a home for His disciples? See, we have life in His name. We have life in His life. A dead Savior does us no good. A dead Savior doesn't do us any good. Because it just means, okay, we're still gonna die. But Jesus makes an audacious claim. He makes an audacious claim that we will live with Him forever.

Because, see, You can follow a king, but if your king dies in battle, do you still have a king? No, you just have a memory of a king. But Jesus Christ is the King of Kings. who died and rose again from the dead, ascended up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and received all power and honor and glory and might, and the angels in heaven worship Him and bow down.

Worthy is the Lamb, because He's alive. Because He has secured His throne. He is not a dead Savior. He is not a dead King. But He is alive. He is not a dead Son of God. That would be pointless. But He is the living Son of God. He is the One who holds all life in His hands. By Him and through Him all things were made and exist and have their being and are upheld by the Word of His power. It is because Jesus is alive that we have life. That God sustains all things. The resurrection is a non-negotiable. Our King lives. Our Lord reigns. Our Savior is more alive today than you have ever been in your entire life.

Our Messiah is real, and because of that, today, Christian, you have hope. In this, we see the power of God on display. In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we see the wisdom of God in all of its glorious power. that He didn't do things according to the way the world would want them, but that we might truly have life because He defeated death, our final foe. This is why, this is why Romans chapter 10 makes it clear. If we confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. We must confess that He is not a dead, rotting in the grave, hopeless fake, but that our Lord Our Master, our King reigns alive today.

Because in His life, we have life. In His life, we have hope. In His life, we have a promise of eternity. Because if He's truly alive, then He is going to keep His promise and He is going to return again. And He is going to judge the living and the dead. And He is going to raise us up from the grave once again.

So Christian, do you fall into the conditions that the scriptures themselves give us here? Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? If you do, And I'm talking about foundationally in your soul, if you truly believe these things, then He promises you, then you have life. You have life. That is the condition. Faith. Belief in Jesus Christ.

Now, I'm gonna say here for a moment, I don't know everyone, I don't know where the state of everyone's souls are this morning. I don't know where you are in your walk with Jesus Christ. But I pray that you take honest stock this morning whether you truly believe the resurrection or not. That you ask yourself, am I just waiting out for more proof? Or will I believe a historically documented fact?

And will I bow the knee myself to Jesus Christ? Well, I believe that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the resurrection and the life. And have hope in Him. He's our only hope. You guys realize you're staking everything on Him? Everything we believe in Christianity hinges on whether or not this is true. So I don't want to give you a pie in the sky this morning I want to encourage you and challenge you that this is real.

No less real than the Colosseum. No less real than the temple in Jerusalem. No less real than in the cities that we dig up with archaeological proofs. No less real than King David who had coins minted in his name in Bethlehem. No less real than any other historically verifiable fact. The life and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical truth. And I for one believe it. The question is, do you? Do you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that He is Lord and has been risen from the dead? If you do this morning, take hope in the promise of life, life everlasting.

Closing Prayer

Let's pray. Oh Father, we do believe what the prophet David said, that you would not let your Holy One seed decay. Father, we pray that we would indeed have the confession of Thomas upon our own lips, that you are our Lord and our God. Lord, we pray that your Spirit would work these truths in our hearts, that we would remember them, believe them, and live by them. Lord, I pray for those in the room this morning who may not have ever confessed you as their Lord, and have struggled whether or not you raised your very own son up from the grave.

Lord, I pray that this morning might be the time that they would put their faith in Jesus Christ, receive and rest upon him as he has presented to us here this morning in the gospel. And that we might have life and they might have life and find fullness of joy at your right hand. In Jesus's name, amen.

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