Have you ever missed out on something? Maybe you have forgotten somewhere you were meant to be or have not made the cut! Then, the next time you are with your friends, they talk about everything that happened, as if everyone they are with is there, and none of it makes sense. One finishes the other’s sentences, or they all laugh at one’s work or gesture, and it goes on and on! You try to figure out what happened and involve yourself in the conversation, and while they humour you, you get the sense that you had to be there to be in the conversation! Nothing is worse than the realisation that we might have missed out; it is such a common human fear that we developed a word for it – FOMO! Fear of missing out! It is such a real thing that we might be asked to do something that we do not desire to do, but because many people are going, we find ourselves thinking – what if I miss something?

Just like it has happened to all of us at some point today, Thomas is the one who misses out! Not because he did not care about being there, but for whatever reason, he was not in the room. Maybe he had been locked out! Yet, while he was out of the room, the Lord appeared in it and made the victory of the resurrection and the vindication of the empty tomb known to the other disciples. The Lord appeared to those there and confirmed all that Mary had heard and seen, and Thomas was not there. Yet, in Jesus, our missing out is consistently met. The others had seen him, received his peace as he stretched out his arms, and been commissioned and empowered with the breath of the Spirit, all while Thomas was not there.

Perhaps Thomas was experiencing the most significant case of FOMO the world had ever seen. Yet, when he is back in the room, his response is not dramatic nor dismissive as to what the disciples have claimed to experience – his response is perfectly human: “Unless I see…” Thomas had been there with all the others, who moments ago had been as hopeless as he and desperate in despair. They might have been transformed, but he had yet to know peace from Christ’s resurrected presence. Thomas’ response is simply the honest cry of someone who wants to be sure because he has felt like he has been hurt already. He trusted Jesus with his life for three years and asked him how to go when Jesus told him about the many rooms in his father’s house. He heard Jesus declare to him and all the disciples: “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” and then he watched as that way was arrested by Roman centurions, under the direction of Jerusalem’s religious leaders and helped by one of their one. Perhaps, even the fact that Thomas was still willing to believe something in seeing, to have hope of something after the week they had just had, hinted that, at some level, he has grasped that God might be at work.

So let’s be clear today: Thomas did not miss the moment; he was still to have had. Nor is this about Thomas’s doubts and how we should deal with them; instead, we are reminded today that Jesus meets us where we are. This is about Jesus meeting us in our absence, questions, and wounds. Thomas shows us that missing a moment does not mean missing Jesus, our life with God. When the time is right, the Risen Jesus appears to Thomas because he is the one who seeks out and cares for all of his sheep. So we pick up the narrative right where we left off, in the same locked room as Jesus appears again.. The disciples have seen, celebrated, commissioned, and empowered by the Spirit of God. As Jesus appears in the spell or of his Glory again, it’s not to Scold Thomas for missing out; it’s to invite him to join in what is about to begin. An invitation that Jesus extends to those who will turn to him. An Invitation that Jesus extends to you

1. Honesty and Desire (24-25)

Thomas was not there when Jesus appeared to the rest of the gathered. Thus, when they tell him what he has missed, he is naturally sceptical about it. Who wouldn’t be? Thomas, you will never believe what happened when you were down at the Shop, even though the Door was locked Jesus appeared in the middle of the room! He spoke peace to us, showed us his scars, and we all had a good time of worship. Then, he told us that we all had work to do!! Would you not be a bit hesitant to believe? Thus, what I love about Thomas at this moment is his humanity; he is simply being honest about what he needs to join the disciples where they are because the last time he saw Jesus was hanging on the Cross or being carried to an empty tomb.

Thomas does not reject the resurrection or the hope that seems to have grasped the disciples. No, he just wants to know it for himself and be sure of it. When he responds, it is not with arrogance or pride but with the pain of loss: “Unless I see, Unless I touch…” Thomas is not rejecting what the disciples have experienced; instead, he wants to experience it for himself, and he is being honest in that heart’s desire. How many of us in Church today have wrestled with the same questions and desires without the honesty around it? We have wondered where God is and what it is that God is in the middle of a difficult season or carrying hurt and pain. We look for God, and we think we can’t find him, that He is not honest or loving and then when we meet with others whose faith seems more joyful or for whom God seems to be more real and more working it can be harder all the more to hold on to faith, never mind look to Jesus. Thus, if we are honest enough with ourselves and God, we can all join Thomas’s honest lament and deep desire at this moment. He wants it to be real, but he’s just not sure. Wrestling in the things of faith is not doubt; it is maturing in our faith and often the doorway by which God works and walks us towards something more profound. God is not afraid of our honesty, our wrestling in the things of faith or what it means to be faithful. Jesus is the proof of that – God incarnate means a God who is with us, and a God who is with us is a God who will hear our Questions and meet us in them.

It is a quiet, beautiful moment, and whether it’s simply from the weariness of the week or the trust they have – Thomas is honest with the disciples about what he is going through and with God. Honesty is the fruit of being with Jesus. Not just being able to be honest but also being open to honesty from those God has called us to be in community with. If we have our Questions, we can bring them to God, and if we are the people of God, how are we creating space and welcome for those who are wrestling and hurting, because as the Church, we are the Temple that God dwells in and the people God works through.

2 Jesus Meets Us Where We Need Him (26-27)

In a few moments of Johns’s writing, a week has passed, the disciples are in the same room, and for all we know, the doors are still locked. Most of them have seen Jesus, but there is one who needs to be convinced. Everything was about to change a week after Thomas’s honesty about what he was feeling and going through. Seven days before, he said that unless he saw the wounds and touched them with his hands, he would not believe it. He desired to trust, but his honesty is simply a reflection of all that he has experienced, and soon, he will have what he asked from God. Jesus has returned, and this time he comes for Thomas.

Jesus has come for the sheep he was yet to find; and as he appeared before to the rest, he does again. Yet, this time, there is one name on his lips, one person he seeks. He came for the one waiting for him, longing for him but not sure. Jesus comes in the Resurrected power, yet he also comes with Grace – there is no rebuke for Thomas, no philosophical response to his questions and wrestling. No, Jesus comes for Thomas where he is and meets him there; there is no rebuke or shame, and there is only peace and invitation. Imagine how Thomas’s heart must have jumped in a moment as his eyes began to process the sight of Jesus resurrected before him; imagine the weight that must have lifted as his ears heard an all too familiar voice speak. Imagine the joy that must have touched every inch of his heart as his Spirit began to comprehend what Jesus spoke of: “Peace be with you!” Now Thomas knew what the rest had experienced, how they had been changed. It was not a statement of peace, but the reality of peace – it was with them because Jesus was among them and had given them a deposit of peace – the Holy Spirit. He comes not to rebuke Thomas but to give him peace and invite him to believe: “Put your fingers here; see my hands, reach out your hands and put it into my side.” An invitation spoke with—tenderness and Grace, not a test. Jesus was there for Thomas, not some sort of Spiritual presence or ethereal mist. No Jesus was there bodily, internationally with his wounds and scars, and he was there for Thomas, As the invitation to survey the evidence is met with a call to something more, to something deeper – to the fullness of relationship with the Saviour of the world. Different translations use different phrasing of the command: unbelieving, doubting, faithless – they all capture the same sense of where Thomas was and the quickness of where Jesus is calling him to be. I love how the NLT puts it:

“Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!“

The man who they watched was carried away under Roman chains, convinced by a false trial and put to death by those occupying powers under the instruction of Jerusalem’s religious leaders, who cheered as he was nailed to a Cross and drew his (supposed) last breath. That man stands before the apostles in the same room a week later scars and all because was not merely a man, he was the Man of Sorrows, Son of God – God incarnate who took on our flesh to die in our death and rise so that death was defeated and we could live with Him. God incarnate scars; all stand before Thomas and, with tenderness, asks him to survey. Then, with love, he commands him to believe more! Jesus bears the scars of the Cross, the wounds of the Speer, and the markings of whips because his Glorification does not surpass them; rather, he is glorified thorugh them. Thus, he invites Thomas to see his Glory and join the others in making it known. He invites Thomas to believe! He has met Thomas where he was, and now as Lord over all things, he moves gently to where he needs to be. It is Grace that brought him here, and by Grace, he invites Thomas into more.

3 The Beauty of Faith (28)

Is there a more beautiful realisation in all of the Scriptures? Or all of Human history? It has all led to this moment, and what a beautiful moment. Through Jesus’ call to believe, Thomas responds by giving his life by recognising Christ’s identity, purpose, and Lordship. From seven days before, saying: “Unless I see the marks where the nails were and put my fingers in them … I will never believe it!” To standing before the Lord of life in death incarnate with his scars and all and declaring: “My Lord and My God!” Notice the power of the declaration; as Jesus stands before him, Thomas does not acknowledge that it’s him, or admit that he seems to be there. He does not say: “Ah Jesus, it’s really you! Is that sore ….” No, what Thomas declares is something far deeper, far more profound – it is faith, trust and recognition: Faith in Jesus, trust in his work, and recognition of his sovereign Lordship over all things, including his own life.

This is not simply a statement of recognition; it is a revelation! Thomas has seen more than the scars Jesus bore; he has seen truly for the first time who Jesus is. Not just a teacher, nor simply a friend; he is the risen one – the Lord of life and death! He is the Eternal God who holds all things together and sustains them by his will in flesh, and Thomas has grasped it fully for the first time. In that moment faith becomes real as he grasps in the depth of his heart what Mary had seen and what seven days before the rest had been overcome by – the Love of Jesus and his Lordship. It is his faith alone! No borrowing or building on that of the others, but by grasping and seeing who Jesus is, and in grasping, beginning to realise something of the means by which God will work in the world – through the Cross and scars.

What a road it is that Thomas has walked, and what a journey it has been as he has moved from confusion to confession; from being absent to declaring adoration publically before all who were there. Even more powerfully, it is a confession that becomes the climactic moment of the entire Gospel of John! The whole purpose of John’s writing is summed up in this scene with Thomas! That all who read it as they come to the end of it would join with Thomas and say with all their heart, body, souls, mind and strength of Jesus: “My Lord and My God!” Thomas declared before Jesus, my Lord and my God; Thomas declare it must cause us to pause and ask as we stand before Jesus – Is he our Lord and our God? Have we trusted in him?

There is simple beauty as Thomas stands before Jesus. Why? because it reminds us that saving faith doesn’t begin with a right understanding No, saving faith begins with encounter. Moments before his confession, Thomas still held to what he had declared seven days before: that unless he saw scars and all, he would never believe. Now he stands confessing the Lordship of Christ and recognising him as God, but it is that he suddenly understands. In the moments between Christ’s appearance and Thomas’s confession, it is not that Thomas has thought through all that Jesus taught them, weighed it, wrestled with the scriptures and realised this is what was always meant to happen. Nor has Thomas pondered how rising from the dead might be possible and found a solution. He has simply encountered Jesus and believed! Thomas wasn’t persuaded by arguments or pressured by peers; he was drawn in by Grace. If it is good enough for Thomas, then it is good enough for us. Saving faith begins with encountering the wonder of who Jesus is, not understanding how God works. Saving faith begins with Grace, is sustained by Grace, and is made real by Grace in our lives as we encounter Jesus for who he truly is! Not just as an idea or a story we’ve heard, but as the risen Lord who still stands before us, scars and all, inviting us to believe.

That is the heart of the Christian faith; and, wonder of the Gospel. Salvation comes not by a complete understanding, not theological certainty, not worked-out logic — but a heart awakened by Grace to the reality of Jesus. So if Thomas, with his honest questions and deep desires, the one who somehow missed the moment, can encounter the Risen Lord and cry out, “My Lord and my God,” then so can we. Because this is not just Thomas’ story — it’s the invitation of the Gospel to each one of us. Will we see him? Will we trust him? Will we worship him?

4. Blessed Are Those Who Really See (v. 29)

Thomas has seen and understood, and now form his confession – the thing that John wants us to see Jesus speaks beyond Thomas, the disciples and anyone else who is gathered – He is speaking to us:

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

It took Thomas a few days to grasp in his heart what Mary and the other disciples had grasped on Easter Day – who Jesus was. Yet, once he saw, he began to understand that to see Jesus with more than his eyes is to see him with every part of who we are! Mind, body, soul and the entirety of our person. This is our calling— a faith not based on sight but on Scripture, Scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is how we see Jesus every day, how we grow with Jesus, and how we let the world see Him – by pointing them to word of God and showing the life of God in how we live, serve and love one aother.

We might not have been there 2000 years ago, but when the Spirit opens our eyes and hearts to see who Jesus is and follow him. We do not have the benefit of having seen him or been with him. Yet, when we respond to the prompt of the Holy Spirit in our lives, whether we are in the UK, Africa, or the USA – when we respond to God’s call to become his children, then we are blessed above because we are those who have seen the wonder of God’s love and embraced it by faith.

5. God Does It So That You May Believe (vv. 30–31)

Do you ever think about all the things the Bible does not include? There is so much more John could have included than all the Gospel writers could have written. John could have written about every miracle, every moment, every word Jesus ever said — and still, the books of the world could not contain it. But he didn’t. He wrote these specific signs; He wrote these words, twenty-one chapters about the wonder of Jesus, who he was, why he came, and his purpose. John gave us these words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Over the last few weeks we have seen him tell us about the tomb, the gardener, the scars, the locked doors, and the peace that came through them — and he told us all of it with one goal in mind: so that you may believe. Not just so that we might know, or admire, or consider — but so that we might believe, and in believing find life in his name. Life not just someday but now. Life with peace. Life with purpose. Life that meets us in the locked rooms, in our questions, in our fears. John wrote so that what happened to Mary, Peter, and Thomas might happen to us. We might see Jesus — not with our eyes, but with our hearts wide open to Grace — and believe.

Because the Gospel is not just the story of what Jesus did — it is the invitation to trust who Jesus is. The Gospel is not just some good news; it is the good news! From the tomb to the room to the world, it’s all moving in one direction: towards you. So the question that lingers at the end is “Do you understand?” but “Do you believe?” Will we see him? Will we trust him? Will we follow him? Because John doesn’t just want us to read about Jesus. He wants us to meet him. And in meeting him, find life. Full, forgiven, forever life — in his name.

Conclusion: The Invitation Is For All And Must Go To All

Thomas might have missed a moment, but by God’s Grace he didn’t miss out — and by God’s Grace, neither will anyone who comes to Him today. Jesus came back for him, and he still comes for us. The Holy Spirit is at work in our hearts today to prompt us to see Jesus and his love for us, to see the beauty of the Cross. Whether you’re full of faith or full of questions, whether you’ve been in Church your whole life or you’re just finding your way in the Door, the risen Jesus still meets us where we are. He still speaks peace over fearful hearts; he still shows his scars to the hurting, and he still breathes his Spirit into weary bones. And the invitation still stands — to come, believe, and live. Not just get by, not just make it through, but truly live.

Here’s the thing: when we’ve seen him when we’ve encountered his Grace when we’ve stood like Thomas and cried out, “My Lord and my God!” — we’re not meant to keep it to ourselves Like the people in the upper room our sight comes with commission! Because there are people everywhere who need to know the wonder of Jesus — on our streets, in our families, in the shop queue, in our schools — waiting, wondering, maybe even wounded. So as those who have seen the scars and known the peace, let us go — and help the world to know that by his wounds we have been helped. We are those who see, and then together in the Spirit we go to help other’s see Jesus too. That they might be blessed to believe; and in believing, find life in his name.