The Compassion: How Christ Confronts Our Fears

"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" (John 20:26-27).

For the past few weeks, we have been looking at the story of Jesus in the Upper Room and His conversation with Thomas. I wonder how we would feel if we had apparently denied the Lord and refused to believe He had really appeared? In verse 19, we saw the Calamity of the disciples when we find them sequestered in the Upper Room for fear of the Jews. Then in verses 19-21, we see the Comfort that Jesus provided when He appeared to them and uttered the words “peace be unto you!” Unfortunately, Thomas displayed Contempt by not being there when Jesus appeared to the disciples. Thomas just wasn’t where he was supposed to be and “missed out” on seeing Jesus.

            Today in verses 26-27, we see Jesus’ second appearance to His disciples; this time with Thomas present. Jesus confronts Thomas’ statement of doubt (“I will not believe”). Here we find Christ’s Compassion. Jesus had compassion on him regardless of his strong disbelief and absence form the upper room.

            He had heard Thomas’s declaration. Thomas was literally crying out when he said “I will not believe?” Sometimes a statement of unbelief is actually a cry for help. Think about your own life when, in despair, you uttered a statement of not knowing what to do. The good thing about this story is that Jesus knew before Thomas said anything, that he was doubting and needed reassurance. Jesus always comes personally to where we are and provides the answers we need.

            So, when Jesus addresses Thomas’s condition, He gets right to the point and tells Thomas something very unusual. “Reach out your finger, touch the nail scars in my hand, then take your hand and thrust it into my side and be not faithless, but believing.” When Thomas hears that statement, he crumbles under the realization that Jesus knew his thoughts, his words, and his lack of faith. In our lives we all must come to the place where we realize, like Thomas, that our faith is weak, but Jesus still loves us regardless.

            So, what did the Lord do? He had compassion on Thomas! The compassion of the Lord was evidenced first, by His appearance the second time in that room. He didn’t have to come back just to see Thomas, but that’s the compassion of Jesus. Then His compassion was expressed by His attitude. Not the attitude of Thomas, (that comes later) but by His own. He demonstrated that by coming the second time. Just like the Lord came to Jonah the second time to give him another chance, He came to Thomas again. And He will come to us also. This is our Savior!

            So, when we exhibit a lack of faith in our lives, remember that the Lord is longsuffering and will give us chance after chance. He will come to where we are and show mercy and compassion. By His presence and Word, we can have renewed faith and hope in times of doubt.