Lesson #34

JOHN 20:19-31
Lesson #34
BELIEF AND THE RECEIVING OF ETERNAL LIFE

• Memory verse: John 20:21

• Read Joh 20:19-25 Jesus appears in the midst of the ten disciples
• The frightened disciples gather behind closed doors.
• They feared arrest for being followers of Jesus Christ
• They feared the accusation that they had stolen Jesus’ body.
• Then suddenly Jesus is in their midst.
• This is the fifth appearance after the resurrection and occurs on resurrection Sunday.
• Jesus appears to the ten disciples, excluding Thomas.
• Notice Jesus’ words to the frightened disciples…words of peace.
• “…he showed unto them his hands and his side…”

(20)

• Jesus’ resurrected body still contained the marks of the crucifixion and will for eternity. Surely God had the power to heal these wounds so as not to appear as scars!
• What is the significance of these marks?
• The marks of the crucifixion have an eternal significance:
• They testify eternally of the price Jesus’ paid for eternal salvation.
• They identify the crucified Messiah with the Messiah that will come at the end of the Tribulation period. These two are the same Messiah, and by these marks the Jews will recognize Him at the second coming. (Zec 12:10)
• Therefore, the retention of these marks fulfills prophecy.
• The reason for the appearance to the 10 disciples had a dual purpose:
• =1= The commissioning of the disciples. (21)
• Jesus will send them out to be His witnesses that He is alive. They will bring people into the kingdom of God.
• =2= To give the disciples the new-birth experience. (22)

• “…He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”

(22).

• Verse 22 tells us the point in time when the disciples were saved.
• Notice that verse 22 uses the word “breathe” which is the same word for the Spirit. (see Gen 2:7)
• Therefore, Jesus gave them the breath of the Holy Spirit who came to live inside of the disciples. In other words, they were born again at that moment. They could not have been born-again before the completion of the crucifixion and resurrection.
• Why did Jesus do this when He told them to wait in Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost?
• The new birth experience is different from the baptism in the Holy Spirit that occurred on the day of Pentecost.
• In the new birth experience, the believer gets a drink of the water of life (Joh 4:14). Then once he believes, he receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit so that he might have power to be Jesus’ witnesses (Joh 7:38-39); so that new life would flow out of them to reach others for Christ.
• “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

(23)

• What authority is Jesus giving the disciples?
• Jesus gives the disciples the authority to preach the gospel for the forgiveness of sins.
• Only God can forgive sins. However, when the disciples announced what God had already accomplished through the crucifixion and resurrection, the Holy Spirit would convict the heart and cause the spiritual new birth to occur.
• Therefore, the preaching of the gospel of the crucifixion and resurrection would cause a division among mankind, those whose sins were forgiven and those who sins were retained.
• It is a personal action by the free will of the individual who makes a decision to receive Christ into his heart, combined with the action of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit that causes that person’s sins to be forgiven.
• And to the contrary, the personal free-will action by the individual who decides not to receive Christ into his heart, denying the convicting power of the Holy Spirit causes that person’s sins not to be forgiven.
• Thomas doubts
• When Thomas heard about Jesus’ appearance to the ten disciples, he did not believe it.
• “…Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

(25)

• Thomas’ famous words of doubt have colored his reputation for centuries, to the point that he is popularly called, doubting Thomas.
• However, remember that Thomas was willing to die for Jesus when dangerously Jesus decided to go to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead. (Joh 11:16)
• What do we learn in this passage about doubt?
• Doubt is a very natural human condition that in itself is not sin. It is what you do with doubt that causes it to be sin.
• Doubts that are nurtured will cause unbelief, and unbelief is the ultimate sin, for which the Jews were guilty. (Heb 3:12 Heb 4:11)
• Doubts that are taken to the Lord in prayer as a means of seeking answers, and that are resolved by the Word of God, result in faith and belief. (Mar 9:24 Rom 10:17)

• Read Joh 20:26-29 Jesus appears to the eleven disciples
• This appearance occurs exactly eight days after the resurrection and Thomas is present with the other ten disciples.
• What is Jesus’ purpose for this appearance?

• “…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.”

(27)

• Notice that Jesus did not reprimand Thomas for his doubts.
• Remember Jesus said that none of those that God gave Him would be lost. Thomas must be born again like the other ten disciples in order to fulfill that promise.
• However, Thomas has doubt and not faith. Therefore, before he can be born again, he must resolve his doubts. Jesus resolves them for him by suggesting that Thomas touch his scars.
• We naturally assume that Thomas touched the scars in Jesus’ hands and side. However, John does not tell us specifically that Thomas touched the scars.
• If we notice carefully what Jesus said to Thomas, it seems that Thomas did not touch the scars:

• “…Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed…”

(29)

• Jesus did not say, “because thou hast touched me, thou hast believed.”
• Therefore, just the invitation to examine Jesus caused faith to rise in Thomas’ heart. He believed without touching.
• “…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

(29)

• This blessing was for all believers through time who would give their lives to Christ without seeing the resurrection or experiencing a visitation from the resurrected Christ.
• It is easy to believe when you see it. However, the believer in Jesus Christ is asked to believe without seeing. He is to believe by faith.
• All of the Christian life is a life of faith. The believer is to walk by faith and not by sight. (2Cor 5:7)
• What does this passage tell us about the resurrection body?
• By putting all the gospel appearances together we learn that Jesus body had the following characteristics:

• From these characteristics about Jesus’ body, we can learn what the believer’s body will be like after the believer is resurrected to eternal life. (1Joh 3:2 Phi 3:21)

• Summary and Application:
• Jesus’ appearances to His disciples left the disciples with 5 gifts:
• Jesus is alive and His presence will be with the disciples always.
• Jesus’ presence brings peace. (19, 21)
• A mission that the disciples are expected to fulfill. (21)
• The companionship of the Holy Spirit.
• A message of redemption and the forgiveness of sins.

• Read Joh 20:30-31 The end?
• This chapter ends with words that resemble the finality of a book. (30-31)
• In fact, it was the end of the book, but John later added chapter 21 as an epilogue.
• John looks back at all he has written in this gospel to inform us that the signs and miracles are only a few of what Jesus did in His ministry on earth.
• Then John gives us his purpose for writing the gospel:
• That the reader might believe in Jesus, the Son of God, and with faith in Jesus he will have eternal life.
• Through the gospel of John, the author has given us proof that Jesus is truly the Son of God.

 HOMEWORK
JOHN 21
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Joh 20:19-31
• In what ways does this chapter speak to your life concerning belief and unbelief?
• If you have any doubts, write them here:
• Pray and ask God to help you resolve those doubts.
• Make a commitment to begin reading anywhere in the New Testament every day without stopping until those doubts are resolved.

• Preparation for Joh 21
• Read Joh 21:1-25
• What does this passage teach about:
• Miracles?
• Faith?
• Love for Jesus?
• Discipleship?
• The will of Christ?
• What was the purpose for Jesus’ appearance while the disciples fished?
• What was the purpose for Jesus’ question to Peter about his love? Why was it repeated three times?

• Memory Verse: John 21:16