Thrust in! and Obtain!
I got to meditating on this one passage (Jn 20:27), and picturing myself in Thomas' place in that story; and imagining my hand in His side.
Jesus had to pack a LOT of information into a small amount of time while He was here in the flesh. So, I believe every Word was like a zip-file. Packed FULL of Spirit, and Life!
Jn 6:63 -- It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Mat 4:4 -- ...Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. [And He IS God in the flesh! (Jn 1:1, 14; Jn 10:30)]
I think it’s significant that the Lord didn’t tell Thomas, “Carefully, feel around the edges of this open wound, and look in there.” – or, “Gently, put your hand in here.” He said, “THRUST it into my side!”
Thrust is not a gentle word. It means, “To push or drive with force”.
It's a bold, forceful, violent word.
I think He was trying to tell Thomas (AND us) something about the kind of faith He wants us to have.
Not a gentle faith, but a violent faith.
Picture a gaping spear wound in Jesus’ side. I don't think it was a healed up scar, or a small wound as portrayed in some art, or Thomas wouldn’t have been able to thrust his hand in. It was a “cleft place” in "our Rock"! (that's a different sermon :-)
Not to be gruesome, but If you were to thrust your hand into a man's wounded side, you couldn't help but get it all over you. There's no avoiding it. You're gonna have his bowels in your hand, and have access to all his innards, and you could probably even reach his spine.
Internal organs. Bowels. What’s the significance of that? What do bowels represent in the Bible?
Is 63:15 -- …the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me?...
Jer 31:20 -- …my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.
Song 5:4 -- My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
Phi 2:1 -- …bowels and mercies,
Col 3:12 -- …bowels of mercies…
God’s “bowels are troubled for us”. And bowels represent God’s mercies toward us!
Now, the Bible doesn't say whether Thomas actually did what Jesus invited him to do. I imagine the sight of this gaping wound and the idea of Jesus telling him to thrust his hand into his side, so shocked Thomas, that he could only say, “My Lord and my God!” -- which is what the Bible records. But I don't think it was an empty, rhetorical invitation on Jesus' part. I think He fully intended that Thomas was welcome to do exactly that.
And I believe He invites all of us to thrust in! ...and obtain that mercy! He bought it for us at a high price and he says we better get some!
obtain come into possession of; receive a specified treatment; get; find; incur; prevail; hold
Obtain Mercy!
In the natural, your gut is your center of gravity, your source of energy for your movements. If you strike out, you'll be driving energy from your base through your center and outward toward a target. And then I thought of this verse:
Isa 27:5 -- Or let him TAKE HOLD of my STRENGTH, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.
Take hold: fasten upon; seize, be strong (figuratively courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer, catch, cleave, confirm, be constant, constrain, continue, be of good (take) courage (-ous, -ly), encourage (self), be established, fasten, force, fortify, make hard, harden, help, (lay) hold (fast), lean, maintain, play the man, mend, become (wax) mighty, prevail, be recovered, repair, retain, seize, be (wax) sore, strengthen (self), be stout, be (make, shew, wax) strong (-er), be sure, take (hold), be urgent, behave self valiantly, withstand. Strength a fortified place; figuratively a defence: force, fort (-ress), rock, strength (-en), (X most) strong (hold).
1 Pet 2:10 -- Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
So, let us thrust in boldly, and courageously, and obtain that mercy!
Heb 4:16 -- Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
When we “Thrust in” in faith, with our will set to conquer, we seize that substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen! (Heb 11:1)
Is 45:3 -- And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
Treasures of darkness, and hidden riches!
There are unlimited resources available to us in that secret place! Whatever we have need of -- whether it be healing, deliverance, protection, provision… unlimited resources! But we won't get it passively, gently, accidentally, inadvertently... We've got to seize upon it violently, courageously, intently, boldly, doggedly, by force!
Mat 11:12 -- ...the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Jn 20:27 -- ...reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: AND BE NOT FAITHLESS, BUT BELIEVING.
Man, I like that!
Now, some might be offended by this sort, and I'm not saying, "Blab it and grab it." I am saying, "Read it, and believe it!"
I do believe in praying for the Lord's will to be done. And there are times when I don't know how to fix a problem, and I ask the Lord to let His perfect will be done!
But all too often, I think we meekly pray, "Lord, if it could be Your will, could you please do such-and-such?" Is that a prayer of faith?
After all, it was Jesus that said,
Jn 15:7 -- If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
The problem is, either we sometimes forget -- or just don't know our spiritual identity in Christ; or we fail to walk in the power of godliness/holiness (2Ti 3:5), and have no confidence with God (1 Jn 5:14).
Created over 2 years ago
