Essay Sample on God in Biblical Books

Abstract

So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my figure where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

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A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your figure here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

The Jesus told him "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed."

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Introduction

Biblical critics consider the written word or God in biblical books as fundamental information symbolizing the core of faith and the practices of a religious community. Therefore, in line with the same idea, this article assumes the Book of John as a unique text, valued and trusted in its own right by those individuals who believe and exercise the Christians and the Jewish faiths. Being one of the most used theological masterpieces of the New Testament literary texts, the book of John highlights certain key theological issues that represent the early life of beliefs of the Israelites and served as the basic societal principles through which their relationship with Jesus and their belief in the power of God is uncovered and experienced. It articulates the theology of Jewish people as well as Christians in the belief of God and in it, John wants people to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and the source of life. Ideally, this article highlights the ancient context these verses functioned, the present day context in which an attempt is made to understand these texts and their pertinent historical and cultural background.

Main Themes and Ideas

Of the four Gospels including Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John narrating a series of episodes relating to the appearances of Jesus after his resurrection to His disciples, it is only John who preserved the episode in which Thomas is portrayed as transitioning from unbelief to belief as highlighted in John 20:24-31. The uniqueness and the importance of this verse as narrated by John lies in the fact that it emphasizes the relation between seeing and believing in the most systematically laid manner. In particular, the passage through the words of John indicates the difference in believing after witnessing the risen Christ and believing by faith without having seen him. For instance, what does the verse explain about seeing as a cause of believing? The events of the episode happened one week after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and after other disciples had already seen him. When the twelve disciples gathered in a house; this time Thomas with them, Christ appeared and stood among them. After the formalities which at the time was a traditional greeting "Peace be with you," Jesus immediately turned to Thomas and showed him His hands. He said: "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side, and do not be unbelieving but believing" (John 20:27). In this case, we have Thomas who despite having seen the risen Christ is still in doubt because he cannot believe what he is seeing. Jesus obviously allows him to confirm his doubt and from that point, Thomas immediately transitioned from the state of unbelieving to believing. Similarly, John 20:24-31 discusses believing without having seen the Lord. When Jesus appeared to his disciples the first time he resurrected, he gave them the evidence they needed by showing them his hands and his side. This verse before which occurs in the absence of Thomas still emphasizes the visible aspect of the appearance. However, when Jesus appeared to Thomas and the other disciples in the enclosed house, He said, "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed" (John). This verse portrays the significance of believing in the risen Christ without having seen Him and to the believers; it is a special condition that makes them blessed.

Literary Context

When the risen Christ appeared to His disciples one week before His encounter with Thomas, He showed them his hands and his side as a way of convincing the non-believers that it was actually Him who had died. In this phrase, two main verbs are used in the narrative. "Jesus showed," and the "disciples saw" are verbs of optimal impression of seeing further emphasizing on the idea of visibility as an aspect of appearance. Between John 20:24-26, when the other disciples meet Thomas, they tell him, "We have seen the Lord." This indicates the immediate experience these disciples had when they encountered the risen Christ, but the verb used still reflects on the visibility aspect of their faith in Him. Thomas in his response to his counterparts again emphasized on the aspect of visibility and told them: "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails...I will not believe (John 20:25). The use of these verbs that emphasizes on vision is a clear indication of how significant believing without seeing is to believers. To most individuals, and in this verse, the disciples, personal verification through sight is the cause of believing. For example, Jesus had to show the first eleven disciples His hands and His side for them to believe in their Lord. Thomas however, intensified the situation and insisted that his belief will only prevail if he touched Jesus at the very marks of crucifixion.

Historical and Cultural Background

Ideas and views on the authorship and the origin of the Book of John have changed drastically over time among the believers and scholars of the Fourth Gospel. Initially, the Gospel of John was considered by the New Testament scholars as the most detailed of the four gospels with information about the life and ministry if Jesus. That was one hundred and fifty years ago. Today, very few scholars of the New Testament would pick the Gospel of John if asked the book that gives the most information among the four gospels. This is because most scholars presently have shifted their opinion having discovered that John's gospel was the last among the four books placing it somewhere late in the first century. For this reason and the fact that some of the events in the Book of John differ in the synopsis, many scholars have regarded it as secondary and have believed to have been altered to suit personal theological ends.

Exegetical Comments

24. Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came

The story of the unbelief of Thomas starts in this verse and in particular highlights how much one may lose by omitting God's assemblies. Thomas was bereaved after the crucifixion of Jesus and was never constantly assembling with the other disciples. He was absent the first time the risen Christ appeared to his disciples missing the sight and blessings of Jesus. For this reason, Thomas was kept oblivious about the resurrection of Jesus and was kept in unbelief for a full week while others sing and rejoice them with the Lord.

25. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my figure where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

This verse highlights unbelief and the stubborn nature of Thomas. He ignores even the testimony of his of his other brethren and insists it is only after seeing that he shall believe. The encounter of Thomas and his counterparts also emphasizes the nature of mankind that only believe what they see. Even the other disciples had to see Christ himself to believe.

26. A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

In this verse, Jesus appears to His disciples once more, but this time, Thomas was also among them. This still came as a big surprise to Thomas because he did not believe how it could be. He can now see the risen Christ in person but not fully convinced without seeing the marks of the nails on His hands.

27. Then he said to Thomas, "Put your figure here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

After the traditional greeting, Jesus turns immediately to Thomas and tells him to stop unbelieving and start believing. Obviously, in this case, Jesus accepted the challenge in an attempt to satisfy Thomas' curiosity. This verse also portrays how kind and merciful Jesus can be for slow believers.

28. Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

This verse is special as it describes Jesus as God without a rebuke from Him. The surprise and the noble exclamation from Thomas after touching Jesus is a clear testimony of the divinity of the risen Lord. It also emphasizes the aspect of vision in regards to personal belief.

29. The Jesus told him "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed."

This verse teaches the importance of believing without having to see. After the resurrection, Jesus had to appear to his disciples which can be significant in their belief of his resurrection. However, after testing Thomas' faith, Jesus gives a valuable lesson on the importance of faith and belief without having to see.

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.

This verse as the previous verse shows the importance of believing. The resurrection story as portrayed by the book of John is on the teaching of belief, and he assures us in this verse; that other miracles were also performed but were not recorded in his book; therefore it is up to the true believers to believe and find out.

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The main purpose for which John wrote about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that of Thomas was for the early churches to believe in Him, and that by accepting the truth about His power and divinity, the should experience true life in Him.

Conclusion

From the verses, it is a clear indication that the central theme in the book of John 20:24-31 is the relation between seeing and believing. This theme is well explained in the encounters of Thomas who missed the first appearance of the risen Christ. In particular, the theme runs right from the initial encounter with Jesus after resurrection where John highlights the old ways of the disciples which was believing after seeing. Moreover, the theme is further demonstrated through Thomas who eloquently attested the truth about the resurrection of Christ.

Attridge, Harold W. "John and other Gospels." The Oxford Handbook of Johannine Studies (2018): 44.

Bible.Org. "Lesson 103: The Aim of the Gospel (John 20:24-31)." September 6, 2015. Retrieved from https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-103-aim-gospel-john-2024-31

Cheney, Liana De Girolami. "Giorgio Vasari's Incredulity of Saint Thomas, 1569-1572." Visual Resources 27, no. 1 (2011): 90-105.

Grobler, Anton, Angelo Nicolaides, and Clifton Singh. "The Doubting Apostle 'Didymus'-Saint Thomas: theological, psychological and historical perspectives." (2015).

Reynaud, Daniel. "The Enigma of Jesus in the Gospel of John." (2013). Retrieved https://research.avondale.edu.au/theo_chapters/28/Seaman, NatashaT. "The Theology of Conversion in the Doubting Thomas and Calling of Matthew." In The...