Daily Devotional | Peace and Doubt

Empiricism is a philosophy that says truth is based on experience. The scientific method is an empirical approach that tests ideas through repeatable observations that produce the same result. The refusal of Thomas to believe the word of those who had seen and heard Jesus displays an empirical approach. It is also scientific in a way. Thomas devised a kind of “experiment” to test the claim that Jesus was alive: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (v. 25).

Thomas was not alone in his doubt. According to Luke 24:11, the other disciples had difficulty accepting the testimony of Mary Magdalene and the other women who had seen Jesus at the tomb. Their skepticism was only remedied by experience. Jesus appeared again on “the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders” (v. 19). The picture John paints is not one of faith and courage. It shows the disciples hunkered down behind locked doors and terrified.

Jesus did not bother to knock and wait to be let in. He “came and stood among them.” Nor did He chide them for their unbelief and fear. Instead, He greeted them with a customary “Shalom.” Jesus breathed on them in anticipation of Pentecost, told them to receive the Holy Spirit, and commissioned them as His witnesses and messengers (vv. 21–22). This commission clarifies the nature of their gospel. The gospel promise is that all who accept the apostles’ testimony about Jesus will find forgiveness. The peace that Jesus offers and the promise of the Holy Spirit do not belong only to those who have seen Him with their own eyes but to all who will believe.