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ON SEEING, NOT SEEING, AND SEEING!
       We first see Thomas in a group portrait along with the rest of the Apostles.  He's the one standing between Bartholomew and Matthew the tax collector.  For in Matthew  10:2 - 4, as the group shot is placed before our eyes, we read 
      These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;  3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;  4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
      The portrait tells us nothing about Thomas except that he was of average height and build.   It tells us nothing of his background.   Nor does it tell us of his occupation.
      Another group portrait is taken in Mark 3:16 - 18 where Thomas is standing between Matthew and James the son of Alphaeus.  Again we learn no more about him than what we already knew - which is practically nothing at all.  A third group shot is found in Luke 6:13 - 16 where Thomas is again standing between Matthew and James the son of Alphaeus.  This portrait was probably taken right after the one found in Mark, just in case the first one didn't turn out.  As you can guess, it tells us no more than the last one.
      If we depended on Matthew, Mark, and Luke to tell us about Thomas we would come up with practically nothing.  All we learn from them is that Thomas was one of the Apostles - which meant he actually saw Jesus in the flesh.  We learn nothing more about Thomas until John rescued him from the depths of obscurity.
      When Jesus decided to go wake up his friend Lazarus some questioned his sanity  for it meant going through Judea which had become hostile territory.  But Jesus was determined to go to his friends in the village of Bethany.  When Thomas saw this he spoke up, in John 11:16, and said,
      Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
      Didymus, meaning "the twin", is the Greek equivalent of Thomas.  So here, in case he didn't already know it, we learn two things about Thomas.  He was a twin and once he made up his mind about something he was decisive.
      Then, in John 14:6 - 7, when Jesus informed the apostles in plain language that he was returning to his Father's house, Thomas once again spoke up.  We read,
      Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
      Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
      For all of his seeing, Thomas was not seeing.  He didn't get it.  He saw Jesus in the flesh and undoubtedly witnessed many miracles.  But he still didn't get it.
      Someone has said that we can't truly appreciate the stories of the Bible until we see them as stories about ourselves.  Thomas, as we've just learned, had a twin.  We don't know whether his twin was an identical twin brother or a twin sister.   But that's not the question.  The question is - Can we imagine ourselves as his twin?  For all of our seeing, do we also have trouble really seeing?
      Of course, the story that solidified Thomas reputation as someone slow to grasp the obvious is found in John 20:19 - 31.  We read:
      On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"  20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
      Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."  22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.  23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
      Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.  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 finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
      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!"  27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger 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!"
      Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
      Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
      What did Thomas see on that day of long ago?   Did he see the nail scarred hands?  Did he see the scar on Jesus' side just below the rib cage?  Is that what he really saw on that day?  Did he see more than the scars?  What convinced him, beyond all doubt, that Jesus was indeed the long-awaited-for Messiah?
      Perhaps it was enough for Thomas to simply see that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.  I know, by personal experience, that one of the highlights of my life was going to Jerusalem and seeing the empty tomb.  I kid about the fact that I went half-away around the world only to find the tomb empty.  If I had only called first, I would have saved myself a lot of time and money.  But, in actual fact, seeing the empty tomb was an incredible experience. 
      What did I see?  Nothing!  Yet, in a flash I saw everything.  I saw everything I needed to see to strengthen my faith.  So what did Thomas see on that day?
      I think he saw the truth standing before him.  Graciously, Jesus turned to him as if he was the only one in the room and dealt with the issues in Thomas' life.  Superficially, it was Thomas' need to see the scars.  Deep down, however, what was really needed was for Thomas to see the truth of Jesus and the truth of who Jesus was for him.  He needed to see Jesus with his heart and mind, not simply his eyes.  And on that day his heart melted while his mind grasp the fact that all that Jesus had ever said about himself was indeed the truth.  For all of his seeing, he didn't see, and then in a flash he fully saw the truth as revealed to him by our risen Savior.1
      So what does this have to do with Peter and the recipients of his first letter?  Just this, in the first chapter Peter quietly slipped into a teaching mode after giving thanks for all that God has done on their behalf.  He also commended the recipients for seeing Jesus with their hearts and minds even though they had not actually seen him.  We see this in vv. 8 and 9 of the first chapter.  We read:
      Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
      Then, for no apparent reason, he wrote to them about the prophets of long ago.
      Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,  11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
      Why?  Perhaps, he simply wanted to inform, or remind, his original readers that their faith had roots.  After all, in the ancient world something that was old and deeply rooted in tradition was valued more highly than something that was new and innovative.  So Peter labeled their salvation, and ours, as something old, traditional, and valuable.
      Or maybe, Peter was attempting to counter those people, like the Qumran sect, who argued that the Old Testament strictly belonged to God's "chosen" people and was not to be taken over as Scripture by this new sect called "The Way."   This controversial bid to takeover the Old Testament as our own was, in Peter's day, a hotly disputed topic.  But hardly a topic that would've reached the outer edges of the kingdom.
      The text, however, suggest a more practical reason for bringing up this matter of the prophets in relationship to our salvation.  But before Peter spelled it out, he took time to lay down a foundational premise.  He noted that the prophets themselves tried to figure out exactly what the Spirit was saying as they put it down on paper.  
      Perplexed they turned to God with their questions.  They confessed that they didn't always understand the message.  They conceded that they couldn't always see how it applied to them personally and/or the present generation.   In their confusion, they spoke to God and he revealed to them that the message, at times, was for future generations.  It was meant to "serve" others.
      Then to top things off, as if to prompt them, and us, to take a close look, Peter makes an astounding statement.  He said,
"Even angels long to look into these things."
      The verb parakypto, which is translated in the NIV as "long to look" literally means "to stoop over to look."  It implies a willingness to exert or inconvenience oneself to obtain a better perspective.  Here the present tense gives it a continuous aspect.  It means a continuous regard rather than a quick look.  In other words, even the angels long to look at the Bible Jesus read.
      Again, why did Peter share this insight to prophecy with them.  To give their faith roots?  To counter a controversy that was brewing in Jerusalem?
      Perhaps, but more likely he was encouraging them to take time to study the Scriptures for themselves.   They probably didn't have much available at their local bookstore, but what they did have available to them they ought to take every opportunity to stoop over and take a close look at it.  Even if they had to nudge their way in to take a look at what the the prophet Elisha did in his day or stoop down to get the scoop on what Daniel had to say about the future they ought to take every opportunity to strengthen their hearts and minds for the days ahead.  For in reading the Bible that Jesus read they would become convinced that they do matter and that God does care.  They will see the truth about themselves and God.  We will too!

1     We tend to think there is a real advantage to those who actually saw Jesus with their own eyes.  But history tells us otherwise.  Thousands of people saw Jesus during his public ministry.  They even benefited directly from his miraculous acts, such as the feeding of the five-thousand.   Yet, on the day of Pentecost there was, at best, a few hundred who had placed their trust in him.  Why?  Perhaps one answer is that they didn't see themselves, other than in a national sense, in need of a Savior.   You see , we can't see Jesus rightly until we see ourselves rightly. 

PETER: THE MAN AND HIS LETTERS                                  12/09/07    1

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