He Keeps Showing Up Part 2

DISCIPLESHIP MATTERS

HE KEEPS SHOWING UP

Jhn 20:24  But Thomas, one of the twelve [disciples], who was called Didymus (the twin), was not with them when Jesus came.

Jhn 20:25  So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

Jhn 20:26  Eight days later His disciples were again inside the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, though the doors had been barred, and stood among them and said, “Peace to you.”

Jhn 20:27  Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place it in My side. Do not be unbelieving, but [stop doubting and] believe.” [Luk 24:39]

Jhn 20:28  Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jhn 20:29  Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, do you now believe? Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, and favored by God] are they who did not see [Me] and yet believed [in Me].”

Last week, we stood in the upper room with the disciples — broken, afraid, and hiding behind locked doors. And yet, Jesus showed up. He brought peace, restored their joy, reignited their faith, gave them an assignment, and breathed on them the Holy Spirit. He didn’t come with condemnation; He came with compassion.

But while the others were being restored, Thomas wasn’t there. He missed the moment — not because he was rebellious, but because he was wrestling with grief, fear, and disappointment. Have you ever been there? Where the weight of trauma, confusion, or unanswered prayers kept you out of position — just long enough to miss what God was doing?

This week, we’re going back into that room — not for the ten, but for the one. For Thomas. Because Jesus doesn’t just come for the crowd. He comes back for the one who’s still hurting. The one still questioning. The one still searching. And when He comes, He doesn’t bring shame — He brings peace, presence, and proof.

Let’s walk with Thomas through his grief, his guarded heart, and into his greatest confession of faith: “My Lord and my God!”

1. Thomas’ doubt, fear and grief caused him to miss God.

John 20:24 – “But Thomas… was not with them when Jesus came.”

• Don’t allow your condition to cause you to get out of position.
• Thomas wasn’t rebellious — he was broken.

• Pain will push in in 1 of 2 directions. Towards God or away from His presence

Isaiah 53:3 – “A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…”

• Maybe he was grieving. Maybe he was wrestling with the silence of Saturday after the brutality of Friday.
• Isolation is never the answer to your pain.

Proverbs 18:1 – “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.”

“Trauma can test your faith and leave you wounded.”

Grief is real and affects us mentally, spiritually, physically, it affects everyone differently

Grief is a process, not an event. It is not something to “get over,” but something we learn to live with, integrate, and grow through. Like Thomas, our grief doesn’t disqualify us from encountering Jesus — it may be the very place He meets us most powerfully.

“Your grief may change you, but it doesn’t have to break you. And Jesus still walks through locked doors to find you there.”

FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF

Denial, Anger, Depression, Bargaining, Acceptance

• Jesus came back — because doubt doesn’t disqualify you. It positions you for a deeper encounter.

2. The disciples did what they were supposed to do — they testified.

John 20:25a – “So the other disciples kept telling him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’”

• They kept telling him.
• They didn’t mock him. They didn’t cancel him.
• True disciples don’t give up when others are struggling — they keep testifying.

Galatians 6:1 – “If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently…”

Romans 1:16–17 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God to salvation… The just shall live by faith.”

3. Thomas’ response was protective — grief disguised as resistance.

John 20:25b – “Unless I see… I will never believe.”

• This is trauma speaking, not theology.

Thomas’ insistence on “unless I see… I will not believe” could reflect:

• Hypervigilance: He needed tangible proof to feel safe trusting again.
• Avoidance: He was protecting himself from the pain of false hope.
• Disassociation or numbing: His disbelief could be a way to not feel the full emotional weight of what he’d experienced.

In trauma, people often don’t reject truth—they reject vulnerability.

• Mark 9:24 – “I believe; help my unbelief.”
• Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
• Thomas uses a double negative:  “I will absolutely not believe.”
• He wasn’t rejecting Jesus. He was protecting his soul from another crucifixion.
• He needed a touch. He needed more than information — he needed restoration.

“When people are hurting, they don’t need to be fixed — they need to be seen.”

4. Jesus shows up in the same place He did before.

He comes back for the one out of love.

John 20:26–27 – “Eight days later… Jesus came and said, ‘Peace be unto you… Reach your finger here.’”

John 20:19 – “Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’”

• Then He meets Thomas exactly where he left off — by quoting him word for word.

“God doesn’t just know your name. He knows your wounds. And He still says, ‘Peace.’

He gives Thomas exactly what he asked for. 

Thomas needed a touch, proof connection. 

God is not intimidated by your needs.

Mat 6:8  So do not be like them [praying as they do]; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

5. Thomas confesses deeper than ever before.

John 20:28 – “Thomas answered and said, ‘My Lord and my God!’”

• This is the strongest declaration of Jesus’ divinity in the entire Gospel of John.
• Thomas went from wounded to worshipper.
• Romans 10:9 – “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart… you will be saved.”
• Psalm 73:26 – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

“Your greatest pain can produce your greatest proclamation.”

6. Jesus blesses the unseen believers — that’s us.

John 20:29 – “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

• Thomas’ pain and Jeus’ response produces a model for us to follow
• That’s a blessing for every modern believer.
• 2 Corinthians 5:7 – “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
• Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
• Jesus isn’t just affirming Thomas — He’s prophetically declaring that faith in the unseen is blessed.

You may not have seen the nails, but you’ve felt the grace.

• Maybe you’re like Thomas — wounded, disappointed, distant.
• Maybe trauma or life has pulled you away.
• But Jesus still comes. He still shows up. He still walks through locked doors.

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God…”

He brings peace, not punishment.
He brings proof, not shame.
He brings presence, not pressure.