The story of the unbelief of Thomas, related in these verses, is a narrative peculiar to the Gospel of St. John. For wise and good reasons it is passed over in silence by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and was probably not given to the world till Thomas was dead. It is pre- cisely one of those passages of Scripture which supply strong internal evidence of the honesty of the inspired writers. If impostors and deceivers had compiled the Bible for their own private advantage, they would nev- er have told mankind that one of the first founders of a new religion behaved as Thomas here did.
We should mark, for one thing, in these verses, how much Christians may lose hy not regularly attending the assemblies of God?s people, Thomas was absent the first time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, and consequently Thomas missed a bless- ing. Of course we have no certain proof that the ab- sence of the Apostle could not admit of explanation. Yet, at such a crisis in the lives of the eleven, it seems highly improbable that he had any good reason for not being with his brethren, and it is far more likely that in some way he was to blame. One thing, at any rate, is clear and plain. By being absent he was kept in sus- pense and unbelief a whole week, while all around him were rejoicing in the thought of a risen Lord. It is dif- ficult to suppose that this would have been the case, if there had not been a fault somewhere. It is hard to avoid the suspicion that Thomas was absent when he might have been present.
We shall all do well to remember the charge of the Apostle St. Paul : " Forsake not the assembling of your- selves together, as the manner of some is." (Heb. x. 25.) Never to be absent from God's house on Sundays, without good reason, — never to miss" the Lord's Supper when administered in our own congregation, — never to