entertaining and expressing sentiments altogether judicious. But unbelief, while it attributes defects in judgment to otliers, often itself discovers and betrays hardness of heart, and in that hardness slowness of belief."
26. — [And after eight days again, etc.] This verse describes how Jesus was graciously pleased to appear again to the company of the Apostles, for the express purpose of convincing and satisfy- ing the mind of Thomas.
He came " after eight days." That means a week according to the Jewish manner of expressing a space of time, by which the first and last days were always reckoned in, if any part of them was employed. Thus our Lord was buried on Friday af- ternoon and rose again on Sunday morning, and was actually only thirty-six hours in the grave. But a Jew would say that He was " three days " buried. It thus appears that, both on the first and second times when our Lord appeared to the Apostles, it was a Sunday. Poole remarks that we have here the begin- ning of keeping holy the first day of the week.
He came when the disciples were " within." That means that they were assembled in a room, and probably in the same house where they had assembled before. The conviction and reproof of a weak disciple was a thing which was mercifully transacted in private, and among friends. We cannot doubt, moreover, that at this period the disciples would hardly dare to assemble in the open air anywhere about Jerusalem. The rumor that they stole the body of our Lord would still be rife in the city, and they might well feel the necessity of caution.
He came when " Thomas was with them." That means that He timed His visit, so that not one of the Apostles were miss- ing. He knew exactly who were assembled, and where they were assembled, and He ordered His appearance accordingly. It should be a great comfort to believers to remember that their Lord's eye is always upon them, and that He knows exactly in what place and in what company they are.
He came " when the doors were shut." That means that He appeared exactly under the same circumstances under which He appeared a week before, in an evening, when the doors were carefully closed for fear of the Jews. Thus, as on the previous Sunday, He suddenly, without a moment's notice, stood in the midst of the assembled disciples.
He came with the same gracious salutation with which He had appeared before. Once more, the first word that fell from His lips is " Peace be unto you." Thomas was there. The dis- ciple who made his emphatic declaration of unbelief, might well expect to hear some word of rebuke. But our Lord makes no exception. He saw Thomas, and well knew all that Thomas had said ; and yet to him, as well as to the other ten. He onco more says " Peace."