body, to come to a doubting, sceptical disciple, and bid him touch. Him, put his finger into the nail-prints on His hands, and put his hand into the great wound in His side, — all this was a condescension which we can never sufficiently admire and adore.
The last sentence of the verse is a rebuke and an exhorta- tion at the same time. It would have been more literally ren- dered, " Be not an unbeliever, but a believer." It is not merely a reproof to Thomas for his scepticism on this particular occa- sion, but an urgent counsel to be of a more believing turn of mind for time to come. — " Shake off this habit of doubting, questioning, and discrediting every one. Give up thine unbe- lieving disposition. Become more willing to believe and trust, and give credit to testimony for time to come." — No doubt the primary object of the sentence was to correct and chastise Thomas for his sceptical declaration on the preceding Sunday. But I believe our Lord had in view the further object of cor- recting Thomas's whole character, and directing his attention to his besetting sin. How many there are among us who ought to take to themselves our Lord's words 1 How faithless we often are, and how slow to believe !
Let us note here, as already remarked, that the wounds on our Lord's body must have been still open, from the language He addresses to Thomas, and that the wound in His side must have been a very large wound, from His telling Thomas to thrust in his hand.
Let us not fail to observe our Lord's perfect knowledge of all that passed on the previous Sunday, of all that the Apostles had said, and of the sceptical declaration which Thomas had made. Such knowledge showed clearly that He was God and not man. He hears every idle word that we say, and notes all our conversation.
Let us observe our Lord's thorough acquaintance with the special faults and besetting sins of every one of His people. He saw that Thomas's defect was his unbelief, and so He says, " Be not faithless, but believing."
28. — [And Thomas. ..my Lord. ..my God.] The famous answer of Thomas, contained in this verse, is precisely the short interjec- tional exclamation of a man taken by surprise, convinced at once of his own grievous mistake, and so overwhelmed by a variety of feelings that he is unable for the moment to use many words. It is the language of amazement, delight, re- pentance, faith and adoration, all combined in one sentence.
Whether it is to be taken in the third person, as an exclama- tion, " It is my Lord and my God ! " or in the second person, as an adoring, loving, believing address, " Thou art my Lord and my God," is an open question which the original GreeK does not settle. If I must give an opinion, I prefer the second person. But in either case the sense is good.