What Old Testament prophecies connect to the resurrection theme in John 20:25? A quick look at John 20 : 25 • “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails…”—Thomas demands visible, tangible proof that the One standing before him is the same Jesus who was crucified. • His words steer us back to Old Testament Scriptures that both foretell the Messiah’s piercing and guarantee His bodily deliverance from death. Prophecies of pierced hands and side • Psalm 22 : 16 – 18 “They have pierced My hands and feet… They divide My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing.” – Foresees the exact wounding that Thomas insists on touching. • Zechariah 12 : 10 “They will look on Me whom they have pierced.” – Anticipates a future recognition of the pierced Messiah, echoed in Thomas’s desire to look and believe. • Isaiah 53 : 5 “He was pierced for our transgressions…” – Establishes that the wounds Thomas wants to examine were foretold as redemptive, not accidental. Prophecies of a risen, never-decaying Messiah • Psalm 16 : 10 “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.” – Declares bodily preservation; fulfilled when the disciples find an empty tomb only days after burial. • Hosea 6 : 2 “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.” – A third-day pattern matched by Jesus (cf. 1 Corinthians 15 : 4). • Isaiah 53 : 10 – 11 “He will prolong His days… After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied.” – Predicts life beyond suffering, the very reality Thomas struggles to accept. • Jonah 1 : 17 (type) “Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.” – Jesus cites this as the sign of His resurrection (Matthew 12 : 40), setting the timetable Thomas meets on the eighth day (John 20 : 26). Foreshadows of vindication after suffering • Psalm 110 : 1 “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” – Resurrection is assumed; the enthroned Messiah has obviously conquered death. • Psalm 118 : 22 – 24 “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone… This is the day the LORD has made.” – Rejection (crucifixion) leads to a joyous new day (resurrection). • Job 19 : 25 – 27 “I know that my Redeemer lives… yet in my flesh I will see God.” – Personal hope of bodily resurrection foreshadows the Messiah’s own triumph and the sight Thomas receives. From promise to fulfillment • The same Scriptures that predicted a pierced Messiah also promised His physical victory over death. • Thomas’s insistence on touching nail scars highlights the unity of these prophecies: wounded yet alive, sacrificed yet triumphant. • Every Old Testament thread—piercing, third-day rising, vindication—converges in the risen Christ who stands before the apostle. Takeaway truths • Scripture had always held together suffering and resurrection; John 20 : 25 shows that linkage fulfilled. • The Messiah’s scars are not contradictions to prophecy but confirmations of it. • Seeing those scars turned Thomas from doubt to worship (John 20 : 28), just as the prophetic Word was meant to lead every heart from promise to faith. |
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