Colonoscopy

John 20:27-29  - Scripture:  John 20:27-29 - Then saith He [Jesus] to Thomas, reach hither thy finger and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side:  and be not faithless, but believing.  And Thomas answered and said unto him, 'My Lord and my God'.  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:  blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.


If you are over fifty years old and have had your large intestine checked by colonoscopy, then great.  But the colonoscopy of this note is paying dear attention to that literary device, known as a colon, which shares company with the exclamation mark, the period, the question mark, the semi-colon, the dash, and the comma.  It is a pause from one point being made, to connect another related point being made, with emphasis, with explosiveness, with notoriety, even with flare.  It is the drawing back of the curtain to reveal the hidden big thing.  It is like the twitching of the fishing line before your best catch breaks the water.  You could call it a tease, an invitation, a bridge, or even the breath taken before a loud shout.  You can even liken it to "Now push", which separates labor from delivery. Its job is to welcome that to be revealed.

Of the disciples, Thomas was late to encounter the risen Christ, as well as being late to arrive at the place the others were.  The others, within a closed room, experience Jesus, and reported that to Thomas, who just didn't buy it.    Eight days later, again in a private setting, doors shut, Jesus arrived in their company quite mysteriously, and by his own standard of a touch-test, Thomas concludes that the Jesus he sees, is Jesus indeed, risen, and tangible.   Here the colon draws us to ": BE NOT FAITHLESS, BUT BELIEVING" [verse 27], as well as ": BLESSED ARE THEY THAT HAVE NOT SEEN AND YET HAVE BELIEVED" [verse 29].  By the way "they that have not seen" includes us.

I just get excited when I see a colon! What's next? The colon is all about great expectations. Consider ": NEVERTHELESS NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE.", following a colon! [Luke 22:42] In Genesis 1:3 we have the first colon showing up with, ": AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE LIGHT: AND THERE WAS LIGHT."  In Job 42:5 we read ": ALSO THE LORD GAVE JOB TWICE AS MUCH AS HE HAD BEFORE." A favorite, though one could go on and on, comes from Ephesians 2:8,9 " FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH; AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD: NOT OF WORKS LEST ANY MAN SHOULD BOAST."

So, in closing ": And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.", and ": Neither give place to the devil." [Ephesians 4:32 & 4:27]

Enjoy your colon, enjoy the word!

Prayer:  Dear Lord, it is a blessing to take on the adventure of your read word.  With something made new so often, it is as having a new world. Thank you, Lord! Amen.

(by Dr. McNeal Brockington)