“DOUBTING THOMAS”
aka
“DID JESUS ALWAYS HAVE LONG
HAIR?”
(John 20: 19-29)
Jesus would have been unrecognizable.
Have you ever seen a man with a beard after he shaved
it off, not to mention a moustache and long hair … completely two
different
people.
After the cross, Jesus having fulfilled the law, would
have gone back to heaven and said to God the Father “The job’s done!”
to which
the Father would have said “Well done my Son, now you can go to the
Hairdresser
… and get all that hair off and get cleaned up (1 Corinthians 11:14)
because
you are no longer under the curse of the law, that is, to be shamed
with long
hair (Leviticus 19:27). Now go back down and show the disciples.”
Eight days before Thomas was there, Jesus ‘pops’
through wall … all the doors were shut (John 20:19). Christ didn’t need
to come
through any doors … why? … he was, and is, the door (John
10:7-9), where
the fearful disciples were gathered, and says “Hello Boys!” … and this
was the
actual day, Sunday, that Jesus rose from the grave (John 20:19; 20:26).
I mean
Christ had been crucified, put into the tomb, apparently risen up … but
no-one
knew where he was! So this bloke pops into the room and says “I am
Jesus!”
He didn’t look anything like the old Jesus they knew!
AN ASIDE:
Now about 12 hours earlier, on the morning of the
resurrection, Mary was not allowed to touch Jesus, as he had not yet
ascended
to his Father … which would complete his mission (John 20:17). Why?
The
desert tabernacle, being a type/shadow of Christ, could also not be
touched …
it had to be packed up and not touched till its journey was completed
(Numbers
4:15) … but that same night the disciples were given that privilege … why?
… because during that day, in the space of about twelve hours, Jesus
had zipped
up to heaven, a few billion? trillion? miles away, reported to God the
Father,
had a haircut and travelled back down to earth like a teleport episode
from
Star Trek on TV.
Another example is on the road to Emmaeus, Jesus was
also unrecognizable … why? … he had no beard and long hair
(Luke
24:13-31). This was after the cross and Christ had fulfilled the law
(Matthew
5:17).
1. All
the disciples were like a doubting Thomas. They were all in unbelief.
They all
had to touch Jesus.
2. Jesus
was unrecognizable, he had short hair, as he had fulfilled the law, and
defeated its curse (Galatians 3:10, 13)
3. In
fact, physical long hair on a man is a sign of rebellion (1 Corinthians
11:14).
The Old Testament Jews were rebellious and God put them to shame … that
they
not mar their corners (Leviticus 19:27)
4. Christ
was put to shame with ‘long hair’ … why? … he was a Jew, come
for the
Jew and be under the curse of the law as a Jew … until he
fulfilled the
law.
5. Christ
was then free from the curse of the law, such that the condemnation,
and
unsustainable requirements thereof, need not trouble anyone today.
Dear
Reader, if you are still trying to work your way to heaven under “long
hair
efforts”, you are wasting your time and efforts. Why? It’s all been
done!
Dear
Reader, if you are still trying to atone for past sins under “long hair
efforts”, that is fulfilling the law, you are wasting your time … it
has
already been done!
Dear Reader
“The Day of the Long Hair” has finished …
Don’t be a long hair!
It need not be yours!
You can let it go!
It has been completed!
(another name for a Christian)
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as having fulfilled
the law …
Become a ‘short hair’ …
that includes women spiritually speaking of course (1 Peter 3:4)
For women are to have physical long hair on the
outside …
but on the inside they are to be spiritual short
hairs!
Harley
Hitchcock
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
Australian Bible Ministries, PO
Box 5058 Mt. Gravatt East 4122 Qld, Australia
www.AustralianBibleMinistries.com