前几天我们曾经说过，那些选择不与其他基督徒团契的人，将会错过生命中最伟大的科学──认识神。我听过一位讲员说：「那些忽略参与神的家的人是愚昧的，因为在某些特别的时刻，当神特殊的恩典与能力彰显的时候，他们却不在其中。」

今天的经文告诉我们主复活后荣耀地向门徒显现。门徒以为祂死了。虽然有传闻说祂复活了，但他们并不相信。突然间，祂向他们显现了，他们看见祂，听见祂的声音，感受到祂那有力的同在的影响。但令人伤心的悲剧是：多马，当耶稣来到门徒中间的时候，他没有和他们在一起。」

为甚么多马错过了那个聚会？很多讲员猜测他缺席的原因，认为多马没想到耶稣会出现，以及他为自己的安危感到害怕。我自己的看法是多马是因他个人的问题而缺席。我相信最基本的原因是他自己的疑惑和否认的心。经验告诉我，那些承认自己是基督徒却故意不与弟兄姊妹团契交往的人，往往都是最需要这种主内团契的人。

Te said a couple of days ago that those who choose to deprive themselves of fellowship with other Christians miss out on life's greatest science - learning about God. I heard one preacher say: "People who neglect attendance at the house of God are fools because on some favoured occasion something special and powerful will happen - and they will not be there."

The passage we have read today tells us of that glorious post-resurrection appearance of our Lord to His disciples. The disciples thought He was dead, and although there were rumours of His resurrection, they were not convinced. Suddenly, He appeared to them - they saw Him, heard Him, and felt the impact of His mighty presence. But here is the heart-rending tragedy of it: "Thomas... was not with the disciples when Jesus came."

Why was Thomas missing from that meeting? Many preachers have speculated on the reasons for his absence, and they vary from Thomas not expecting Jesus to be there, to being afraid for his life. My own view, for what it is worth, is that there was something wrong with Thomas himself. The root cause of his defection, so I believe, was his own doubting and denying heart. My experience in the ministry has taught me that those who profess to be Christians and yet deliberately absent themselves from fellowship with their brothers and sisters, are the ones who are usually most in need of this fellowship.