15 April 2007

John 20:19-31

How many times have you heard a sermon, this first Sunday after Easter, that begins with how Thomas is getting a bad rap? How often has it been that you’ve heard that “Doubting Thomas” is a misnomer? Well, here’s one sermon where you won’t hear that. I think Thomas deserves all of it.

Let’s recap what we learned in today’s scripture. On the very evening of Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples were locked up in a room, quivering away because they still didn’t understand what was going on and clearly afraid for their own lives. Then Jesus appears to them. Just like that; out of nowhere, if we are to believe John.

Jesus appears to this group of confused, frightened guys, who had no Sunday baseball to keep them entertained that afternoon. Jesus simply says, “Peace be with you.” In other words, “relax, it’s all going to be okay.” Then to help their doubt and disbelief, he shows them his hands and side to demonstrate to them where the nails went into his flesh and to indicate where he was pierced in his side. He doesn’t wait for them to express their disbelief. He heads them off at the pass.

He then passes on the Holy Spirit to them by breathing on them, echoing God’s breathing into Adam in Genesis to give him breath and life. By breathing on them and passing on the Holy Spirit, he tells them that they have the power to forgive sins. Forgiveness of sins is now within their realm—something only God could do previously.

But Thomas was absent. Thomas was away from this gathering and missed the whole affair. We don’t know much about Thomas. He doesn’t do much in the rest of the gospels, but this is his time.

The others tell him what had happened; letting him know that their teacher and lord was alive. And this is where Thomas gets his reputation: he says that unless he sees the marks of the nails in his hands and puts his hand into the hole in his side, he won’t believe.

So of course, a week later, they are all gathered at this time, again behind locked doors. (The disciples are continually afraid it seems and based on our Acts reading, with good reason.) Once again, Jesus appears to them and tells them to relax. He goes right up to Thomas and tells him to do exactly what Thomas said he wanted to do. It doesn’t say that Thomas actually did it, though that is the enduring image in our mind, as evidenced by the painting on our bulletin cover. [A Caravaggio painting from 1600 that shows Thomas sticking his hand in the wound in Jesus’ side.] Jesus says to him, “Do not doubt but believe.”

Thomas immediately replies with “My Lord and my God!” erasing any doubt from Thomas’ mind. Thomas, now that he sees for himself, believes.

The reason I think Thomas does deserve the “doubting Thomas” appellation is that, indeed, he did doubt. And the reason I think we don’t want him to be accused of this doubt is that he’s no different from us. We are just like him, doubting and unbelieving at times, and want to know it’s okay. We want the company of Thomas and the others.

Well, clearly it is okay. Jesus came to Thomas specifically to erase his doubt. Don’t forget that they say that John’s gospel was written some 60 years after the crucifixion and resurrection. There are no eyewitnesses left to these events, likely. We’re in the generation at this point that not only hasn’t seen the risen Lord but also hasn’t met anyone who has. There was a lot of doubt to overcome no doubt.

And here we are almost 2,000 years later in the same position. Of course, we’re going to doubt and have our moments of unbelief. We’re not going to benefit from the appearances of the risen Jesus, coming into our midst and showing off the wounds from his passion. We’re must too much like Thomas and rightly so.

But Jesus, just as he did with Thomas, wants to help our unbelief. He wants to clear up any doubts while acknowledging them. But he gives us a leg up when he says to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Clearly this sentence is aimed directly at those late first century Christians as well as it is at us.

Thomas deserves his label of doubting because he did indeed doubt. Are we going to deserve it too? Do we deserve to be called “Doubting Gerrys,” “Doubting Anns,” “Doubting Johns” and so on?

If so, we need to be prepared for what Jesus might do to help us through our unbelief. He made an appearance to the disciples in order to help Thomas through his unbelief. He allowed Thomas to touch his side and hands and see the holes.

What might Jesus do for us today? How might Jesus prove to us that he lives and is still active in our lives? We can’t expect him to appear to us, as that is a rare occurrence these days. Though we shouldn’t rule it out I suspect.

Instead though, we should be looking for the living Jesus in the lives and faces of others. That is how our unbelief will be dispelled. When the little miracles that occur each day happen before our very eyes. When justice happens in spite of all indications to the contrary. When we come through the tough times with others who care and pray for us.

The living Jesus will appear to us, but not, perhaps, as he did to Thomas in that room of frightened disciples that evening long ago. All the disciples doubted and Jesus knew that and appeared to them. All of us doubt and Jesus will appear to us too. We may not physically be able to stick our hands into the wounds in Jesus side as Thomas is doing in that Caravaggio painting. But we have our own appearances these days that will help our unbelief. Watch for them. And live through your doubt to belief.