JOHN 20:19-31 NRSV
When it was evening on that day, the
first day of the week, and the doors of the house
where the disciples had met were
locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them
and said, "Peace be with
you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then
the disciples rejoiced when they saw
the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As
the Father has sent me, so I send you."
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to
them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you
retain the sins of any, they are
retained."
But Thomas (who was called the
Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus
came. So the other disciples told
him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I
see the mark of the nails in his
hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in
his side, I will not believe."
A week later his disciples were
again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although
the doors were shut, Jesus came and
stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he
said to Thomas, "Put your
finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my
side. Do not doubt but
believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said
to
him, "Have you believed because
you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have come to believe."
Now Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of his disciples, which are not written in
this book. But these are written so
that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the
Son of God, and that through
believing you may have life in his name.
This scripture has often been
called, “Doubting Thomas,” but I don’t think it is about Thomas at all. I think
it has a lot more to do with the disciples, the people of Jerusalem, and our
own community today. What Thomas does, in his doubting, is point to the need
for community.
I would be pretty upset too if I was
Thomas. Talk about being left out. Jesus comes back and appears to the other
disciples, but not to Thomas. Jesus somehow chooses to come as Thomas is out of
the house. All Thomas’ friends have locked themselves up in a room, afraid of
the Jews who a week ago killed Jesus, afraid for their own lives, afraid of
being identified as the ones who were with Jesus, afraid of being his
disciples. I imagine Thomas as kind of the hero, sneaking out of camp, walking
beyond enemy lines, sneaking to get food and supplies to bring back, or rushing
give a message to someone else. I imagine Thomas, the hero, walking around
Jerusalem in fear for his life, risking so much just to be outside, and that is
when Jesus came, when Thomas was gone.
Thomas came back expecting to be
greeted with praise and thanks for his bravery, and instead they threw a party
while he was gone, and the one for whom Thomas risked everything, showed up
without him there. The disciples were so excited, they didn’t think how hurt
Thomas might feel to be so left out. They instead gave him a play by play of
the entire event.
‘The doors were locked, locked I
tell you, and all of sudden Jesus came and stood among us. I have no idea how
he got in the room. He said, “Peace be with you.” We were in such disbelief,
that he was with us again, that we all kind of stared. He had to show us the
marks on his hands and his sides before we were sure. When we finally realized
it was truly him, we rejoiced and were so ecstatic, some of us were on chairs,
others just hugging him, others just jumping up and down. You should have seen
it Thomas, we were are all so excited. You should have been here. Then Jesus
said again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send
you." Its funny he said that, because we had just sent you Thomas. You
just missed it. Its like you knew the instruction to be sent out before Jesus
even asked it. When he had said this, he breathed on us and said to us,
"Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are
forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." We
weren’t sure that meant but he was gone before we could ask, and seemed to
disappear, though the door was unlocked and open after he left.
I can imagine why Thomas is upset.
Talk about being left out. I think Thomas is hurt. I think Thomas is hurt
because he was the only one doing what he was supposed to, and he therefore did
not get the prize of seeing Jesus. As the other disciples holed up in a locked
room, Thomas was out in the world, out in the community, out with those who
sinned against Jesus, out bringing good news to the common places of the city.
Thomas was not locking up the gospel, but unlocking the good news by living it
in plain sight. Thomas was not hiding away from the dangers of the world, but
instead was bringing peace to a dangerous world. Thomas was sent out into the
community. Thomas was doing what he was supposed to be doing, and perhaps thats
why Jesus didn’t come while Thomas was there. At that point Thomas didn’t need
to see Jesus to be a Christian. Thomas already was.
But Thomas is like the rest of us,
we find it unfair that faith is given both to those who are acting Christlike
and to those who need the reminder. And so Thomas, in all his hurt, rejects the
gift he had already been given. No wonder, he bargains with his faith, in order
to see what everyone else had. No wonder when they excitedly brag, "We
have seen the Lord." Thomas says to them, "Unless I see the mark of
the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand
in his side, I will not believe." By feeling left out of the community,
Thomas needs a reminder that faith is indeed about community.
I can imagine him, for that whole
week, feeling so lost, left out, and alone. Thomas who had been the one sent
out, was now staying put, just in case Jesus showed up again. Thomas, whose
courage to go out in the community, Thomas who had not been championed, but
instead seemingly punished, was unwilling to be sent out again.
“A week later Jesus’ disciples were
again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut,
Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then
he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your
hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Jesus came back for
Thomas, because Thomas needed the reminder of what faith was about, and so did
the other disciples, because they were all still sitting there in that little
room with the doors locked.
Thomas answered Jesus, "My Lord
and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have
seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have come to
believe." I imagine Jesus thinking, ‘Oh, Thomas, you were blessed before,
when you were out spreading the good news without having seen me. I came to the
others to send them out, to remind them of their faith, faith which you already
had. Oh, Thomas, you were blessed before.’ And I imagine after that second time
the disciples going out int the world, just as the women before them, and
beginning to spread this good news we today know.
The final part of this scripture
tells us, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which
are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to
believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing
you may have life in his name.” The gospel writer is saying to us, just what
the disciples said to Thomas. The gospel writer is bragging, “We have seen the
Lord,” and he is asking us to believe. How will we respond? I wonder, if we are
going to be like Thomas The Brave, or the Doubting Disciples? Are we going to
be out in the community bringing the good news, or are we sitting locked up in
a room waiting for Jesus to return?
Is the biggest event of our church week sitting fellowship
hall talking to those who are like us, or do we meet children from all walks of
life over breakfast in this basement? Do we find ourselves in church meetings
with the assurance of other Christians, or do we go out with backpacks to
students across this town after being elbow deep in peanut butter? Do we think
our mission work should stop at the county line, or are we prepared to be sent
out and learn from others abroad? Is the love we have learned and experienced
here returned to God in our songs in this sanctuary, or do we find ourselves
singing about God’s love deep and wide, near and far, here and there. There is
a place and time to gather together, but it cannot be all we do. We must also
be sent out, bringing peace, and forgiveness, and love. “Jesus did many other
signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But
these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah,
the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” Life
that is more than a group of disciples in a locked room, life that follows the
call to be sent out in his name. How will we respond?
