Risen! Doubting Thomas - Tewantin

Anglican Church Noosa April 28 - RISEN! The Resurrection Appearances of Jesus John 20:24-29 - Doubting Thomas Rev’d Lynda Johnson We’ve just heard a portion of John 20, very close to the end of John’s Gospel. But I want to take you back to the beginning of John’s Gospel. Listen to the rst 3 verses of chapter 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. I just want you to hold that in your mind. We’ll come back to it a little later. How many of you here have a twin? or perhaps you’ve parented twins? or maybe your parent is a twin? or maybe you’ve got twin grandchildren? Today we focus on someone who is a twin - but we don’t know anything about his twin, we only know about him. Of course, I’m talking about Thomas, colloquially called Doubting Thomas. Thomas is the aramaic, and Didymus is the Gk version. The name Thomas means 'twin’. Well, today we have moved forward a week from resurrection day. The last three sermons have looked at what happened on that rst day when Jesus rose from the dead. First thing in the morning when Mary Magdalen went to the tomb and Jesus spoke to her in the garden; then an afternoon and into the evening appearance as two disciples were walking the road to Emmaus and Jesus gave them a Bible study to end all Bible studies; and last week we looked at Jesus appearing to the disciples on that rst Easter night, where sadly, ….. Thomas, wasn’t! We have no idea why he wasn’t there, but when he heard the other disciples saying they had seen Jesus alive, he said he wouldn’t believe it till he had seen and touched him. I have to say that we don't know a huge amount about Thomas. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, the other three Gospels, all we get is his name in the list of names of the 12 disciples. Thomas …. just one of a list, and there’s nothing more about him in either Matthew, Mark or Luke. Most of the information we have is found in John's gospel, and nothing is mentioned of him after the resurrection appearances of Jesus. There is nothing about Thomas in the Acts of the Apostles, except again in a list of names in chapter 1. fi fi fi Page 1 of 5 But in John there are three separate occasions when Thomas' actions and words are recorded. Firstly in John 11. Jesus has received a message from Mary and Martha that their brother Lazarus is sick. But Jesus says to the disciples, don’t worry about it, this will glorify God, and he hangs around for two days before he says 'let’s go'. But the disciples think that may not be such a good idea cause it hadn’t been long before that, that the crowd in Judea tried to stone him and the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. They didn’t want Jesus walking into a death trap, and I would think, if truth be known, they probably didn’t want to walk into one themselves. But Jesus is going because he needs to raise Lazarus from the dead, and this is Thomas’ opportunity to star. He gets up and says … Let’s go too, that we may die with him. He may not be happy with the decision, but if Jesus is going, he’s not going to let him go alone. So in John 11 Thomas is showing great commitment to Jesus. The next time we hear from Thomas is in John 14, and this is during the Last Supper when Jesus tells them he’s not going to be around much longer. He assures them though, that even though he’ll be leaving, he will return to take them to be with the Father. And then he says: 'And you know the way to the place where I’m going." Well they’re confused by that and wondering what he’s talking about. But, it’s Thomas who opens his mouth. He says: "Lord we don’t know where you’re going so how can we know the way?" He wants answers. I think that was a pretty gutsy thing to say to the Lord of the universe. Basically it was disagreeing with him. And what is it that Jesus replies? Do you remember? John 14:6 - one of the most well-known statements of John’s Gospel, Jesus makes the great claim - I am the way, and the truth and life. No one comes to the Father except through me. And then we’ve got this reading, just a few days after that, and Thomas comes to the fore again. When Jesus appears to his disciples on that rst easter night, Thomas isn’t there. So the other disciples tell him what happened, and he reacts. Understandably!! If I was him, I’d have been really miffed! And I actually think he was pretty miffed, because of the words he used. The NIV translates it pretty mildly, but the Greek word used here is actually quite a forceful word. It wasn’t just I want to touch him. It’s a different word to that. Tom Wright suggests that it’s like saying he wants to shove his hand in the wound., it’s a word that can be used for throwing a ball. Or inging something to another place. fi fl Page 2 of 5 Is it his cynical nature showing itself, or is he just a realist? He saw what happened to Jesus on the cross. He knows that he was dead, and no one survives cruci xion. So he says, I want proof. Show me some proof. Let me see the nail marks in his hands, and shove my nger in the mark and let me shove my hand in his side. He uses the word twice. Only then will I believe. Thomas would have tted in really well in the 21st century don’t you reckon? People want evidence. They dismiss miracles because that sort of thing doesn’t happen in our world, or they explain it away with psychology. But Thomas gets a reality check the next Sunday! After a whole week of waiting. I wonder what other conversations all the disciples had together over that week? What else did they say to Thomas? But 8 days later (cause they always counted the days inclusively) Jesus enters the room, in exactly the same way he did the Sunday night before. Suddenly he was there even though the doors were locked. And, same as the previous Sunday night, he says "peace be with you." But then he goes directly to Thomas and says … Put your nger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and (and then the word he uses is) shove it in my side. Do not doubt but believe. The omnipotent and omniscient Lord knew exactly what Thomas had said and gives him what he asked for, even using the same language. Shove your hand in my side, Thomas, be as forceful as you want. Just put away the unbelief and be a believer! Such grace in knowing what Thomas asked for, knowing what he needed, and giving it to him. And yet there’s also some rebuke alongside the grace, isn’t there? Jesus has rebuked his disciples on a number of occasions. In Jn 14 v.9 he says 'Have I been with you all this time and you still do not know me?' In Matt 17:17 he says 'You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I put up with you?' In Matt 16:23 he says to Peter 'Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.' And this night, a week after the resurrection he says to Thomas, stop with the unbelief, and believe. The disciples are just like us aren’t they? slow learners occasionally confused well-meaning but sometimes a bit off track always needing reassurance. Thomas gets bad press as the one who doubted, and it’s true because that’s what Jesus says to him. But he was no worse than anyone else. fi fi fi fi Page 3 of 5 The rst thing Jesus did when he appeared to the disciples that rst Easter night was to show them his hands and his side. Gracious reassurance. Yes it is me. Here’s the evidence. I’m here. Week 2, and it’s exactly the same. Evidence and reassurance for Thomas. And immediately Thomas is convinced. His disbelief disappears, and his view of reality changes. Now it doesn’t speci cally say that Thomas shoved his hand in Jesus’ side, but I think we can safely assume he did. And his response is such a beautiful and profound declaration of faith …. My Lord and my God. Throughout this week, as I’ve read this passage again and again, sometimes out loud, the tears have rolled down my face as I’ve let those words of Thomas soak in to my heart. My Lord and my God. Only God could come back from the dead, and as God, he deserves to be obeyed as Lord. And that is Thomas’ declaration. And tradition tells us that Thomas went to India to spread the Gospel. The church in Southern India calls itself the Mar Thoma Church (after the apostle Thomas) because of the tradition that he went to Kerala to preach the gospel in the rst century. It's not actually clear how much historical accuracy there is, but it seems likely that he at least got as far as Persia or Afghanistan and if not to India then his converts would most likely have taken the gospel there. Wouldn’t it be great if Thomas came to Noosa. I would hope he would put in a membership form for ACN, because he’s certainly living out of Vision. Thomas is living to love and proclaim Jesus. My Lord and my God. But on that night Jesus says to him…. 'You’ve seen me and believed. Blessed are those who haven’t seen and yet have believed.' And I want to read you the next two verses - the two concluding verses of chapter 20. vv 31-32 - "Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." Now you remember that at the beginning I took us back to John chapter 1, where John sets the scene for what his gospel is all about. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John’s Gospel is all about showing that Jesus is indeed this great God come to earth in human skin. And throughout this gospel there has been unbelief, there has been frustration, there has been malicious and hateful plots to get rid of Jesus, and even to kill him, which of course we know succeeded. But, the great reversal has happened, and for the rst time in this Gospel, Thomas is the one who proclaims the truth that John has been showing us the whole time. fi fi fi fi fi Page 4 of 5 Thomas makes the great exclamation, My Lord and my God, and brings this Gospel to its natural fruition. Jesus is God. But beautifully it is done through human frailty. The humanity of Jesus. God … but scarred. Scarred because he went to the cross. Beautifully done through the human frailty of Thomas. He doubted. He had some unbelief. But the resurrected and scarred Jesus met Thomas’ frailty with the grace that could only come from this God-man. What frailties are you living with at the moment? What doubts do you have that are holding you back? Jesus will meet you right there in the middle of them. He knows. There are no doubts in any of our minds, that would be a surprise to Jesus. You can be as miffed with him as you like, but he will not leave your questions unanswered if you really want to nd out. Thomas’ declaration changed him. There were a few more weeks that they all had together, and then there was Pentecost. But those apostles who had seen, heard and believed were changed by this resurrected Jesus. My friends, are you holding some doubts that make you question this great claim of Christianity that Jesus Christ rose from the dead? Reach out, and as forcefully as you like, shove your questions at him. Read the Gospel of John, who wrote these things so that you and I might believe. Thomas declared - My Lord and my God. Amen. fi Page 5 of 5