The Eve of St. Thomas, Apostle
There existed a day when a favorite way of preaching on a saint’s day was to give a sermon about the merits of the particular saint and the value of praying to him/her for intercession with Christ. The Reformation changed all that, at least for those communions that followed in their footsteps. In that forgotten age, the Gospel of Christ, the foundation of all Christian preaching was set free from the chains of superstition and the complementary system of meritorious works. I suppose that nothing of such nature would be permitted to distort the proclamation of the Word again as it did in that time of princes, priests, popes, and long-winded monks. Yet I am not going to hold my breath either.
Nevertheless, saints’ days give the church a hard time. They give pastors a hard time. Their presence in the church-year is somewhat out of sync with today’s church culture and so the church doesn’t seem to know what to do with them. At one end of the spectrum, we have those who tend to completely ignore the saints and their festival days labeling such remembrance as “too Roman Catholic” or just simply unnecessary. At the other end there are those who rightly sound the alarm on Roman Catholicism’s horribly misguided view of the saints in the life of the Christian as they often invoke their supposed power for both physical and spiritual needs. What is more is that often the lessons for the saint’s days contain no ready made sermons; the biblical basis for the sermons on the saints is often quite limited. One of the most notorious pitfalls is that without biblical foundation or support, sermons may result in distortions of the very Gospel message which they are trying to proclaim. So what is a preacher to do?
One of the obvious truths about sermons on saint’s days is that the preacher must proclaim the example, the obedience, and the dependence upon Christ of the saints whose days are in the calendar, so that the saint is seen as a real human being. Well, out of all the saints to choose from, St. Thomas is an easy target as his legacy is couched in doubt, and what can be more human than doubt. “Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, 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 in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” [John 20:24].
And so, harsh but very human words emanate from the lips of this saint. In the recesses of his heart and mind, doubt had taken root and so unbelief soon blossomed. “I will never believe.” In other words, I will not be vulnerable. I will not submit. I will not take the risk of being wrong. It is just another one of your, “once upon a time…happily ever after fictional stories.” People don’t just rise from the dead. Tragically, through his words he had made a liar out of his Lord. At many junctures in His ministry, Jesus had preached His resurrection and with His raising of human flesh He foreshadowed his own triumphant victory over death and the grave. Beloved, take heed, this was no insignificant sin, for the man who does not believe God makes Him a liar [1 John 5:10].
Yet, it is very easy to cast the first stone at Thomas. After all, living in the enlightened 21st century we can so easily look down on Thomas and others who did not believe steadfastly in the Word of God. It seems all the more remarkable to us because they were there and saw Jesus. They watched Him walk around, and perform miracles, and preach in the temple. It sure seems that they had an advantage that we don’t have.
Tell me this: if you saw Jesus today, would you believe He is God. Would you think this man, who is walking around performing miracles and claiming to raise people from the dead is the same God who created the heavens and the earth? Did Jesus look like God when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and in turmoil over His path to the cross? Would you hesitate to think for a moment that God would die? Did Jesus look like God when He was stripped, beaten and mocked? Did Jesus appear to be God as He hung on the cross? Did He seem like God to you when He cried out, “My God, My God, whey have you forsaken me?”
Perhaps we would have acted like Thomas if we had been alive then. To trust our Lord’s words when He spoke of a Kingdom that would never end, or that He would go away and return, or that He truly was the resurrection and the life is against all reason and common sense. Really, what are the chances? Some certainly would think winning the lottery was a better bet. And that’s the point. It’s not about chances. It’s not about a lottery system. It’s not about fate. It’s not about, “whatever will be will be.” It’s about God’s promises throughout history. If not for the promises of God, if not for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the significance of the saints’ days would be confined to the arena of pure human example and courage, and they and us, would be without any hope, without any promises that would give to us the gift of heaven, of life beyond this valley of sorrow and death. What is amazing and instructive for us to perceive is that the life of St. Thomas is governed completely by the Gospel which is the complete and total work of God alone.
We remember the saints ultimately for their relationship to Christ and their witness of Him. As Luther once said, “The festivals have been so arranged because all parts of the Gospel cannot be heard at once, and therefore its doctrine must be distinguished throughout the year.” Again, we take time to pause and consider the lives of saints, not because he/she did something of greater importance, but because of their intimate connection to Christ, and what that relationship illumines about the person and work of Him who was crucified, died, and was buried, and on the third day rose again from the dead.
Let it be clear then, that it is the Gospel of the resurrected Lord that shines brightly in the life of St. Thomas. For you see, Jesus doesn’t play by the rules of our playground. He is not fair. In the court of popular opinion, with all fairness, Jesus had every right to declare to St. Thomas: I have done my part. I have appeared to the Apostles and have sufficiently attested to my resurrection. If you will not believe, that’s your problem. I am taking my glorified body and I am going home. Not so with Him who is the Friend of sinners. Not so with Him the great Shepherd who leaves the ninety nine to find the one. Not so with Him who heals the brokenhearted and comforts all those who are laden with guilt or grief or pain. The redemptive light of Jesus’ resurrection and undeserved mercy breaks in upon the doubting and unbelieving Thomas.
“Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with You” [John 20:26]. Such is the declaration of God to man in the stead of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This peace which Jesus brings is not as the world gives or as countless miss America contestants have wished for, but a peace which passes all understanding, a peace that calms your trouble heart and gives rest to your restless soul [John 14:27]. Jesus continues, speaking to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe” [John 20:27].
Yes, Jesus heard the sharp unbelieving words of St. Thomas, but it is those words which He died to forgive, those thoughts which He removed by the agony of His sacrifice, those hardened hearts which He softened and cleansed by the blood of His promise to make all things new, to bring to an end the reign of sin, death and the devil, and bring forth a new creation. Thus, it is only in the light of the resurrection and on seeing the Risen One that St. Thomas surrenders and that he, along with the disciples, begin to understand who in truth Jesus, this man born in humble estate in the city of David, truly is. Brought therefore to repentance and faith by the quickening Spirit of the Risen One, St. Thomas confesses, “My Lord and My God” [John 20:28].
At this point we might still cry out, “but Thomas was there, he got to see and to touch Jesus.” Yet notice how Jesus ends His conversation with Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” [John 20:29] Jesus is speaking here of a transition that will come into effect from this point on. From now on—at least after Jesus’ final departure, His ascension into heaven—people will have to believe without seeing, simply on the basis of the apostles’ witness. This is what faith is, as author to Hebrews reminds us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hope for, the conviction of things not seen” [Hebrews 11:1]. And yet, you do see. You see with the eyes of faith. By faith you see, you hear, and you taste that Lord your God is good and gracious to you. In the Word and Sacraments He comes to you, He appears to you underneath the hidden elements of water and word, bread and wine. Through the eyes and hands of faith you take hold of such gifts which bring to you the forgiveness of sins.
What is amazing about the life of St. Thomas is that through his doubting and touching of the wounds of Christ, he became a witness to the truth of the resurrection and a preacher and testifier to its fruits of life. As an apostle, he was sent out. As a missionary in the East, particularly to Parthia [modern-day Iran and India he confessed His Lord and His God. Because of this faithful witness to his crucified and resurrected Lord, St. Thomas had angered the King of Misdai, the ruler of India, who ordered his soldiers to lead St. Thomas up to the highest mountain in Malabar. They all ran their spears through his body. To this day, in that region of India there remains a magnificent church dedicated to St. Thomas. His symbols are most commonly a spear with a builder’s square representing the nature of his death and the life he lived as confessor and builder of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son+ and of the Holy Spirit. Amen