John 20 19-31 2005
Easter 2
John 20:19-31
April 3, 2005
“Not Doubting but Believing Thomas”
after eserm
If I were to mention the names of certain disciples to you and ask you to write down the first word that comes into your mind, it is unlikely you would come up with the same words. If I were to mention the name of Judas many of you would write down the word betray but not all of you. If I were to mention Simon Peter, some of you would write down the word faith, but not all of you. If I were to mention the names of James and John, some of you would write down the phrase Sons of Thunder, but not all of you. But when I mention the word Thomas, there is little question about the word most everyone would write down. It would be the word doubt. Indeed, so closely have we associated Thomas with this word, that we have coined a phrase to describe him: “Doubting Thomas.”
You may be interested to know that in the first three gospels we are told absolutely nothing at all about Thomas. It is in John’s Gospel that he emerges as a distinct personality. He is a man of doubt, yes, but he is also a man of faith and conviction.
When Jesus turned his face toward Jerusalem the disciples thought that it would be certain death for all of them. Surprisingly, it was Thomas who said: Then let us go so that we may die with him. It was a courageous statement, yet we don’t remember him for that. We also fail to point out that in this story of Thomas’ doubt we have the one place in the all the Gospels where the Divinity of Christ is bluntly and unequivocally stated. It is interesting, is it not, that the story that gives Thomas his infamous nickname, is the same story that has Thomas making an earth shattering confession of faith? Look at his confession, “My Lord, and my God.” Not teacher. Not Lord. Not Messiah. But God! It is the only place where Jesus is called God without qualification of any kind. It is uttered with conviction as if Thomas was simply recognizing a fact, just as 2 + 2 = 4, and the sun is in the sky. You are my Lord and my God! These are certainly not the words of a doubter.
Unfortunately history has remembered him for this scene where the resurrected Christ made an appearance to the disciples in a home in Jerusalem. Thomas was not present and when he heard about the event he refused to believe it. Maybe he was the forerunner of modern day cynicism. Maybe the news simply sounded too good to be true. Thomas said: Unless I feel the nail prints in his hands I will not believe.
But the story doesn’t end here. The second time Jesus made his appearance Thomas was present with the disciples and this time he too witnessed the event. This time he believed. What can we learn from the life of Thomas?
First, Jesus did not blame Thomas for doubting. So often the church’s handling of doubt is to couple it with disbelief and squash it. But Jesus never condemned Thomas. I think that he understood that once Thomas worked through his doubts, he would be a man of faith.
I must admit that I am dubious of people who say that they have never have any doubts, people who always seem so sure. Authentic faith seems to begin with intellectual honesty, and doubt is often part of honesty. Put it another way: Faith is not the absence of doubt; it is the overcoming of doubt. I have had doubts. I have thought silently to myself: Is it all true? Is resurrection real? Are the scoffers correct? Is it all simply ancient myth designed to get us through the night? What if I am wrong? When faced with the harsh realities of this world we are all tempted to doubt. So we find ourselves crying out, as did the disciple off old: Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief.
Secondly, we can learn from the life of Thomas that the most endearing things in life can never be proven. Jesus said: Thomas, you have believed because you have seen. Blessed are those who have not seen yet still believe. I don’t know how that makes you feel but it is of great comfort to me. Jesus is talking about me. I will never see Jesus in this life. I will not have the chance to put my finger in the nail scars. I will not get the chance to touch his pierced side. I did not witness the resurrection of my crucified Lord. Jesus understands it’s harder for me to believe than for Thomas and he counts me blessed.
What we must understand is that we live by faith, not by sight. The writer to the Hebrew wrote, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. If someone could in fact come along and scientifically prove the resurrection, then you would be living your life by fact and not by faith. But let me suggest something to you that I firmly believe. Even if a loved one who has been dead for years were to come back to life and tell you about the realities of heaven, and God, and resurrection, you would not believe it. You recall the story Jesus tells about the man who is in hell and the other man who is in paradise. The man in hell wanted to come back to earth for a few moments to warn his friends and family about the torments of hell in the hopes of scarring them into right living. He hoped he could keep them from suffering the same fate. Jesus said that even if he were to return to warn his loved ones they would not change their lives. And it would not change your world in the slightest either. God has called us to be the people of faith. What exist in heaven cannot be proved on earth; it must be believed.
And so, we learn from the life of Thomas a third lesson: We must move beyond doubt to faith. It is all right to doubt, but in our discipleship we should move beyond doubt. Jesus admonished Thomas, “Stop doubting and believe.” Unbelief is a normal part of life but it is not healthy to remain in unbelief. Martin Luther wrote, “If we could hold with certainty that we are in grace, that our sins are forgiven, that we have the Spirit of Christ and are children of God, then we should certainly be glad for this inexpressible gift. But because we feel the opposite emotions – fear, doubt, sadness, etc. – we do not venture to hold this with certainty. We must constantly fight against doubt and unbelief, so great and difficult a matter is faith. Wherefore everyone should accustom himself to hold with certainty that he is in grace and that he personally, together with his works, pleases God. But when he feels himself doubting, let him practice faith, fight against doubt, and labor to recapture certainty, in order that he can say: I know that I am accepted by God and have the Holy Spirit, not for the sake of worthiness or merit on my part, but for the sake of Christ, who subjected Himself to the Law for us and bore the sins of the world. In Him I believe.
As faith replaces doubt, God uses us to great things. Many people doubted that man could fly. By faith airplanes were built and men flew. People doubted that we could go to the moon. By faith people stepped out and walked on the moons surface. By faith Moses led the people through the Red Sea with walls of water on each side. By faith Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water. Leaving doubt behind, by faith Thomas confessed to Jesus, “My Lord and my God. By faith God uses each of us for His great purposes.
There are times in our lives when we face grief, or disappointment, or pain, or depression. There are times when these things happen that our hold on God falters. When these moments of true, deep doubt come let me urge something upon you. And if you remember nothing about the sermon this morning accept this thought, NEVER DOUBT IN THE DARK, WHAT GOD HAS TOLD YOU IN THE LIGHT. NEVER DOUBT IN THE DARK, WHAT GOD HAS TOLD YOU IN THE LIGHT.
I say this because it is in moments of spiritual light, that God shows us true reality. That Light is revealed to us in the face of Jesus Christ. The light of God shines on us in the hearing of his Word and promise to us. His light shines into our lives through Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These moments of spiritual light are so very important, because they allow us to get through many dark nights of doubt and despair that come into the lives of every single one of us.
In moments of light, God has told you that he will never desert you. Don’t ever doubt that.
In moments of light, God has told you that resurrection is reality. Don’t ever let the darkness cause you to doubt that. In moments of light, God has told you that the very hairs on your head are numbered. Don’t ever doubt that in the darkness. In the moment of light God reminds you of the forgiveness of sins that you posses through faith in Jesus Christ and His sin atoning death and glorious resurrection from the dead. Never doubt it for a second. As our Lord said, “Be not doubting but believe, believe in me.
Remember the words to that familiar hymn. Just as I am, though tossed about, with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
