God Shows Up

Mary Magdalene had told the disciples about the angel

Jesus was going to meet them in Galilee

One week later…

They came together to tell the others what they saw

They locked the doors, afraid of the religious leaders wanting to kill them

A meeting of the select few

Drawing together in closeness

Huddled together in the dark

The locked door was meant to keep people out in fear

Jesus showed up with evidence of what he suffered

They did not believe until they saw him

Thomas was not with them, but they told him that they had seen Jesus

So, Thomas demanded physical proof

They knew Jesus died and needed to see for themselves.

We often need to see something for ourselves before we believe it to be true

“Seeing is believing”

Our eyes can deceive us, and many witnesses can mislead or even spread lies

So, we ask to examine it, to touch it, if possible; concretely, physically, bodily

To know a thing’s true shape and form, with our senses

We get to know them intimately as we draw closer to them; mentally, spiritually, and physically

To know about a person is one thing, to really know a person is to experience them.

Skepticism or Cynicism blind us from knowing something/someone

Blindness of unbelief = darkness

Even when there is an abundance of evidence, our own prejudices keep us from seeing correctly

We often say that we don’t know a person anymore when we hear a secret about them

We need to feel some certainty in our bodies before we can say we truly know them

GITT: Jesus shows himself to his disciples.

Notes:

If a large stone was not going to stop Jesus, a locked door wasn’t going to either

Jesus gave a standard middle eastern greeting,

“Peace Be With You!”

But because he was supposed to be dead, it meant his promises would be fulfilled!

Jesus was determined to be with them and extend his salvation and restoration to all people to his peace

Jesus was determined to breath new life of his Spirit on them, that they would be empowered to speak of him

Another week goes by…and again, they met and locked the door

Jesus shows up again for Thomas, extending peace to him

Jesus doesn’t berate or judge Thomas for not believing

He simply provides what was necessary for Thomas to believe; the wounds in his hands and his side.

His Resurrection did not erase his scars, reminders of his love.

Jesus doesn’t leave anyone out of receiving his grace, not even those who doubt him.

Everyone doubted, until he showed up right in front of them.

If a stone and a locked door, or his own death wasn’t going to stop him, neither was their unbelief!

While unbelief retains our judgment, belief frees us from it.

Jesus said, “Stop doubting and believe.”

Surprisingly, Thomas doesn’t touch Jesus after all this

He just needed to see him, just like the others did

Thomas goes further; he was the first to call Jesus, “My Lord and My God”

This is not “blind faith” of the zealous, but faith literally confirmed in bodily form.

This was one of many signs that Jesus is Lord and God

This is the reason the Gospel John was written, that all might believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, having life in his name.

John later confirmed that this message is the one Jesus’ disciples proclaimed

They did it all because of what they saw and heard, living and learning from Jesus.

Believing what Jesus’ disciples proclaimed brings all into fellowship/partnership with Jesus and his disciples

God shows up again and again

God does not keep himself hidden

God shows up among doubters

God is not stopped by the haters

God will not be stopped

By sharing the Good News of God who reveals himself, we bring the light of God in darkened lives.

Walking in the light of God’s goodness, we live out the truth and we are purified from all sin.

Even when darkness threatens to block our vision, we tell him our doubts, fears and failures, and Jesus shows up again to show us the light of the kingdom of God.

Once we are free from doubt of God’s goodness and effectiveness, we are free from the fear of other’s judgments

Being truly free in the light, we can live a life of overflowing joy of his Spirit

Then, we will be known by the love we have for all as Jesus has shown to us.