Thomas Sunday (2)

St Sabbas, Martyr (m. 272)

Ambon Prayer 37 or 38

Title

Jesus on Mission

Outline

Love reaches out; God/Jesus is love; Jesus is mission

Jesus is not just sitting in heaven receiving the praise of angles and saints, for that would not be love. Jesus is directing and involved in mission, so that is where his followers will be.

We see that in our passages

Thomas was a hard-headed man of committed action

We get the point in two stages

First, Jesus appears to the Apostles, those he sent to represent him, at a time Thomas was not present

They were scared of the Jewish leaders before and are freaked out when he appears

Jesus proclaims “Shalom” to them and then gives them the mission of acting as an alter Christus in the world: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”

I am sure that they felt totally unprepared, so he breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” In other words, “You have my presence and power within you, so go and do what I did, in particular forgive sins.” No one can do this but God.

Now, second, Thomas was not there (and he is not blamed for being absent)

This teaches the other apostles that their message would not be easily believed. Thomas wanted personal experience.

Then, a week later, Jesus appears again and again speaks peace and not rebuke and gives Thomas the evidence he asked for. (We never learn if Thomas actually touched Jesus.) Thomas responds with the insightful confession, “My Lord and my God.”

Ah, yes, implies Jesus, but while you have evidence so you can witness to it, blessed are those who believe simply because of your proclamation, your sharing your experience. The mission is still on.

Then the narrator breaks in: “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.”

Jesus is mission, for he is love. His mission to to take over as Messianic ruler, the Son of God, i.e. to give life

Now, perhaps, we can understand Acts

Peter and John had gone to a Temple prayer service, healed a cripple, proclaimed the risen Jesus as the cause, and had been arrested and threatened.

In our passage we find all the Apostles doing the same, using Solomon’s Portico right in the Temple as their venue.

The people’s response was to respect them, but either out of awe or fear of the Jewish leaders the general response was not to join the Jesus movement.

But there were those who did believe and did find life: “more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.” They were so visible that those who held back from joining were bringing sick to be healed.

This, of course, came to the ears of the Temple hierarchy and the Sadducean rulers (who did not believe in a resurrection of the dead) arrested the Apostles - they were wise enough to take aim at the leaders.

God sends an angel to let them out of prison during the night. But he does not tell them to slip quietly home and get some rest or to leave Jerusalem for a safer location. Instead he says, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” Go back to the hot spot and continue the mission.

Jesus is love, and love means mission.

Brothers and Sisters, Christ is risen and we are in Christ and Christ is mission

Your style of mission will not look like that of the apostles, but it is the same mission: share “all the words of this Life” in deed and word.

Your opposition will not look like that arraigned against the apostles, but there will be opposition.

Your abilities and strength will be just as lacking as were those of the apostles, but Jesus has given you the same Spirit. You can be an alter Christus in lifestyle, word, and deed.

Christ is risen from the dead; Christ is love; Christ is therefore on mission to spread life. Our question is whether we are on mission with him, with Thomas, or are still hanging back in fear because we do not really believe that Christ is risen and that he is Lord?

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 5-1-2022: Thomas Sunday or Second Sunday of Pascha or Antipascha

EPISTLE

Acts 5:12–20

12 Now many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high honor. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

17 But the high priest rose up and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the common prison. 19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 5-1-2022: Thomas Sunday or Second Sunday of Pascha or Antipascha

GOSPEL

John 20:19–31

19  On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21  Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” 22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

24  Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you.” 27  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29  Jesus said to him, “You have believed because you have seen me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31  but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (4-24-2022: Thomas Sunday or Second Sunday of Pascha or Antipascha)

SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2022 | PENTECOSTARION

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 5-1-2022: Thomas Sunday or Second Sunday of Pascha or Antipascha

THOMAS SUNDAY OR SECOND SUNDAY OF PASCHA OR ANTIPASCHA

Bright Vestments

Matins Gospel Matthew 28:16–20

Epistle Acts 5:12–20

Gospel John 20:19–31