Sermon: Doubting and Believing

John 20:19-31 Cynthia O'Brien
April 3, 2005 SMPC

JN 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

JN 20:21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

JN 20:24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

JN 20:26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

JN 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

JN 20:29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Thomas is one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, neither the greatest nor the least, but mentioned in the list somewhere in the middle. He is known to Greek-speaking Christians as Didymus -- His name means "The Twin," but we have no idea who his twin brother or sister is, or whether that person is also a disciple. Tradition holds that Thomas is a carpenter, like Jesus.

When Jesus is crucified, this is no surprise to Thomas. Why? Because Thomas is a realistic person. He has known all along that this would happen. Let's flash back to earlier in the story, in John chapter 11.

Jesus and the disciples have just heard that Jesus' good friend Lazarus has died in Bethany. After two days, Jesus says to the disciples, "It's time to go to see Lazarus."

Thomas is a realistic person. He knows that Bethany is only two miles from Jerusalem. And he remembers that the last time they were up that way, Jesus was nearly killed by having rocks thrown at him. So Thomas and the other disciples say to Jesus, "The Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" But Jesus is determined, and he says, "Let us go to him."

Considering the circumstances, I don't think I would be so excited about going. But it is Thomas who turns to his fellow disciples and says, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

Thomas is the realist of the group. He is certain that if they go to Jerusalem, it will mean the end of this little traveling band. But he is also loyal and completely devoted to Jesus, and he is determined to share whatever danger awaits his Master. (I wish I could be that courageous.)

When the time comes that Jesus is crucified, it is no surprise to Thomas.

Thomas is not only realistic -- perhaps pessimistic -- and yet loyal, he is also a little slow to understand things. But he is honest about it. In John 14, Jesus is explaining to the disciples that he is going away. The verses are familiar to us today:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. {2} In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. {4} And you know the way to the place where I am going."

{5} Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" {6} Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Children – When you are confused or don’t understand, how often do you speak up? Sometimes? Most of the time? Never?

Many of you remember Eloise Winklebleck. For those of you who don’t know, she taught Sunday School for not just one or two years, but more like 40. Eloise used to say that her best classes were the ones where everyone asked lots of questions. We want our students to ask questions. We want them to understand. And yet, when we are students in a class, we don’t want to stand out. We don’t want to reveal that we are ignorant. I am much more inclined to follow a saying of Abraham Lincoln, which goes something like this:

"Better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."

But removing doubt is what Thomas is in the business of doing. When Jesus says, "You know the way to the place where I am going," Thomas speaks up. Of the whole group, Thomas is the one who is honest about his ignorance. He really wants to know what Jesus means. He wants to understand his Master. (I would like to be this honest in exploring my faith.)

Thomas wants to know the way to where Jesus is going. Why? So he can go with him. Thomas loves Jesus enough to be willing to go to Jerusalem and die with him, when the other disciples are hesitant and afraid.

Thomas is honest, down-to-earth, and completely loyal. But don't forget his well-founded pessimism. He knows that Jesus is going to come to a tragic end.

Now return from our flashbacks to the present moment in our Scripture reading. Jesus has been crucified, and this is no surprise to Thomas. What he expected has happened, and despite his predictions, Thomas is still brokenhearted. So much that he takes off to be by himself, to be alone with his sorrow.

King George V used to say that one of his rules of life was this: "If I have to suffer, let me be like a well-bred animal, and let me go and suffer alone."

This is where I would not like to imitate Thomas, but where a lot of us do. Just when sadness comes, we withdraw from the Christian community. We look for loneliness rather than togetherness. I do this; I'm sure you've done this too.

Nevertheless, Thomas goes away to be alone with his sorrow. So it happens that when Jesus comes back again, Thomas, who loved Jesus so much, is not there to see it. This is the problem when we separate ourselves from the Christian fellowship -- we miss the good things that happen to us within the fellowship of the church -- good things that don't happen when we are alone. The time when we are hurting is the very tie when, in spite of our sorrow, we should seek the fellowship of God's people, for that's where we are the likeliest to meet Jesus face to face.

When the news reaches Thomas, it seems too good to be true. Remember, he is a realist, so he says that he won't believe that Jesus has risen until he sees and handles the nail prints in his hands and puts his hand in the wound the spear made in Jesus' side. This is not so bad -- remember, Thomas is honest. He hasn't seen what they have seen.

When I was a kid we used to play a card game called “I Doubt It.” Something about how I say I have a certain card, maybe I do, maybe I’m bluffing, and somebody else challenges me by saying “I Doubt It.” In real life, you wouldn’t want people to challenge what you say, would you? Isn’t that like calling you a liar?

When the disciples say they have seen the Lord, Thomas says, in effect, "I doubt it." So is he calling them liars? Is it a challenge? Is he trying to call a bluff? Or is it the honest questioning of someone who really wants to be sure? This disciple is simple, honest, matter-of-fact – he refuses to be rushed into believing, even though he wants to believe with all his heart that he was wrong about the end.

A week goes by and Jesus comes back again; this time, Thomas is there. Jesus knows what Thomas wants, and so he repeats Thomas' own words, and invites him to make the test.

Thomas -- simple and slow to understand. Thomas -- pessimistic, grounded in reality. Thomas -- devoted and loyal enough to want to die with Jesus. Thomas is overcome. You'd think he would be speechless, but he blurts out the words which are the highest statement of faith in Scripture, words that are to become the very heart of the Christian Church:

"My Lord and my God."

Doubting Thomas isn't Doubting Thomas at all -- he is Believing Thomas.

Do you have doubts? About your future? About your faith? Because at the end of the story, Jesus gives the final beatitude of the Gospels:

"You have seen and so you believe. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Why does Jesus say this? To rebuke Thomas? Maybe. But maybe Jesus is pointing forward to the multitudes who will later believe and make the same confession without requiring such visible proof.

Tradition says that when the Apostles took the good news into all the world, that Thomas went to India. We can't prove that, but there are ancient books which tell of his ministry in India. The present-day Christians in St. Thomas of India claim that they are descended from his preaching. Thomas, who finally came to a full, believing faith, took his belief into the world.

When in doubt, remember Thomas. Not afraid to ask, not afraid to show his ignorance, not afraid to reach out and touch Jesus, not afraid to believe, not afraid to go into the world. He asked, he saw, he believed, and he went.

Jesus says you and I are blessed because we have not seen, and yet have believed. In these next few weeks, we will look for Jesus together. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to reach out. Don’t be afraid to believe.