Trinity Lutheran Church

Sermon by Anna Thede

John 20:24-29

Let us pray: Gracious God, open the ears of our hearts to hear the message your Son gave to Thomas and all believers. Let the Spirit move through this community as we talk about belief. Inspire each of us to be who you are calling us to be. Amen

Let me ask you something:  have you lost someone you loved and trusted? Can you see a picture of that person in your head? Is it someone  you would do anything to see again? I know that for me it would be my husband Joel. After he was  killed in Afghanistan I would have done or given anything to see him again. His mother, his father, and his siblings felt this way as well. For us ,all that we wanted was to see him again. To know that the one we had all loved so much was not really gone. There was such pain and loss. It was hard to believe that anything was real. This is probably how the disciples felt when Jesus died.

Think about what we know from John’s gospel: Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, and then to most of the disciples, but not Thomas. Today we heard that Thomas was not there the first time Jesus appeared. This would be like my in-laws coming to me and saying – Joel came back! We saw him! He has been raised from the dead! Now, I do love and trust them but I can honestly say that hearing this would cause me to ask: Have they lost their senses? I would probably go on to ask: Why didn’t I see him? I need to see him to believe this! And this is exactly what Thomas is saying today.

We heard Thomas say to the people who had become his friends and family: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25 NRS). And who can blame him?? Certainly not me. When I think about the claim these people were making all I can think is . . . I stepped out to get us some dinner, and now I come back and you have all had a psychotic breakdown. (Pause) Don’t you agree? Think how you would feel if someone you knew said: I saw your dead loved one, they came to me and gave me a message. They are not really dead but have risen! How would you feel about that? I think Thomas’ reaction is TOTALLY normal.

In first century Palestine, where Jesus and his followers grew up, had their families, livelihoods and now mission, death was a serious matter. For Jews the dead were not only unclean but one of the worse ways to be unclean. People who touched or worked with the dead bodies were ostracized from society. Yet here are the disciples celebrating that Jesus who had been dead was alive again. The reaction that Thomas had, his request for proof, this is what most of us would do. Many people today will not believe something unless it has been scientifically or rationally proven. Even sometimes our faith comes under this need for proof, if we could only see/experience/understand God or God’s plan for us and humanity then of course we could follow God’s directions.

The beauty of this story is that one week later Jesus does come back. And this time Thomas is present. Its important to notice that when Jesus comes back he again enters a room with closed doors. This is one of the ways that John is sharing with his readers, both in the 1^st century and now, that although it is Jesus the Christ who is entering the room he is not the same as he was before his death. So, begins the famous “doubting Thomas” sequence. Jesus says to Thomas look, touch and see. In most translations what Jesus says to Thomas is translated as “do not doubt but believe”. In the original Greek was is actually written is closer to “do not be unbelieving but believe.” Jesus is not being sarcastic or making less of Thomas instead Jesus is giving Thomas the opportunity to get the answers that he asked for. Thomas said, “I need to see to believe” so he saw and believed. The story tells us that Thomas does not actually touch Jesus but instead looks for the proof he asked for and then explodes with the phrase “My Lord my God”. This is a truly powerful exclamation of faith. It is spontaneous and heartfelt. And it has had lasting implications from the time of the disciples to now.

When Thomas calls Jesus Lord, it has many applications. First being a Lord is a type of pledge about who and what this Lord will do for those who are in his care. Secondly it informs the ones making this confession of how we are supposed to act towards our Lord. This means that calling Jesus Lord recognizes that he has authority and control over Thomas and over us. It is also a title of respect, like addressing someone as “Sir” could be today – a way to acknowledge that they have a higher social status than us. In this case recognizing that Jesus was the Son of God. When the word Lord is applied to Jesus it also means messenger. We know that Jesus was God’s messenger and shared the message of the coming Kingdom of God with the disciples and now the whole church. By recognizing Jesus as Lord, Thomas is saying that in times of trouble we can and should turn to the Lord to care for us because he is our protector and provider. The second half of Thomas’ statement is in recognition of Jesus as God’s Son. While Greek god’s were known to have children, the God of Israel has only ever had Jesus the Christ as Son. The word used in the Greek is θεοσ – which is the title used only for the creator God of Israel. Here Thomas is truly declaring that Jesus is God. Jesus is the second person in the trinity. This is a powerful statement for Thomas to make. And powerful statement for us to repeat when we call Jesus our Lord and God.

The final verse of this lesson is what scholars call apologetics. This is where the writer of the Gospel of John uses this text to encourage readers who are struggling with unbelief to have faith. Jesus knew that Thomas needed to see him to believe that he had been resurrected, but after the first disciples died belief in Christ has been transmitted based on faith – not based in sight. This for us, for all the believers who have come before us and those who will come after, it is about faith in the face of doubt. It is about knowing how crazy it would be to see that someone who you love who is dead. It is about placing our trust in the promise that  God, Christ and Spirit will raise us to new life to join those that we love united in the God we believe in.

Thankfully right now we are not waiting alone. We have been gifted with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God moves through the world offering help and support to those who ask for it. Now, (smile) this is not a matter of asking God for a good parking spot when shopping at the mall, but if you earnestly ask God for support it will be provided. Sometimes the support we get from God is not what we want, but we are not alone. Let me share with you one more story: The morning that my Joel was killed I had to go and tell his family. It was heart wrenching and difficult but as I got into the van with the Army officers to go tell my mother in law, the sun began to rise. It was the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. Pinks, purples, orange, and green all against a pale blue and beautiful sky. As we pulled off the freeway going to his mom’s a rainbow appeared, ending above her house. To this day I will swear to each and every one of you this was the Spirit of God moving in the world to tell me that life continues even amidst the pain of being alive, and the rainbow has come to signify for me that no matter how many tears I or others may cry that the God that I call Lord will always stand with me through that pain until I am ready to continue.

Thomas asked for physical proof that Jesus was his risen Lord but this is not available to us; instead we have the Holy Spirit who shows us the glory of God in the world around us. So until the day when we are reunited with God and with those who are now gone, we should make a conscious effort to look for the Holy Spirit at work in the world. Jesus revealed himself to Thomas and showed him what he needed to see.  God’s signs for us are all around us, and just like Thomas,  when we experience God we should cry out “You are my Lord and my God”.