How many of you there this morning have ever heard the phrase “Doubting Thomas?” I’m guessing quite a few of you have at some point in your life. We usually use it to refer to someone who doubts the truth of what we’re trying to tell them. That phrase “Doubting Thomas” comes from Thomas, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. We see where he gets that label in our Gospel reading for this week, that I just shared with you. Today, we’re going to find out why he gets that label, and what Jesus can do when doubts plague both Thomas, and you and me.
As the reading opens, it’s the evening of the first Easter. The disciples are in a locked room, and they’re afraid. Understandably so too! They had quite a past week. They saw Jesus come into Jerusalem, hailed as a king, to shouts of “Hosanna,” meaning “Save us now”. He got a king’s treatment when he entered the city, but by Friday, the crowds changed their tune to “Crucify Him!” The disciples saw Jesus arrested in the Garden, and then ran off and hid. Peter had denied even knowing Jesus three times, Judas, the one who had betrayed Jesus, had hung himself, 9 of the others, Thomas included, run and go into hiding, the Bible doesn’t tell us where, and only John has enough courage to be at the foot of Jesus’ cross, but still saw what happened. They saw Jesus die, and be buried in a tomb, which was sealed by orders of Pilate. So they’re afraid of what could happen next. Which one of them would be the next to be arrested, beaten, set up in a sham trial, and executed as their leader, Jesus, had been? Needless to say, the room was pretty quiet that night.
But, out of nowhere, despite the locked doors, the resurrected Jesus appears! Not just some ghost of Jesus, but the real, flesh and blood Jesus. They get to see his hands and his side, and see the wounds. The reports of the women who had been to the tomb that morning were true! Wow! What joy they must have had. But there’s one problem.
For some reason, Thomas wasn’t there that night. We’re not told why, but we do know he’s not in that locked room to see his resurrected Lord. So when his fellow disciples tell him “Hey, Thomas, guess what? You’re not going to believe this, but Jesus isn’t dead, he’s alive! We just saw him! It’s true!’ Now, Thomas would have made a great spokesman for the state of Missouri, because he essentially tells his fellow disciples to “Show me!” He says unless he gets to see the resurrected Christ, put his finger into the nail prints, and his hand into his pierced side, he won’t believe it. I don’t think it’s a matter of whether Thomas wants to believe it or not, as a follower of Jesus for nearly 3 years, I have no doubt he wanted to believe these reports that Christ had risen! But, his own experience wasn’t letting him believe it. Thomas had not seen someone executed by the Romans and then rise again. For Thomas, seeing got in the way of believing.
That happens for us too sometimes, doesn’t it? What we see with our eyes gets in the way of believing in Jesus, and His promises for our lives, doesn’t it? For many of you, you’ve had situations in your own lives you’ve had to face, with finances, health, dealing with the death of a loved one or close friend, where you see all the bad stuff going on, and you look up to God and say “God, I know you say in Your Word that you cause all things for my good, but I’m sure not seeing it right now!” It’s easy to fall into the same trap that Thomas did too, because we’re so focused on the things of the world, that we forget to listen to God and His Word, and realize that it’s always true no matter what our eyes and our personal experience at the time might be telling us.
Well, 8 days later, Thomas and his fellow disciples are together again in a locked room. And again, just as He had the previous week, Jesus appears in their midst. He asks Thomas to come over to Him, touch Him, put His hand into that pierced side, and what happens? Thomas believes! “My Lord and My God!” Just imagine the joy that Thomas must have experienced at that moment, along with perhaps a bit of embarrassment or shame, for not believing the word that Jesus had risen. Jesus says to him “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
That’s where you and I come back into the picture. Maybe one reason we’re hard on Thomas is that he got to see the risen Lord, touch His wounds, and see for himself that Jesus is risen! You and I, we don’t get to see that. We can’t go to Jesus and touch him physically. Yet, Jesus says “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.” For Jesus, seeing is one thing, but it’s more important to listen to His Word and believe. That’s what we’re doing here this morning in this chapel. We’re here to listen to Jesus speak to us through His word, as it’s read and preached by a Pastor. In a few moments, we’ll have Jesus’ body and blood given to us, as we hear Jesus say to us through the mouth and voice of the Pastor “Take and eat, take and drink, this is my body, this is my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all of your sins.” You’ll leave here this morning not having seen your Lord Jesus Christ, yet you’ll believe in Him because you heard Him, and you know He is present with us, although He’s hidden in Word and Sacrament. And Jesus calls you “blessed.” Yes, you, the one who might doubt if He’s really aware of your pain, sorrow, or current condition. He knows you, He’s called you by name, He’s made you a child of God by taking your sins to the cross, so that no matter what you’ve said or done in your life, He can forgive you and give you eternal life. Jesus forgives and restores Thomas, and history apart from the scriptures tell us that Thomas was a faithful disciple of Christ from there on out, by going on missionary journeys, as far as India, and sharing the Gospel with people who would hear of what Jesus had done for them, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, be brought to faith in Christ. Tradition tells us that Thomas died a martyr, with a spear being the weapon that took his earthly life. Rather ironic when you consider Thomas wanted to see the mark where the Spear had pierced Jesus.
The next time you hear someone use the phrase “Doubting Thomas”, think of how we’re like Thomas, in that sometimes, we want to see something before we believe, but because of what Jesus has done for us, He forgives us, He calls us “blessed”, and sends us out to serve Him by sharing the good news of the Gospel with those in our lives. May each of you, no matter your doubts, have the faith of Thomas, and the desire to share the love of Christ with all. Amen.
