John 20:19-31
Easter 2 (B)
J. J.
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in Thy sight,
O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Alleluia. He is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
“Proof Positive”
Julie Andrews as Maria in The Sound of Music is sent to be the governess for the children of Captain Von Trapp. Thinking about what challenges and adventures lie ahead, she sings about confidence: "I have confidence in springtime, I have confidence in fall." In what might be twist on Roosevelt’s pronouncement, “the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself,” she declares, “I have confidence in confidence alone!” While Maria may have had confidence in confidence alone, we don’t have faith in our faith. To have faith in one’s faith is an empty faith. We have faith in Christ. Our faith in more than wishful thinking. It is trust and reliance on a real and historical person - Jesus, about a real and historical events – chiefly His death and resurrection. It is trust and reliance on the real promise of a real God about a real future. A future, which although it is yet to come, is just as real as today or yesterday.
The Apostle John makes a pointed effort to convey to us that this Gospel is “proof positive,” that he is an eyewitness to these events, and that his testimony is sure. Remember from the Gospel reading on Good Friday, when John was writing about the death of Jesus, and how the soldier pierced his side, and blood and water flowed out? What did John say? The very next thing he wrote was
The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.
Then he writes how on Easter morning, that after Peter and he had run and seen the empty tomb, that Mary Magdalene saw Jesus and touched him. And when Jesus spoke to her, then she believed. Next she tells the disciples, but they are still afraid. Then Jesus appears to the Ten Disciples in the upper room. (Judas is dead, and Thomas is not there). They see Him and touch Him. He speaks to them and they believe.
Now he writes about the episode with Thomas, and how Thomas is insistent that he will not believe unless he sees Jesus, and touches Him. Why does he insist on touching him? Would not seeing be enough? Remember, the women and the others are saying that the tomb is empty and that they have seen Him in his body. Thomas is making a point that if Jesus’ body is resurrected that he wants to touch this bodily Jesus. Not just some vision of Jesus. Not just a spiritual Jesus. But a real live flesh and blood Jesus.
John continues. The next week Thomas is there. And Jesus appears again. He shows Thomas His hands and His side. And He speaks to Thomas, and Thomas believes. What is John showing us by this account of Christ’s appearance to Thomas? That the risen Christ who appeared to Thomas was the Christ risen in His body, and not just a dream, a vision, or a spirit. Christ had the wounds in the hands and in His side. Thomas saw this Christ. So Thomas is an eye witness to Christ’s bodily resurrection. And the others saw Christ appear to Thomas. So they too are eye witnesses to the bodily resurrection of Christ. Thomas saw the real deal Jesus. And the others saw Thomas see and hear the real deal Jesus. The Apostles – not just Thomas, but all of them – are eyewitnesses, not only to an empty tomb, but to the bodily resurrection of Christ.
The importance of this flesh and blood resurrection cannot be overlooked or understated. If you believe that Jesus was born in the manger, but not that He died to redeem the world, you are not a Christian. If you believe that Jesus was born in manger, and died on the cross, but did not rise again. You are not a Christian. St Paul tells us, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” 1 Cor. 15:14. To believe or to teach that we learn about a resurrection life from Jesus, but that He did not rise, is wrong, pointless, useless. Worse than that, it is harmful. For were it so, it leaves us in our sins. Or to teach that Christ is only spiritually but not physically resurrected, is also wrong, useless, and harmful. Only a true, full, and bodily resurrection will do. That is why John is emphasizing that the Apostles saw Christ in His resurrected body.
Thomas, you see, was not that different really from the others. Mary saw Jesus, but at first she did not believe. The Ten saw Christ, and even though they had seen him and told Thomas all about it, they were still afraid. Jesus was there. He had lived among them. The others had told Thomas that they had seen him. If this was so, if what they were telling him was true, was it that unreasonable for Thomas to think that he could not also see and touch Jesus just as they did? Notice that these appearances don’t start with Thomas. The scene with Thomas is not the first, but the last. These appearances are not Thomas’ idea. Jesus is not appearing to Thomas or others because Thomas or they demanded it. These appearances start with Jesus. They are Jesus’ idea. He appears in the garden to the sobbing Mary Magdalene. He appears in the Upper Room to the frightened Ten. Now He appears to the disbelieving Thomas.
Christ is appearing to Thomas, the Apostles, to Mary, and many other disciples so that they may be eye witnesses to His bodily resurrection. Why? He knows that the day is quickly coming that He will ascend into heaven and return to His Father. He knows that He will not be physically with them for long. And He knows that many generations will come and be born after He is gone. He is establishing eyewitness so that their testimony may be “proof positive” of His resurrection. And knowing those who would follow – you, me, many before us, and many yet to come – He gives His blessing – a promise actually – to their reliance on this witness testimony. “Those who believed though they have not seen, are blest.” And we are. We are blessed with faith in Christ. A faith that we receive from the Apostles, by their eye witness testimony, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thomas sees it and He gets it. Instead of Thomas the doubter, we could call him Thomas the Proclaimer. For when he sees Christ and His wounds, and hears his voice, what does he cry? “My Lord and My God.” Thomas gets it. Jesus was not only their leader and teacher. Jesus is God. Because we know that Jesus is God, sometimes we forget what an incredible thing that is. That God became man. That He came to us. Lived with us, Suffered, died, and now risen again. And this is essential to the promise of the resurrection. For if you believe that Jesus was born in a manger, died on a cross, was raised to life again, but is not God, but only a man and prophet; you are not a Christian, and your faith is in vain. For the death of a man, a mere man, cannot save you. But Thomas sees and hears, and now believes that Jesus is God.
John then writes the purpose of recording these events. “These things 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.” We do not have the bodily appearance of Jesus as the Apostles did. But we have their eye witness testimony. We do not have an empty faith. This is the proof positive.
John repeats the significance of his and the Apostles’ eye witness testimony in today’s epistle.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, (Does this not sound like what is happening with Thomas in our Gospel? Not just “see” and “hear,” but “see with our eyes” and “touch with our hands”?) That which we have seen and heard concerning the word of life (who is the word of life? Jesus) … (Here it is again) we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, … What are they proclaiming? "that which we have seen and heard (seeing and hearing for the third time) we proclaim also to you." (Why? Why do the Apostles proclaim what they heard and saw?) so that you too may have fellowship … with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
The Apostles have proclaimed to us what they saw and heard. We have received the true faith from the Apostles? Christian, what do you believe? That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so believing you have life in His name. The Apostles proclaimed their eye witness testimony to us. And we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. Alleluia. He is Risen. He is Risen indeed. Alleluia. Amen.
