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MARCH 30, 2008
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 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 disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (ESV).
John 20:19–31
Fourteen years ago, Mary Bratcher of Artesia, New Mexico accidentally ran over the family dog. It was the consensus of the family that Brownie was dead. So, with tearful eyes, they buried their beloved dog in a field. But Toby, their 3–year–old son, refused to believe it. “Brownie not dead,” he said. Well, Brownie wasn’t buying it either. The next afternoon, when the family returned from a trip to Carlsbad, 30 miles away, a dirt–covered mixed–breed was on the porch. He was hardly breathing and was very cold when they rushed him to the veterinarian. Brownie, as it turned out, survived his ordeal. He emerged from animal hospital with one eye, a broken shoulder, and a new name, viz., Lazarus. Mrs. Bratcher said, “It’s the first time we’ve ever had a resurrection.”1
Quite a story! But let’s be clear about something: What Brownie experienced was not a resurrection but a resuscitation. On the other hand, what Jesus experienced was not a resuscitation but a resurrection, for he had truly died. His was not some kind of ethereal or phantom–like resurrection but a real, bodily resurrection. On Easter Sunday morning, his soul was reunited with his body such that he came alive again. But now there was a difference. His body was glorified, i.e., it had new powers. For one thing, it was capable of suddenly appearing and disappearing as he willed.
Let’s look at the body of believers on that first Easter Sunday. One of the first things we notice is that the apostles locked the doors of the upper room where they were staying. Why? Fear, . . . “fear of the Jews”.2 They were afraid that, if their secret location were to be discovered, the Jews would treat them as they had treated Jesus. In other words, they feared for their lives.
This congregation should probably be called “The Church Despondent.” What kind of church was it? Some might say it’s the church at its worst. Peter had denied his Lord three times. All of the apostles deserted him when he was arrested. And keep in mind that this group had professed their undivided loyalty to the Master on that fateful Thursday. They had all seconded the words of Peter when he boldly said to the Lord, “Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you.”3 Big talk; no action.
The Church Despondent didn’t have a sunrise service or even a festival service. There was no sign outside inviting visitors to come in. In fact, they locked their doors to keep visitors out! They had no pastor, and the elders were cringing in fear. When some women of their number had seen the empty tomb and said joyously, “The Lord has risen!” the elders refused to believe them. Indeed, St. Luke says “But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them as nonsense.”4
We all know that congregations have problems. But “The Church Despondent,” had the mother of all problems. It was unsure about the resurrection of Christ. The women were convinced that Jesus was alive. The men, with the exception of Peter, were convinced that he wasn’t. You can almost hear their war of words. The women knew what they had seen, and said, “He is risen!” The men replied, “He is not!” Back and forth it went. The women: “He’s alive! The men: “Is not!” “Is too!” “Is not!”
And then, suddenly, the doorbell rang. Cautiously, they unlocked the door. It was two friends from Emmaus. The Emmaus disciples were flush with excitement. They had seen the Lord. And then they said to them all, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”5 More fuel for the fiery debate.
This church had nothing going for it except that it had an unexpected and uninvited visitor.
The risen Christ just showed up in their midst. Locked doors couldn’t keep him out. Neither could locked hearts or stubborn minds. He came to unlock their hearts and show them the greatest fact of history, viz., his resurrection.
Yes, Jesus, in his glorified human body, suddenly stood before them. “Peace be with you,”6 he said. And although he rebuked the apostles for not believing the reports they had heard, he nevertheless offered them his peace, i.e., the sweet medicine of forgiveness to cover their cowardice and unbelief. For when Jesus spoke this shalom, he gave what he spoke, the peace he had earned on Calvary. This was God’s own absolution. It was exactly what these poor, crushed consciences needed.
Here, we see that the apostles, far from being models of faith and courage, are, spiritually, just as weak and frail as we are—maybe even more so. And, yet, Jesus didn’t forsake them but forgave them. And he does the same for us, absolving us in his Word, and delivering his forgiveness to our very lips through the bread and wine of Holy Communion.
But Christ had more to say. Knowing their doubts, for the apostles thought him to be only a spirit, Jesus showed them the wounds in his hands and side. He invited them to touch and see that he was truly the Lord. He even went so far as to eat a piece of broiled fish in their presence. Now they knew. This was no spirit. This was their Lord, their Savior in his glorified human body! Their grief was instantaneously turned to gladness. They now believed that the same Jesus they knew and loved was very much alive!
What tremendous gifts our Lord gave to his flock on this first Easter. When their consciences were guilt–ridden because of unbelief, he granted them forgiveness. When their faith needed to be rekindled, he offered his own body so that they might know with certainty the truth of the resurrection. Yes, the apostles must know, without a doubt, the authenticity of his resurrection if they were to carry the Good News of the crucified–yet–risen Savior to the world. And now they knew. They knew that he had triumphed over the grave!
But what about Thomas? He was the only one of the Eleven who had not seen the Lord that first Easter night. Refusing to believe the testimony of his fellow disciples, he remained unconvinced. No, he would not believe unless he saw Jesus—and in person. Thomas wanted proof. And so he issued his now famous ultimatum, saying, “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 shall surely not believe.”7
Exactly one week later, Jesus showed himself alive again. It was his second appearance to the group, but his first to Thomas. As before, Jesus said to all, “Peace be with you”. Then Jesus, his crucifixion wounds being clearly visible, looked squarely at Thomas. Those wounds, the very sight of them must have made Thomas tremble. He surely trembled even more when Christ said to him, “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,”8 for these words were, were they not, virtually identical to the words of his ultimatum issued the previous Sunday? Indeed, they were. This was divine omniscience, and Thomas certainly could not have missed the point!
Whether Thomas actually touched Christ’s wounds or not, we do not know. But one thing is certain: Jesus provided more than enough proof to quiet his skepticism forever. Thomas, unable to contain himself, could no longer hold back what he now knew to be undeniably true, so he burst out, saying to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”9
This confession, that Jesus is truly God and Lord of all, is one of the greatest confessions of the Church, a remarkable recognition of Christ’s deity and his resurrection triumph over death.
On this day, nearly 2000 years ago, Jesus, through the person of Thomas, met skepticism head on. In Thomas, Jesus silences forever the skeptic’s demand for proof. No longer should the skeptic demand proof, for in Thomas, the demands have been met. So convinced of the resurrection was Thomas, that he took the message of the Gospel—that sinners are saved by grace alone through faith alone in the merits of Christ alone—to the people of India. He died a martyr’s death in that land.10
What was it, I ask you, that transformed the doubt and fear of the apostles into a vibrant community of faith and joy? It was the presence of the living Christ, was it not?
And now, some 2000 years later, there are many people who are also filled with doubt and fear. They say, “I wish Jesus would come to me now and revive my doubting heart and breathe new life into my stagnant faith.” If you have thoughts like this, do not despair. Jesus is present here and now and in a very personal way. He comes to you individually in his Word and in the Sacrament of his body and blood.
If you say, “How can Christ be present in bread and wine? How can he be present in the written and spoken Word?” then I say to you, it is so because of Christ’s promise. Does he not say, “This is my body. This is my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”11 Does he not say, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God?”12
Faith clings to these precious promises. And Jesus gives us a special promise to us. To Thomas he said, “Have you believed because you have seen me?”13 But to us, he says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”14
Indeed, Jesus pronounces you “blessed.” And so you are!
Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Endnotes
1 Taken from Newsday article. It reads:
Artesia, N.M. – When Mary Bratcher ran over her dog, the consensus in the family was that Brownie was dead. So they buried him in a field. But Bratcher’s 3–year–old son, Toby, refused to believe it. “Brownie not dead,” the boy said. Brownie didn’t believe it, either. The next afternoon, when the family returned from a trip to Carlsbad, 30 miles away, a dirt–covered Brownie was on the porch. “He was real cold, and he wasn’t breathing real good,” Bratcher said. “It freaked me out big time.” The mixed–breed dog lost an eye and broke his right shoulder in the accident. But he was no ghost, said veterinarian William Livingston. “Of course, he wasn’t dead. He was probably in a coma,” Livingston said yesterday. The dog has responded well to treatment and now has a new name: Lazarus, after the biblical figure who was raised from the dead, Livingston said. The Bratchers aren’t sure whether Brownie–Lazarus rescued himself Feb. 10 or was dug out of his premature grave by his mother and siblings. “It’s the first time we’ve ever had a resurrection,” she said.
Copyright 1994, Newsday Inc. Newsday, 03-09-1994, pp 25. Copyright © 1998 Infonautics Corporation. All rights reserved. - Terms and Conditions. See http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/ for the introduction to the article.
2 See John 20:19.
3 See Matthew 26:35.
4 See Luke 24:11.
5 See Luke 24:34.
6 See John 20:19.
7 See John 20:25b.
8 See John 20:27.
9 See John 20:28.
10 According to tradition, Thomas was the apostle to the East. Most experts place his ministry in India. See also http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,817710,00.html.
11 See Matthew 26:26, 26:28 and Mark 14:22, 14:24. Emphasis mine. See also parallel accounts of the words of institution.
12 See Matthew 4:4. Emphasis mine.
13 See John 20:29.
14 See John 20:29.
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