John 20:19-31
When we talked about this gospel passage last year, we touched very briefly on the disciple Thomas, but focussed more on the disciples as a whole and their receiving of the Holy Spirit, the very breath of the living God.
There is so much going on in today’s gospel, but every few years its is very much worth our while to look in particular at Thomas; faithful, loyal and courageous disciple.
For many centuries, he has often been referred to as Doubting Thomas. Is this doubting aspect of Thomas really negative or should we see it as a positive trait?
Perhaps we can see it as evidence of an inquiring mind that needed to see the truth to believe, but was more than willing to believe once he saw the truth. Perhaps he just had some questions and wanted them answered.
Thomas gets his nickname from today’s gospel reading, but in order to understand Thomas’ character a little better, let’s look at the times that Thomas is mentioned in John’s gospel, apart from being named in the lists of disciples.
The first mention we find is in John 11:16. At this point Jesus and the twelve were staying out of harm’s way east of the Jordan River, as the last time they were in Jerusalem, Jesus was very nearly stoned to death at Hanukkah, (aka the Festival of Dedication or Festival of Lights).
The disciples are warning him against going back, as he will almost certainly be killed, (Which proved to be the case). After the other disciples had warned Jesus not to go, we hear this from Thomas in v.16; “Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Here we see a disciple of great faith and courage who knew that Jesus was going to go back there no matter what the disciples thought. Thomas assumed that going with Jesus could well mean the end of his life.
At this point, he was the only disciple willing to follow Jesus even if it meant death.
I think he was trying to be faithful to Jesus’ teachings. E.g., Mark 8:34-35 ‘If anyone would come after me; he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whomever wants to save his life will lose it, but whomever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.’
He truly wanted to do the will of God and if this meant death, then so be it. This shows Thomas’ nature, not as a cynical doubter, but rather one who has honest questions, which, when answered, is more than willing to follow.
Thomas was determined to be faithful - even in the face of death. For Thomas there may be death, but not disloyalty.
The second mention that we find of Thomas is at the beginning of John 14. At the Last Supper Jesus sees that the twelve are in shock. Jesus has just told them that one of them will betray him, Peter will deny him three times, and that he himself will be killed.
Jesus then says these beautiful words: "’If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you with me that you may also be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going’.
“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me.’”
Thomas was honest enough to say, “Lord I don’t know what you mean!” When you say you will come back and take us to be with you, I don’t understand. I really don’t know the way to get there!’
It had the effect of drawing out of Jesus one of the greatest and most famous ‘I AM’ statements, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” This isn’t doubt from Thomas, but an earnest desire to know the ways of the Lord.
I often say in my prayers, “Lord I don’t know what’s going on! I don’t get it. Teach me your ways!’ It is not doubt, but an acknowledgement that God is sovereign and sometimes I am perplexed, for his ways are so much higher than my own.
Thomas was just eager to know that if Christ was going to go away, how could he go with him? He honestly and passionately said (my paraphrase), "I don’t know the way, but I really want to follow. Tell me how".
Not only was he so passionate about going with Christ and sticking with his Lord, but he also sought out a deeper truth and asked a question that brings out a reply that is truly the at the heart of our faith.
Now, these two scriptures are not where Thomas got his nickname, but I would ask you to bear in mind the sort of character these two earlier passages describe; a courageous and loyal disciple who yearned to know the heart of God. So, to today’s passage.
In Thomas’ absence, the other disciples had already seen the risen Lord and in v.24 Thomas says, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand in his side, I will not believe.’
A week later, through a locked door, Jesus appears to them again, including Thomas this time, and Jesus invites him to put his finger and hand into his very wounds to prove that it was indeed him.
Jesus said, ‘do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’
His reaction to the risen Christ is one of the most profound and faithful statements by any of the disciples after the resurrection; he addresses Jesus as God. “My Lord and my God."
Powerful truth comes out of Thomas here. He knew that when he saw the risen Lord that he truly was encountering God. I don’t think there is a more profoundly truthful theological statement than this.
It is easy to see where we get the nickname ‘Doubting Thomas,’ as even Jesus says, "Stop doubting and believe." So it is easy to say oh well Thomas was a doubter and even Jesus himself says so. (As if we somehow are different!)
However we need to look at the whole story. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all of the disciples doubted that Jesus had risen, patronisingly calling it ‘foolish women’s talk.’
They doubted what the women told them in the same way Thomas doubted what the men disciples told him. It was not Jesus himself that Thomas ever doubted. In fact, as we have seen, he was probably one of the least doubtful of all that Jesus said.
Thomas was not the only one who had to see to believe, but maybe the only who expressed it or maybe the only one that the Bible tells about. I don’t know.
But I do know that our Lord welcomes all our doubts, concerns, and lack of understanding, if we would just present them to him in exactly the way that Thomas does, every time he is mentioned in Scripture.
He just needed to see for himself. Thomas needed a faith founded on facts that he himself had discovered, not just on what other people may have told him.
My dear friends, we too need to know for ourselves the very truth that Jesus is both Lord and God. And, like Thomas, we too need only to ask him to show us. Not out of doubt, but because we simply don’t yet understand. This is a sign of faith, not doubt.
What faith is greater: the one that claims to understand all things, or the faith that questions and investigates and believes.
So when we have doubts, take them to the Lord exactly as you think them. Ask the Lord, “How can that be? Teach me your ways, I don’t understand!” Thomas needed to find out for himself, he needed to search for the truth. He is so genuine!
Just as he needed the revelation to come from God, not humans. So we too need the revelation of who Jesus is from God the Holy Spirit; the Lord, the Giver of Life.
Let me pray …