John 20:19-31

    19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
    21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of anyone, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
    24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
    But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
    26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
    28Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
    29Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
    30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

A.    Thomas has been singled out unfairly– constantly called “Doubting Thomas.” The other remaining ten disciples were no better. Look at the first verse of today’s Gospel: “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, . . .” “Doubting Thomas” was away, and ten other doubters were hiding behind locked doors out of fear. They had heard the rumors. They heard what the women said, that they saw angels and that the tomb was empty. They told the women that what they were saying was nonsense.  At least two of them, Peter and John, went to see the empty tomb. John even tells us that he saw and believed. But the doors were locked, just the same. The disciples were still afraid that just as Jesus was arrested and killed, they would be too.  They doubted what Jesus had told them: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). They doubted everything Jesus had told them ahead of time: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).  “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Matthew 20:18)  St. Paul wrote, “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). The ten disciples on Easter evening show us what happens when you get that backwards– when you live by sight, not by faith. Thursday they saw the Temple guard arrest Jesus– so they all ran. Friday they saw Jesus nailed to a cross, dead and buried. When doubts triumph, faith dies.  Peace disappears and worries take over.

B.    The doors, locked by the disciples’ doubt, / couldn’t keep the Savior out. He stood with them and said what they needed to hear the most. “Peace be with you.” Now they saw. They saw with their eyes what Jesus had told them with words months before. They were overjoyed– but then when Jesus was gone, they locked the doors again (see v. 27). I’m reminded of a man who came to Jesus, hoping to have his son healed. He said to Jesus, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Because of our sinful nature [flesh], faith always has competition, and dealing with our doubts is always a wrestling match. Again, “We live by faith, not by sight.” Faith is the power that God gives along with his promise. It holds on to God’s promises, no matter how things look– like in our First Lesson when God told a childless Abraham, already up in years, that he and his wife would have a son. By sight– that is, by our natural human way of thinking and perceiving, the promise made no sense, but because God made the promise, Abraham believed. To these ten, weak, doubting disciples, Jesus comes and renews their faith with his words: “Peace.” “Receive the Holy Spirit.” “Forgive.” He shows them his hands and his side and in a loving way says, “See, I told you so. I told you I would rise. Here I am. Do not be afraid.” He was sharing with them the victory of faith that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).

C.    When Jesus leaves and Thomas comes back, he doubts the other ten disciples.  They told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But Thomas says those famous words that have branded him a doubter: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Here you have ten disciples, fighting the battle of doubt and winning, because they have Christ’s words in their hearts: “Peace be with you.” “Receive the Spirit.” “Forgive.” ...and one disciple who is still struggling with doubt– and losing because he is living by sight alone. For all the disciples Jesus’ word should have been enough. He had told them about his death and rising, long before it happened. His word should have been enough because he is the Savior, true and faithful. Jesus gave the ten what they needed to see, and now he gives Thomas what he needs to see.  But first he gives Thomas what he needs to hear. “Peace be with you.” “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

D.    It is that way with us, too. When our moods are at the lowest... when we are fearful and anxious or overcome with dread ... when we can see nothing good in our future... isn’t it because we have forgotten what our God has clearly told us in his Word? “To those who believe in his name he gives the power to be called the children of God.” That is what we are. This is what God calls us because of the life, death and rising of Jesus. He tells us “no hardship, danger or even death” will be able to separate us from his love. This is the truth of God. A truth that we forget when we are fearful and anxious. These truths of God, that he graciously calls us his children because of Jesus, that he loves us and even in the bad times is carrying out his good purpose for us... to draw us to himself... sometimes to teach us about our own human weakness to move us to rely on him in faith, not to dispair because of what we see.

E.    I’m not sure if Thomas was more amazed with Jesus being there, or if he was more amazed with Jesus responding to  the very words Thomas said a week before. “You said you wouldn’t believe until you put your fingers in the marks of the nails. Well, here I am, and here are my hands and my feet! You said you wanted to put your hand into my side. Well, here it is!”  Jesus shows himself as Lord and God– victor over death, almighty and all knowing God.  Our all-knowing Savior knows our doubts, too. “He lives to silence all my fears, / He lives to wipe away my tears.” In his time he will bring the peace of mind that surpasses all understanding. In his time he will say, “So this is what you were worried about? See my power and glory! It’s not a problem now.”  “My Lord and my God!”

F.    “Because you have seen me, you have believed;” Jesus said. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  You and I are among those who have not seen and yet have believed. We haven’t seen him with our eyes, but with our hearts. We have seen the risen Christ on the pages of Scripture, and have believed. Our doubt can’t stop him from keeping his promises to bless. Jesus speaks to us, “Stop doubting and believe.” Be what Christ has made you: People, born of God, joined to Christ, overcoming the world by faith. Whatever the world throws in front of you, Christ is more powerful. Whatever doubts are in your hearts, Christ is faithful. You do not need to doubt him because his Word is true and certain. The power of faith that he has given is at work in you.