| Poor Thomas! He gets a bad rap that
he does not deserve to carry on his own. Not present with the other
disciples when Jesus presented Himself to them, Thomas, when told
of the appearance by Jesus, says he will not believe until he sees
for himself. Keep in mind that none of the other disciples believed
the women when they shared they had seen Jesus. And, when Thomas
finally does see Jesus his immediate response is, "My Lord
and my God!" That is a faith statement many have never made.
What kind of evidence would you need in order to be able to make
such a statement?
The problem is not doubting. Doubting is something all of us
do some of the time. In many instances we move beyond our doubts
which enable us to take certain actions. Many of us, after making
a big decision, spend time wondering if it was the right thing
to do. We begin to doubt our decision. Only after we have lived
with it for a time do we discover whether or not it was the right
thing to do.
M. Scott Peck writes on faith in his book, The
Road Less Traveled: "We
can only begin to know reality by traveling through the darkness
of doubt ...You cannot have genuine confidence without first
having doubt. Perhaps the greatest sin of our sinful Christian
Church has been its tendency through the ages to discourage
doubt. I apologize on behalf of my miraculous yet crippled
church to those who have suffered as a result of this sin ....
For how can we find answers if we do not ask questions? Like
anything, doubt can be carried to sick and destructive extremes.
But in ordinary amounts it should be one of the Christian virtues."
And then Peck adds something that should be etched above the
door of every room where confirmation and adult membership classes
meet: "The path to holiness lies through questioning everything." (Simon & Schuster,
1978, p 193)
We would do ourselves an injustice, however, if all we took
from this passage was the sacredness of doubting. There is so
much more in these few verses.
First there is an unbelievable example of forgiveness from none
other than Jesus Himself. Keep in mind that the inner circle
had fallen asleep when Jesus asked them to pray with Him just
prior to His betrayal by Judas. Following His capture and crucifixion
all of the others had run away in fear. Peter had denied even
knowing Him not once but three times. The disciples were hiding
behind locked doors when Jesus appeared to them the first Easter
evening. Remember Thomas—he wasn't there. Maybe
he was hiding somewhere else. Maybe he was mourning—we
just don't know.
Jesus comes into the midst of those who had abandoned them and
the first thing He says is, "Peace be with you!" It
is His way of saying, "All is forgiven!" Think how
you feel when you see someone whom you know you have disappointed.
Aren't you happy when they indicate all is well between
you? The disciples certainly were relieved and then it hit them—Jesus
was alive. They couldn't believe it! It took some moments
before the realization began to take hold of them.
But that is not all these four short verses have with which
to surprise us. It is incredible that Jesus is alive. It is wonderful
that He is forgiving but this is completely consistent with who
He is. Then in verse 21 comes another surprise, "As the
Father has sent me, so I send you." In effect Jesus is
saying to His followers, "What God has sent me to do in
this world I am now giving to you to do." This commission
is to bring the world which was lost back into a positive and
living relationship with God. Herein lies all we will ever need
to know about what being the Church involves.
In case this assignment overwhelms us, which it should, we need
to hear what happens next. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit. The
very Spirit of God which brings life and equips people for ministry
is given to all who are willing to believe.
And how are we commissioned to bring life back into the world?
We are to be in the business of forgiving sins. The Church is
God's instrument for sharing God's Truth and offering
new life to all who will accept it. This new life is made possible
by having one's sins forgiven and that, my friends, is
God's job for you and me given to us by none other than
Jesus Himself—the same Jesus who was crucified, buried
and raised from the dead.
In case there is any doubt about our being included in this,
keep in mind when Thomas acknowledged Jesus as his Lord and Savior
one week after Jesus had given the Holy Spirit to others. Jesus
did not say anything about giving Thomas the Holy Spirit. When
Thomas acknowledged Jesus as his Lord and Savior he received
the Holy Spirit just as we do upon making our own confession
of faith. In the latter half of verse 29, Jesus says, "Blessed
are those who have not had the opportunity to personally see
me and still have come to believe." This blessing is for
us, and it acknowledges we are the recipients of the gifts Jesus
offers. These come when we accept our commissioning as His disciples.
These gifts come to a congregation when it is ready and willing
to be sent into the world as those called by Jesus to continue
God's work on His behalf. There is still much work to do.
Easter has made it possible for us to do it. Like Thomas we need
only say, "My Lord and my God!"
Consider what it means when we say it. It is our way of accepting
the work Jesus gives us to do. It is our acknowledging and accepting
the Holy Spirit. It is the beginning of our eternal life with
God.
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