This week we are looking at Thomas, poor Thomas, the man who
became a colloquialism…and yet the Gospel shows us that all, every one of
Christ’s followers had doubted at one time or another. Except maybe the women.
Doubting Thomas how would you like to be stuck with that
name and then have it mean something. I mean really mean something: If you look
up this phrase in the dictionary, you'll find something like: "one who
habitually or instinctively doubts or questions." A "doubting
Thomas" is somebody who always lags behind in matters of faith. A
"doubting Thomas" always needs more proof, more time. A
"doubting Thomas" has some hard time trusting others.
I honestly believe Thomas gets a bum rap here. Was he the
first to doubt what others told him? Allow me to throw a quote at you and tell
me who it is about “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him say;
‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’” What story is that from. . .. Mathew
14:31 Jesus walking on the water and who falters??? Peter “the rock!” Yes, and he
sank like one!
Then again in Luke we hear how the women at the tomb learn
of the resurrected Christ and told all they had seen to the Apostles then the
book states “but these words seemed to them an idle tale.” It isn’t only Thomas
who doubts but they all do. Peter even has to go see for himself the empty
tomb.
In Luke when Jesus suddenly appears before the 11 he states
“why are you frightened and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my
hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see.” And even after
that the bible states that “they were disbelieving and still wondering.” In
John’s gospel when Jesus appears to the 10 he shows them his feet and hands in
order that they may believe it just happens that Thomas wasn’t there with the
crowd.
We really do not know much about Thomas. He is listed as one
of the 12 in Mathew, Mark, Luke. But it is in John we see a bit more of
Thomas though often we do not pay attention to him. It is Thomas, who
after learning that Lazarus has died, and the apostles complain that heading
back towards the city could be dangerous, and Jesus could be killed, makes the
statement; “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11:6-16).
It is Thomas who is strong and zealous who is willing to go
all the way with the Lord. It is Thomas who asks; “Lord, we do not know
where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the
way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to Abba God except through me.
If you had known me, you would have known Abba God also. From now on you do
know him and have seen him.” (John 14:1-7) without Thomas’ questions we would
never had this staple saying of our faith.
Without Thomas’ Statements and Faith, we never could have
gotten to this day. Thomas was devoted, loving follower of Jesus.
He was eager to learn and asked leading questions that gave us “I am the
way”. So is it any surprise that after Jesus’ Death he is broken, and
like the others, afraid and confused and he just happened not to be in the room
when Jesus appeared, so in his Grief, in his confusion and pain the statement
arises. Until I see for myself I will not believe it.
I know Thomas. I see Thomas almost daily.
He is on Facebook, he is on twitter, he walks with the incarcerated, he
ministers in Hospitals, he can be very loud in certain groups of marginalized
people, and he sits in every pew of every congregation. Poor Thomas has been
branded “doubting Thomas” because of one moment. One moment spoken in
grief and confusion.
You may know we have regular visitors to our lawn and, the
deer have been visiting for quite some time. Yet when they are here, when
someone notices and announces that a deer is here we all are compelled to see
it for ourselves. A deer on a lawn is a common event and yet we must see.
So, who could blame Thomas in the midst of doubt, fear and confusion, when
the disciples really had yet to come to understand the scriptures and all Jesus
had said, who could blame Thomas for a human response. Joseph Richardson
writes:
“The sense I get of Thomas, overall, is not the hard-nosed
skeptic, but the passionate, devoted follower, deeply feeling, but like Peter,
of so “little faith.” He was ready to follow Jesus to the ends of the earth, to
give his all — but at Jesus’s death, he was shattered: all the hopes and dreams
he had for the coming kingdom crushed. Dejected and depressed, he wandered
away; he was not even hanging out with the other disciples when the resurrected
Jesus first appeared. When he heard the news, he no doubt thought the
companions delusional. His doubt was deeply rooted in disappointment and loss.
How could he bring himself to believe again?”[1]
“Church leader Craig Dykstra once described the feeling of
being overwhelmed "by the sheer hugeness or complexity of something. We
can't get our arms around it. We can't get it figured out. We are unable to
organize it or to bring it under control. We are overwhelmed in a way that
makes us feel small, weak and inadequate."[2]
Overwhelmed, this must be how all the disciples were feeling
at this time. We find them all huddled
together in this room with the doors locked for fear. They didn’t know if the
romans or the church would be coming after them next and if so who would it
be. Would one of them turn in the others
just to save their own neck much like Judas just did? They were scared, their
leader and teacher who had held them together all those long months was dead
and buried, executed like a common criminal, and lying in a tomb.
With Jesus gone so was their sense of direction and
purpose. All they had dreamed of
whatever it might had been, whatever vision they had of a future…it wasn’t
this. They were left only with an overwhelming sense of failure, loss, and
shame, because they knew they had deserted Jesus in his hour of need. Reverend Kathryn
Michaels asks; “Were they more disappointed and disillusioned with themselves,
or with Jesus, who had raised their hopes so high? It would be hard to
"get your arms around" that kind of disappointment, to
"organize" the feeling of that kind of loss, to "bring under
control" that depth of shame. They must have indeed felt "small, weak
and inadequate."”[3]
To make matters worse one of the women is claiming she has
seen the lord. It is that troublesome
Mary Magdalene as I said last week; “Mary has seen the Lord! Mary, a woman, who
ventures out before dawn. Mary who walks
around independent of any man or any other companions. Mary who is assuming she can roll back the
stone. Mary who keeps pace running with
the men.” This, in these men’s mind is
not credible and yet it is raising questions. Her talk is making them nervous.
So now we have these very same men who went back thinking
they have taken the lord, except for the beloved for he saw and believed. In
one version Peter just goes home after seeing the empty tomb in John both Peter
and the beloved go home after seeing the empty tomb. All this hub bub and
confusion and grief and they leave their brothers in that room and they go
home… not only is that rather anti climatic it is downright rude!
It is rather Ironic that in this Gospel the men are
basically on lock down…afraid to go out…overwhelmed with grief and fear
…prisoners of their own emotions and Jesus is resurrected and wandering about
free and suddenly he is in the middle of the room or in their midst. AHHHHH
why doesn’t anyone react this way … I mean knowing the time and place
the first assumption would be a spirit!
But here he is Jesus is alive and… what did you do?
The disciples might have been just a little bit afraid that
this was not all good news? That Jesus might be understandably angry with them
for abandoning him, in Peter's case for even denying Jesus three times as he
warmed himself by the fire in the courtyard, while his Lord and Savior was
questioned by the religious authorities.
In the Gospel of Mark in the long ending Jesus does rebuke
the disciples but not for all that happened up to the crucifixion but for not
believing those who reported seeing the resurrected Christ.
“It's frightening enough to see someone who was dead
suddenly alive, but what if he had every reason to say, "Where were you
when I needed you? What kind of faithful disciples are you, anyway? Why did you
run out on me? Peter, you especially, I picked you out to be the leader; how
could you have denied me three times?"
But that's not what happened. Not in this Gospel. There were
no recriminations, no anger, no condemnation or judgment, not an
understandable expression, or "venting," of disappointment and hurt.
Instead, the first words Jesus offered were both greeting and gift: "Peace
be with you."”[4]
In the midst of fear, guilt, grief Jesus arrives and offers
peace. There are no trumpets blaring, no
hallelujah chorus being sung, no angels alighting everywhere! Just Jesus with a
calming spirit offering peace and comfort. Offering true pastoral care. This isn’t the time of sit down and tell me
what you think you did wrong. This isn’t
the time to review all I taught nor to say that
you should have seen this coming.
This isn’t the time to make exciting plans for the next move no, no, no!
Jesus comes offering Peace.
He brought peace, the offering of the Holy spirit, for this
is Pentecost in John “’Peace to you. As the creator has sent me so I send you.’
And saying this he breathed on them saying receive the holy spirit.”
It is eight days later when they all have gathered together
again that we see a repeat of the first scene only with Thomas this time. Jesus is there, says peace be to you and then
we take the thomas journey he is offered his rather gruesome wish , we do not
know if he takes Jesus up on the offer “But instead …he leaps beyond the evidence
and makes the affirmation to which the Gospel has been leading, all this time :
“my lord and my God’ Then, just as we applaud his insight we find ourselves
purring in self-satisfaction as we hear the next stage in the story ‘Happy are
those who did not see and believed.” Hey
that’s us we are in the story!
It is interesting to see this Pentecost story, Johns
Pentecost. “At creation, God breathed life into us humans, a tender, intimate,
up-close and personal moment, and here we are again, with Jesus not holding his
disciples at arm's length but re-creating this sorry crew of weak disciples,
giving them the gift of new life, the gift of grace, and commissioning them to
share that gift, that good news, with the world.”[5]
just as God breathed life into the mud being and named us human Jesus now
breathes the Holy spirit, the life giver herself, giving life and purpose to
the disciples.
So who is Thomas really?
Thomas is human, Thomas is all of us. To Doubt, to ask
questions and seek answers strengthens the faith. It is only through
questioning and seeking that we can develop a strong faith. You see “In one
sense, Thomas represents the burden of the intellectual: the doubt that comes
from thinking and questioning; the demand of the rational mind for concrete,
tangible proof.” Unfortunately, we see the results of blind faith too
often. No questions, no explorations lead to a world where slavery is
biblically authorized. Blind Faith leads to a place where women are
unequal and diminished. Blind faith leads to a place where hatred,
cruelty and even murder can be justified. We see it way too often in this
world. Extremist and literalist make it difficult for us to eliminate
prejudice, hatred, and war.
So where is that Peace?
How many times have we just wanted some peace…a piece of peace? My parents would often ask if they could just
get some peace and quiet around here!
“peace is a challenge in every setting of life, in families,
communities, the world, and in the church itself. Ironically, we even argue
about what it is, and how to achieve it. While my mother undoubtedly longed for
some "peace and quiet," the "peace" brought by Jesus not
only here, in the locked room of the cowering disciples but throughout his
risky and controversial time in ministry, is a challenge as well as a gift. It
can come with a price.
Sure, Rome bragged about a "Pax Romana," but that
wasn't really peace--it was the silencing and immobilizing of those crushed
beneath the heel of their legions' boots so that business could go on as usual,
the business of empire, that is. That's not peace as Jesus brought peace, as
God desires peace for us. God's peace is nothing less than transformative, and
in that transforming, it will upset those in power, those with much to hold on
to, and much to gain.”[6]
So introducing Christs concept of Peace, the peace that
Jesus taught…doesn’t sound like it’s going to be very peaceful.
“Have you ever seen the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment that
is all over the Internet and wondered what makes the reaction work? You might
think that there is some ingredient in a Mentos candy that causes a chemical
reaction with the soda pop, like the way baking soda reacts with vinegar. But
the amazing eruption that takes place when Mentos are dropped into Diet Coke or
other brands of diet soda pop is not a chemical reaction at all! Instead it is
a physical reaction.”[7]
A Physical reaction…the rough surface of the candy lets the
carbon release faster.
I cannot help but think that this is the way of the
world. As we push and become stronger
for a better world, more food for the hungry, more money for health care, more
services to the poor, more equity among all people, as we seek a better way to
be care takers of the planet. There is going to be an eruption. Actually there is an eruption we are seeing hidden
anger and resentment come to the surface.
The other reaction I see is the anger and pain that comes to
us as progressive Christians.
Rev. Kathryn Mathews reflects; “I confess that my heart is
troubled when I think of the image many of my friends have of the church, and
"church people," that is, Christians: they think of us as judgmental,
harsh, hypocritical and at best, irrelevant (if not a problem and maybe even a
threat). My friends "outside the church," even or especially if they
were once "in" the church, seem surprised when I say that I find in
the church a place of acceptance and challenge, not judgment, and not just
warm, sentimental comfort. That's not the way they imagine or remember it.”[8]
This is the challenge we face, as Christians and as the United
Church of Christ. This can be as
overwhelming as those early days of Christianity. we have to get the message
out. We are not the church you grew up
with. The words, the welcome we proclaim every Sunday is not just a saying, it
is what we believe and act upon. This
world and all that is going on seems overwhelming but each one of us can make a
difference. Each one of us are messengers and bringers of Christ’s Peace! Yet
we are not alone!
This is a denomination, this is a conference, this is an
association, this is a congregation and we are its people. We work as two and three united to become 60
or 70 united in community that join with 22 other churches to form the Golden
gate association. The Golden Gate Association
Joins with 6 other associations to become the northern California/Nevada
conference, this in turn joins 38 other conferences around our country to be
the United church of Christ.
That is over 5000 churches over a million-people strong! On
a local level we make a difference to cots to the people service center to
bread for the world to the heifer project to our global ministries. Which means,
we this little group of people here make a difference around the world. In each
action we take we make Thomas proclamation “My Lord and My God!” we are here,
we are your servants and though we may falter or feel overwhelmed or even out
right doubt, we will continue to proclaim your name…we will continue to do your
good work in this world that all may know an all loving God who loves each of
us just as we are and proclaim a just world for all. amen
[1] http://lonelypilgrim.com/2012/07/03/doubting-thomas-and-the-ends-of-the-earth/
[2] http://www.ucc.org/worship_samuel_sermon_seeds_april_8_2018
[3]
Ibid
[4] http://www.ucc.org/worship_samuel_sermon_seeds_april_8_2018
[5] http://www.ucc.org/worship_samuel_sermon_seeds_april_8_2018
[6]
Ibid
[7] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-coke-mentos/
[8] http://www.ucc.org/worship_samuel_sermon_seeds_april_8_2018
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