TEXT: John 20:19-31
A HOMILETIC STUDY AND REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
By Norm Wright
STUDY
The story of “Doubting Thomas” only occurs in the Gospel of John and as long as I can remember, Thomas’ story has always intrigued me. Hearing this story as a small child, I always felt bad for Thomas because the story makes it appear he was left out when Jesus met with his disciples for the first time after his resurrection. Thomas wasn’t at the surprise party the other disciples had experienced; as such, there appears to be more than a tinge of resentment in his reaction when he suggests that, perhaps, they were making things up or that the experience they were so excited about was just a matter of wishful-thinking.
There is more to the story, more than just casting Thomas in the role of a Missourian from the “Show-me” state. In fact, the “Doubting” Thomas portion of today’s Gospel lesson can easily hide an important event that was taking place. It is easy to overlook that the author of John places the Pentecost moment as occurring on the same day as Jesus’s resurrection; not fifty days after the resurrection or occurring on the Jewish feast of Pentecost, which is when the Christian day of Pentecost occurs in the Acts of the Apostles.
In John’s version, Jesus appears behind the closed door of the place where the other ten disciples had gathered on the evening of Easter. Jesus says to them, “Peace be with you,” and shows them the wounds left by the nails in his hands and the wound where a spear pierced his side. Jesus says again, “Peace to with you” and breathes on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. As the Father sent me, so send I you. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Thomas, not being present for this event, presents a conundrum.
If Thomas wasn’t there, did he receive the Holy Spirit? As we shall see, Thomas demonstrates his receiving the Holy Spirit as John’s narrative moves along.
Thomas plays a prominent role in the Gospel of John. He is the one who in the story of Lazarus being raised by Jesus makes the cryptic comment about heading to Judea to die with him (Lazarus). He is also the disciple whose question, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way,” leads Jesus to reply, “I am the way and the truth and the life…” [John 14:5-6a]
If you are wondering what Thomas was doing during those seven days before meeting with the other disciples, the simple answer is we don’t know. As I mentioned in last Sunday’s homily, something left undefined is defining. Being a late-comer to the resurrection appearance casts Thomas as the representative of all late-comers; such as, ourselves and, in particular, those who remain skeptical and unconvinced about Jesus’ resurrection.
In spite of his skepticism, Thomas remains friends with Jesus’ other disciples. Their faith in seeing Jesus suggests that amid his skepticism there is a nagging doubt residing in Thomas that will lead him to faith. While Thomas is with the other disciples, Jesus appears to them and says, “Peace be with you.” Then Jesus invites Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe” to which Thomas responds, “My Lord and my God.”
Let’s pause a moment. What’s missing in the above paragraph?
The common assumption is that Thomas does what Jesus directs him to do, but does he?
John’s authors does not say that he did. John’s author, who is good at editorializing an event to make sure we understand what is going on, is suggestively silent on the subject.
What is confusing with Jesus’ invitation to have Thomas touch him is that in verse 17 of this same chapter, Jesus directs Mary Magdalene not to “hold” (touch) him because he had not ascended to his Father.
Given the context of this chapter and the fact that John does not specifically say Thomas touched Jesus, one is compelled by the lack of clear evidence to say Thomas did not physically touch Jesus’ wounds. In addition, on hearing Jesus’ invitation, Thomas immediately responds, “My Lord and my God.” In turn, Jesus immediately says, “Have you believed because you have seen (not touched) me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
One might question whether Thomas touching or not touching Jesus’ wounds matter.
It does.
Throughout the Gospel of John a pattern is developed that addresses two types of perception: seeing what things appear to be through our physical senses of sight, sound, and touch, and perceiving things as they truly are, through faith. In John the only way to perceive Jesus as the Incarnate Word and the Risen Christ of God is when Jesus reveals himself as such. The first type of perception relates to believing through intellectual assent. The second type of perception is through faith, as trust in who Jesus reveals himself to be.
This literally gets lost in translation because in John the word believe is primarily use to translate a verb form of the original Greek word used in the original text, which is faith.. To illustrate the difference, I translated this passage from the original Greek to demonstrate that what we understand as belief or believe (as intellectual assent) is not what the original text is talking about.
Translating πίστις (faith) as faith, the conversation between Jesus and Thomas goes like this, “Then he (Jesus) said to Thomas, ‘Bring your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side. Be not faithless, but faithful. Thomas answered, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus says to him, “Because you have seen me you have faith? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and have faith.” In other words, John is saying to us, “Don’t feel bad if you weren’t in on the original surprise party. Faith is better than sight. Paul put it this way, “We live by faith, not by sight.” [2 Corinthian 5:7]
While the story of Thomas does not directly answer the conundrum of whether Thomas received the Holy Spirit, it is implied in both the approach of Jesus to Thomas and in Thomas being enabled to declare, “My Lord and my God.” As Paul stated in his first letter to the Corinthians, “No one can say Jesus is Lord, except through the Holy Spirit.”[1 Corinthians 12:3]
RELFECTION
It is unfortunate, at times, that lectionaries break up the scriptures into bite size pieces. What can be lost in that process is the continuity of the message. The story of Thomas mirrors the story of Mary Magdalene we heard last week. Like Mary, Thomas experiences a nagging doubt that prompts her to take a second look at things that leads her to faith.
John’s Gospel, being a later Gospel, suggests that by the time it was written, its author understood that the return of Jesus as a militant messiah who would arrive with the hosts of heaven to defend Jerusalem and the Temple not only didn't happen but would not happen. Jesus is the Messiah, but Jesus is not a militant messiah nor will there ever be that type of messiah, according to the Gospel of John. In fact, John’s author goes to some length to point out that Jesus stands above ice-thin surface of this world’s illusionary expectations and reality. “My kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus declares to Pilate during his trial. [John 18:36]
In the Gospel of John, Jesus first appears on this world’s stage as the Incarnate Word (λόγος, logos) of God, the Word made flesh; as something that could have been perceived through the human faculties of sense and could have been grasped by reasoning minds but wasn’t. John puts it this way, “He (Jesus) was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him (as first sight-nw). He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” [John 1:10-11] The early Jewish followers of Jesus would have seen this as a reference to those Jews who did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, but it is also a reference to humanity in general.
Ironically, in the Gospel of John it is the second time Jesus appears, the second time Jesus approaches as the Resurrected Christ of God that Jesus is recognizable for who he truly is, the Incarnate Word made flesh.
In John, it is those prompted to take a second look at the empty tomb by a nagging yet hopeful doubt seeking to know where Jesus is who Jesus approaches. It is they who are given faith to accept him as the Resurrected Christ of God.
The ones who experiences the depth of God’s love in Christ for us in John’s Gospel, are Mary Magdalene and Thomas. Yes - the doubter gets it because Jesus invites Thomas into his glorified wounded SELF. It’s not that Thomas touches Jesus’ wound to make sure it really is Jesus standing in front of him, but rather that Thomas is touched by the truth of Jesus’ wounds within the core of his being.
To touch the wounds of Christ is to feel the wounds of Christ in one’s being.
As such, Jesus’ invitation for Thomas to be touched by his wounds is an invitation for all of us to be touched by the wounds of the one who emptied himself on the cross to make room for us; the one who brings healing and new life to a wounded world. As the prophet Isaiah said, “And by his wounds we are healed.” [Isaiah 53:5]
Jesus, being one of us and one with us, knows our wounded nature. The Messiah did not come in his incarnation and at his resurrection as a militant warrior to establish and earthly kingdom. That many continue to look for a militant messiah to fix this world’s problems is not only illusionary it is delusional.
The Gospel of John, as mysterious as it is at times, has taken on a deeper meaning during this time of a pandemic. The beauty of all Scripture is in its ability to shed light on a situation and provide understanding we normally would not consider, until it is presented within the context of a shared experience.
In this doubt-ridden time, there is an anxious desire born of expediency to get life back to its “normal;” a desire that avoids taking a deeper, second look at what is happening. Such a desire is understandable.
We all want this pandemic to go away, but our shared experiences in it contain deeper meanings, and it is hoped that we learn from these experiences; that we become more compassionate, more understanding, the we are more driven by faith in God than the ideological beliefs that are born from the ice-thin surface of an illusionary reality.
Doubt-ridden times, as we have seen demonstrated in the Gospel of John, can give rise to that nagging doubt about our surface experiences; a doubt born of a hopeful desire to take a second, deeper look at things in order to see things for what they and not for what they appear to be.
Doubt-ridden times as these can produce a hope that leads to faith by which to experience the Risen Christ in all of this.
The story of Thomas has particular relevance at this time. We hear in Jesus’ invitation to Thomas to experience the imprint of the nails on his hands and to probe his wounded side an invitation for us to do the same.
Like Thomas, we can experience within the wounds of Jesus the healing power of that love poured out for the world; a love manifested throughout the ages in the compassionate care given by so many in times like these.
Like Thomas, we can discover a faith that assures us that all things are in God’s loving and caring hands; that our fears and our doubts are hidden in the wounds of Jesus so that we can acknowledge with confidence the Risen Christ in our midst and declare with Thomas, “My Lord and my God.
May the glory of Christ’s Paschal Light illumine a path to a deeper faith in this doubt-filled time; that all may come to experience the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
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