John
20:19-31
Experiencing
the post-Easter Jesus
This Sunday’s sermon is all about
redeeming the reputation of Thomas. He
gets unfairly accused of things and given uncomplimentary titles. It is okay to refer to Thomas as “the twin,”
but let’s find a way to stop referring to him as “Doubting.”
You know the story. I just reread it to you. I am not attempting to rewrite Holy
Scripture, but I do intend a full on assault as to what this scriptural story
is trying to tell us. This story should
not be heard as a condemnation of those who ask to see or be shown. The story expresses the absolute absurdity of
anyone coming to faith if they weren’t in that upper room on one of those two
occasions.
In one of the on-line small group
gatherings this week, a participant began a defense of Thomas. “He only wanted to see what the others had
already seen!” was the comment. The defender added a tag line I thought to be
interesting. It was something along the
lines of “Why should Thomas be left out of encountering Jesus just because he
was the one that had left the upper room to get groceries for everyone
else?”
The story is very clear. Those who speak to Thomas, encouraging him to
believe what they had come to believe, had been there when Jesus came. They had experienced Jesus’ presence. Thomas has not. As the aforementioned defender pointed out –
who is to say that any one of the other ten would have responded differently if
they had been the one running errands?
I knew that this story of Thomas
was coming. So I have made subtle
references to this account in two previous sermons. Three weeks ago, when we talked about the
raising of Lazarus from the dead, it is Thomas who convinces the other
Disciples they ought to go with Jesus to Judea, even though going there is
likely result in death. I managed to
slip it in again last week – when I was asking how willing we are to follow
Jesus. Thomas is a model of what it means
to remain by Jesus’ side
The story is clear. The other disciples have an experience of the
resurrected Jesus. Thomas does not. When they tell him of their experience, he
insists that he too must experience the post-Easter Jesus.
And this is the true redemption of
Thomas’ reputation: None of us, neary a single
one of us, no one from the beginning of the Way called “Christian” has ever
joined the ranks of followers unless and until they too have an experience with
the post-Easter Jesus. We don’t follow
because of some impressive story or well documented series of events. One joins the ranks of “believers” when one
has an encounter, an experience with the Jesus who destroys death and emerges
victorious from the grave.
Did I say that clearly enough? Let me try again: there is no way for anyone to “come to
believe” unless they put their fingers in the marks of the nails and their
hand in Jesus’ side.
You don’t start to follow Jesus or
believe in Jesus or trust Jesus as a result of what someone tells you – NO ONE
DOES! Someone might tell you about their
encounter with Jesus and it might intrigue you enough to encourage you to hang
around and start to seek an experience of your own – but until you have that
experience the greatest story ever told is just that – an interesting
story.
It is a misreading of John 20 when
Thomas is chastised and made a scapegoat.
We fail to receive the Good News when we allow verses 19-25 to become a
warning against failing to believe what someone else is trying to tell us. The Good News of John chapter 20 is that
Jesus hears our request and comes back in order to provide the encounter which
will make it possible for us to believe and to follow and to trust.
Now, this is where the story does
need to be taken a bit metaphorically.
Our post-Easter encounter with Jesus is not likely to involve the same
moving parts as recorded here. Our
encounter with the post-Easter Jesus won’t be with the body which walked the
streets of Jerusalem. But we have each
had our post-Easter encounter, or we wouldn’t be joining in this morning.
One of mine came the night I asked
my parents why the card we were handed at the funeral home had Psalm 23 printed
on the back. They spoke to me of the
comfort those words brought them. Around
the same time, my mother took me out of school to attend the funeral of a dear
friend. My mother held my hand – tightly
- as the daughter of her friend cried and begged them not to put her mother in
the ground. I asked Momma why she was
saying those things. Momma said to me
“Those who don’t know Jesus’ love have a more difficult time facing
death.”
Another post-Easter encounter came
the day I entered the home of a twelve-year old boy who had showed up at a 4-H
workshop. His father told me I was
wasting my time, trying to help that boy.
I was only eighteen and frightened to be the child’s neighborhood. But sitting in the living room and working
together on his public speech was an experience I will never forget.
John 20 is not a condemnation of
those who won’t accept the idle tale of another. John 20 is an invitation to name and
celebrate and share the post-Easter encounters which have brought into our
lives the assurance and confidence and joy of knowing that the grave could not
hold Jesus and that the grave won’t hold us – either. John 20 is the assurance that Jesus will hear
our need for such experiences and that he will come back as often as he must to
make sure we experience the love which lifted him out of death’s grip.
How have you experienced the
post-Easter Jesus? Where have you come
to know the love of God and come to understand that love as trustworthy and true? Others are invited to experience the
post-Easter Jesus through the behaviors and life-style choices of those who
have already come to believe (or it would be better to refer to us as those who
have come to know.)
The post-Easter Jesus may be seen
in the person wearing a face mask during COVID-19. It is a promise that the one with the mask
will not run the risk of unknowingly being a carrier of the virus, spreading the
droplets which will lead to another’s death.
The post-Easter Jesus is
experienced when I give up my luxury of doing whatever I want whenever I want out
of a realization that the privilege of my desires place so many others in a
position of servitude.
The post-Easter Jesus is
experienced when I refuse to join in the name-calling and degradation of others
which seems to be way to accepted and acceptable in our culture.
The post-Easter Jesus is
experienced when a child is provided protection and allowed to feel confident
they won’t go hungry or experience homelessness or be sickened due to lack of
healthcare.
Let’s redeem Thomas’
reputation. Let’s acknowledge that every
one of us has had an encounter with the post-Easter Jesus or we would not be
here today. And let’s learn to speak of
those experience in such a way that others are invited to identify their
experiences of Jesus. And finally, most
importantly, let’s remember that others will only come to believe when they see
that encountering the resurrected Jesus results in real-life changes. Their chance to place fingers in the mark of
the nails comes through us and the ways in which we allow them to see Jesus.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment