2004-04-11 Easter 2C From Doubt to Faith.lwp - Page 2 of 3
through with other Christians - but never share them - and only because they worry about what “true”
believers would think of them if they knew about their doubts or even what God would think of them. . .
So I think we can be grateful for Thomas, who has come to be called “Doubting Thomas” -
which seems like a pretty “bad rap” considering that, for all his supposed unbelief, Thomas turned out to
be the one to make the most powerful and complete confession of Jesus in all of John’s gospel.
We don’t know a whole lot about Thomas, but from what we read about him in John’s gospel,
he seems like a practical and clear-thinking kind of guy who’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind or
face whatever is happening.
Maybe you remember the time when Jesus received the news of his friend Lazarus’s death and
decided to go to Bethany - which was a pretty dangerous place for Jesus to go, considering he had to
leave under threat of being stoned. But Thomas says, “Let us also go that we may die with him.”
And later at the Last Supper when Jesus is using some pretty poetical and mystical language to
describe where he’s going: “In my Father’s house there are many mansions. . . . where I am, there you
may be also. And you know the way to the place I am going.” Probably no one knew what Jesus was
talking about, but Thomas is the one to break in and say, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going.
How can we know the way?”
Thomas is - well, Thomas. He’s going to say what’s on his mind. He’s going to do what needs
to be done. He’s going to ask for what he needs.
But Thomas wasn’t there that first Easter Sunday evening when the other disciples were meeting
in a house behind locked doors because they were afraid - afraid because they had missed Easter -
didn’t know about it. They might have known if they had taken Mary Magdalene’s word when she told
them she had seen Jesus in the garden. But they didn’t believe her, and even though Sunday had come,
they were still living on the Good Friday side of Easter. Which meant they had locked themselves in,
along with their fear and their doubt and their despair and their disbelief.
And even though Jesus, while he was still with them, had talked to them about his suffering and
death - and his resurrection - for all Jesus had done to prepare these disciples, all they knew was the
suffering and death part. Death was the last word for them. No comfort and no hope.
Until Jesus came and stood among them and greeted them, “Peace be with you,” and showed
them his hands and his side - and then, only then, did the disciples see him and rejoice.
But Thomas wasn’t there, and we don’t know where he was, although no one seems to give
him the benefit of the doubt.
What if we did? Maybe he was the only one who wasn’t scared. Maybe he was trying to check
out Mary Magdalene’s story. Or maybe Thomas did what we do when a snowstorm is coming.Maybe
he had been there and saw the others were so afraid that they would be in hiding for a while and
decided to run out to the grocery store and at least get some bread and milk.
Whatever the reason, when Jesus came that first Easter night, Thomas wasn’t there that with the
others, and he didn’t believe them, and now a week has gone by. And you might think Thomas was still
in that Good Friday world, but maybe not. I wonder. You see, until Jesus appeared to them, the other
disciples had still been there. And even though Mary brought the news of seeing the Lord, Sunday
evening came and they were locked in because of their fear.
But not Thomas. Thomas hadn’t been locked in with them, and John doesn’t say anything about
Thomas’s fear. And, unlike the others, Thomas doesn’t seem to have given up hope of meeting Jesus.
 |
 |
 |