2004-04-11 Easter 2C From Doubt to Faith.lwp - Page 3 of 3
He wants the same thing - and even more - he wants to touch Jesus’ wounds so he can know this isn’t
just some kind of ghostly illusion.
Now it is the second Sunday evening. Jesus comes again and stands among his disciples and
says, “Peace be with you,” and invites Thomas - the only one who asked - no demanded - to touch his
wounds.
Jesus says to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it
in my side. Do not doubt [literally, do not unbelieve] but believe.” Do you see what is happening? Jesus
doesn’t shame Thomas. Jesus honors his doubt. At the same time, Jesus gives him the encouragement to
believe - which is just what he needs for faith. And that encouragement, that offer, is it takes. Now
Thomas can see the resurrected Jesus; now he can confess: “My Lord and my God.”
And for that, we also get a blessing from Jesus, we who have not seen and yet have come to
believe - even when we, like Thomas, struggle with our doubts, even when we even wonder if we
missed Easter.
But listen: our doubts, when we have them - and we do - are, like Thomas’s, faithful doubts
and part of our own resurrection, part of our own movement from a Good Friday world to an Easter
Sunday world, part of our resurrection from fear and unbelief and hopelessness and powerlessness and
death to courage and faith and hope and power and new life - and all of that without leaving this world,
at least until that day comes when we finally do.
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