John 20:24-29. 24Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
What brought you to faith in Christ? What did it take for you to believe? I doubt you said, “If I see the resurrected Christ, and touch his wounds, then I will believe.” Much more likely you believed without seeing. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
Because Thomas demanded to see the wounds of Christ he is forever remembered as “Doubting Thomas.” A harsh label to be sure. But Thomas wasn’t always doubtful. We don’t know a lot about him, but in John’s Gospel he is not some perpetual skeptic. For example, in John 11, it is Thomas who courageously offers to travel with Jesus to Judea to face death. In John 14, following the Last Supper, it is Thomas who asks, “How can we know the way?” That question gave us one of Christ’s greatest declarations – I am the way!
Maybe it is better to remember Thomas as someone who offers us an example of how to move from questioning to believing. Remember, the other Apostles haven’t believed without seeing. And the statement of faith that Thomas makes upon seeing Christ transcends anything else that has been said so far – My Lord and my God. We haven’t heard anyone else make this leap of faith yet. As far as we can tell, Thomas is the first to worship the resurrected Jesus as God.
So how did Thomas get there? How can we get there?
First, let’s not miss the obvious – Thomas saw the resurrected Jesus. John 20 offers us one of the clearest testimonies that Jesus rose bodily from the grave. See my wounds. Touch them. Yes, it’s still me.
You say, but we have not seen the resurrected Jesus, so how does this help us? Well, while it is true that we have not seen the body of Christ, we have seen the Body of Christ. While Tomas had the testimony of the Ten who saw Jesus in the upper room, we have the testimony of the tens of millions. Countless lives changed by the indwelling Christ over the past two thousand years. We have seen the wounds of the saints, past and present, who live resurrected lives of faith before our eyes.
The truth is, no one believes without seeing anything. A witness. A vision. A dream. A faith community. In no way is Jesus calling for blind faith here. Consider John’s very next words:
John 20:30-31. 30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
We all have believed because of the picture painted for us in the word of God, the Gospels. Why were the Gospels written? Why record all the works of Christ? So that you might “see” (or hear) and believe.
Are you looking? Do you see Christ in the Word and in the Body? Does seeing bring believing?
Second, receive the peace of Christ. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Jesus did not show up amongst the disciples, including Thomas, and say, “Alright, you got some explaining to do. Where were you jokers when I was getting arrested? Clearly, you have all let me down. I don’t think we can be friends anymore. I need to set some boundaries.”
Rather than coming to these cowards with vengeance in his heart, Jesus came to them offering peace. Shalom. Forgiveness. Patience. Kindness. Rest. Grace. A do-over (the first of many). And that is how Jesus comes to us each and every day. His presence among us is peace. A peace that transcends anything the world has to offer. A peace that overpowers the chaos of daily living. A peace with God and the peace of God that both calms our internal storms and comforts our broken hearts.
Are you allowing the peace of Christ to dwell in your heart and keep you believing?
Finally, we can move from doubt to faith by trusting the creed of Thomas – My Lord and my God. Thomas’ faith soars to the highest of heights. The divinity of Christ. Jesus is not just Thomas’ Lord, master, leader, teacher. He is his creator. His sovereign. His redeemer and salvation. This man, Jesus is the same God who spoke the heavens and earth into existence. The same God who parted the sea and brought his people out of Egypt. The same God who conquered empires by his divine will and word.
This simple yet profound declaration of faith will propel Thomas into the unknown for Christ. From Jerusalem, to Persia, to India, St. Thomas brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to the sick, the poor, the dying, and the spiritually lost of South Asia. He travelled further than any other Apostle, over 5,000 miles. Ultimately, Thomas’ faith will allow him to be martyred for Jesus in that land that he loved.
Are you consistently worshiping Christ as both Lord and God?
Even in Christ we all face doubts and disillusionment. We all have questions. Look at Christ in his word and in his Body, the Church. Receive his peace in place of punishment. And never stop declaring him as Lord and God.
You: Have you ever or do you now have doubts about God, Jesus, your faith?
You in Christ: How does the presence of Christ in you give you the peace of God? How does it answer your questions and doubts?
Christ in you: Where will your faith in Christ take you today? What “unknown” might God be calling you to explore courageously for Christ?
Prayer: Father, I have peace with you and I have your peace in me through Jesus. Still I have questions and doubts sometimes. I want to move from doubt to faith as I more and more trust Jesus to be my God. Amen.
To Live is Christ 