John 20:19-31
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Based on our sermons from the last few years, Pastor Mark and I are on the same wavelength regarding the story of “Doubting” Thomas. We have each preached about how the dude accumulated a couple centuries worth of a bad rap. He doesn’t really deserve the “Doubting” moniker because he was the one who went about his daily life while his friends were cowering in fear inside a locked room. He, after all, only wanted to experience what those same friends had experienced -- the resurrected presence of his rabbi, Jesus.
Well, a lot has changed since we heard this story last year and I’m understanding this story in a whole new light given the state of our world right now. I’m not suggesting that the story has changed, or that the way you or I previously understood the story is wrong in any way. Simply put, the way you understand any good story is dependent on how you experience our world. You get something different out of a good story each time you read or hear it. The stories in scripture are no different. That’s why we revisit the same stories year after year in worship. That’s why we celebrate the same liturgical events year after year. The stories don’t change, but the insights we glean from them certainly do change and are dependent on a wide variety of present-day circumstances.
All that to say, in light of what’s going on right now, I’m not a big fan of Thomas. In light of what’s going on right now, his actions seem irresponsible and short-sighted -- a warning for all of us to heed.
In light of what’s going on right now, it’s easy to imagine a small group of disciples huddled together at someone’s home, rooted in place by fear, knowing something threatening and tragic awaited them if they stepped outside. They were quarantined; not out of fear of contracting a virus, but rather out of fear that they would be the targets of religious, cultural, and political violence.
One of the disciples did not heed the warnings. Thomas was not about to be cooped up at home. He was the one who decided to carry on as though life was no different than before (which is silly, because everything had changed). Call him brave, if that’s your inclination. Call him arrogant, if you will. Or, as has been done throughout Christian history, call him incredulous.
Doubting Thomas left the others behind, and by doing so, put them at risk. It’s easy to imagine someone recognizing Thomas and tracking him back to the house where they all were gathered. The entire Jesus movement could have been stopped dead in its tracks if those initial disciples had been seized and executed just like their leader.
The clear message from the beginning of the global practice of quarantine and physical distancing has been to protect those who are most vulnerable. We have been warned against carrying on with life as usual because who knows what we could unwittingly bring back to our homes, schools, businesses, and churches. The practice of quarantine has been an exercise in sacrifice -- doing with less activity, less freedom, less income -- in order to preserve the health of our neighbors and ourselves.
If you are among those of us who are not engaged in essential services, and you are heeding the advice of scientists and staying at home, you are very much like those initial disciples who huddled in their home at a time of uncertainty, which is a good thing! Recall what happened to those disciples as they huddled in their home -- Jesus showed up! Jesus showed up in their home, passing through a locked door, and made the good news of his resurrection promises immediately clear to his friends. Jesus is capable of communicating God’s promises even when we are isolated at home.
Doubting Thomas didn’t get that, at least initially. He was a busy-body. He had big plans and things to do. He wasn’t about to waste time stuck at home because he doubted God would show up there. So he went out, and in so doing he missed Jesus’ initial appearance. Doubting Thomas gives us a powerful warning against our tendency to take matters into our own hands and as well as our tendency to force the world to adjust to our expectations and desires. May we not make the same mistake. Jesus is perfectly capable of making his presence known to us as we isolate in our homes in order to ensure the safety of millions of our neighbors.
Doubting Thomas wasn’t about to wait around at home; and after these last few weeks I definitely understand how hard it is to wait. It seems like all I do is wait...and it’s nerve wracking! Here’s a list of a few of the things I am realizing I wait on every day.
I want to invite you to consider all of the waiting that you are doing as an exercise in trust and a reminder of the cliché that it’s the journey that matters, not just the destination. This year, the heroes of this Bible story are the disciples who took isolation and quarantine seriously. They were the ones who allowed God to work within the waiting and uncertainty. They were the ones who did not force God’s hand, tempt fate, or act out of disbelief. They were the ones to whom God’s promises were revealed. They waited and were rewarded.
May these days of waiting be opportunities to catch an unexpected and startling glimpse of God’s presence and God’s promises. Slow down, stay home, balance compassion with caution, direct your spiritual energy to those who most need it, May you trust that God will show up in the physical and metaphorical places where you feel stuck, and, most importantly, that God will guide us back together when it is time to do so.
Amen.
