Second Sunday of Easter – May 1, 2011

John 20:19,20 – 24-29 - ²⁴ Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” ²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” ²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Have you ever noticed how Thomas seems to get the short end of the stick? Just stop and think about it for a moment! We hear how Peter frequently would speak before he thought, but when we meet someone who does that today we never call them an “impulsive Peter.” The same could be said about Nicodemus. Here was a man who was a disciple of Jesus, but only in secret because he feared the Jews. But if we met a Christian like that today, would we call them a “fearful Nicodemus?” Hardly! Yet, how often haven’t we heard someone called a “Doubting Thomas!”

It’s not fair, really. You see, it wasn’t only Thomas but all the disciples who were guilty of sorrow, bewilderment, fear, cautious hope, and even doubt on that first Easter Sunday. And so, we see that today’s lesson is really a lesson on what faith is rather than a lesson on Thomas. And when we think about faith, it’s hard not to think about the passage in the book of Hebrews which describes faith like this: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Keying off those words, we look at the text before us with this theme in mind - This is faith: Certain of what we do not see; and sure of what we hope for.

It was the evening of the first Easter when our gracious Savior appeared to his disciples in order to calm their troubled hearts. But on that evening one of the disciples was not there – Thomas. So giddy with joy, no doubt, the other disciples relayed the good news, “We have seen the Lord.” But when Thomas heard of Jesus’ appearance he doubted their story and said he would believe only if he could see the Lord and touch him with his own hands. Eight days later, Jesus honored his request. Appearing to the disciples again he turned and said to Thomas “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side.”

And in those words there is a subtle, yet loving rebuke because Thomas had said he needed that proof in order to believe. You see, Thomas had refused to believe unless his terms were met. He had placed his own intellect, his human reason and understanding above everything else. But listen to what Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” In those few words there is an important message for you and me. That is: faith is being certain of what we do not see.

Of course to many, Thomas’ approach is considered reasonable and the only way to operate. It is the way most people think. Get in the car and give it a test run before you think about buying it. See for yourself. Show me before I believe. And this is the way Thomas thought: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” Not only did he want to see the Lord, he wanted to touch him too!

Now, like most people in his day, we hear that Thomas had two names. “Thomas” is Aramaic; “Didymus” is Greek, and they both mean “twin.” Who his twin was, we don’t know, but doesn’t it feel as if you and I might sometimes be his twins! After all, how often haven’t we dealt with God as Thomas did 2,000 years ago! How often have we refused to believe and insisted, whether audibly or subconsciously, that God prove himself to us! Whether we want to hear it or not, there have been times we have tried to bargain when it comes to faith. “If the Lord repairs my marriage, then I’ll trust in him with all my heart.” “If God gives me the job I want, then I’ll truly know that he cares about me.” “Lord, if only you get me out of this mess, then I will be in church more often.” “Lord, if you will only make me well, then you’ll see a totally different person. I promise.” Sound familiar?

The problem is, this is conditional belief, and not the type of faith Jesus is talking about in our lesson. And do you understand what I mean when I say this kind of faith is conditional? It’s a faith that says you need to see before you commit. And notice the difference! It’s one thing to say, “The Lord sure helped me” after he’s bailed you out. It’s an entirely different matter to say, “I know he will help me,” even though you don’t know what will happen.

It is deadly to approach the Lord the way Thomas did. And God is telling us that this morning. Jesus rebuked Thomas because he was fast drifting toward a state of total unbelief because he was trusting in his own intellect, wisdom and reason. And if we, like Thomas, demand to see before we believe, we’re really making ourselves the lords of our faith. Let me repeat that because it is so important. If we make our faith conditional, “Lord, if you…then I will believe,” then we’re not really relying on God but on ourselves. This is fatal because no one is going to reach heaven by trusting in themselves! It’s only trust in the Savior who saves.

And we cannot think for a moment that this is not a daily temptation for you and for me. It wouldn’t be the first time someone based their trust in the Lord on the fact that everyone’s healthy and everything’s going well. But that’s a shaky foundation. It is a false and shallow faith. That is why faith is being certain of what we do not see, because then we aren’t trusting in ourselves, or trusting in outward appearances, but simply trusting in the Lord. This is what Jesus was pointing at when he said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus is not patting the backs of those who haven’t seen him personally, he is saying much more than that. What Jesus is getting at is that the only real life is the life which is lived by faith and not by sight! If it’s lived by sight, then it really isn’t lived with the Lord. It’s not really living out of trust in the Lord. Because of this, the really blessed one is the one who trusts the Lord, by faith. And the original language of our text indicates this, too. When Jesus rebuked Thomas in verse 27 and said, “Stop doubting…” Jesus was really saying to Thomas: “Don’t be an unbeliever!”

Faith is being certain of what we do not see. And don’t confuse that with blind faith either! Blind faith is the kind of faith illustrated by the Middle Easterner who got off his camel and walked into the tent of his master and said, “So great is my trust in God that I have left my camel outside untied, convinced that God protects the interests of those who love him.” The master replied, “Go tie your camel, you fool! God cannot be bothered doing for you what you are perfectly capable of doing for yourself.” That’s blind faith.

True faith, the faith Jesus is speaking of here, is not blindly trusting the wind even though we don’t see it. Rather, it is firmly rooted in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. It is firmly rooted in the Word of God. It is firmly rooted in faithful and reliable witnesses who did see Jesus alive after his death. It believes that God’s Word is sufficient. This is the reason why we can say faith is also being sure of what we hope for.

As Christians, what we hope for is a right relationship with God through the forgiveness of sins. We hope for confidence in the face of death, knowing that heaven is our eternal destination. We hope for a God who is no longer angry at us. And what we hope for, we can be sure we have! Just look at what Jesus says to you: “Peace be with you!” Peace can come in only one way – through the forgiveness of sins. Peace between God and man can only come if Christ is who he said he is and did what he said he did. HE IS AND HE DID! Just look at what he does to guarantee us of this! He showed the disciples his hands and side so they would have no doubt about his identity. Those marks were evidence that the price for forgiveness and salvation had been paid and man indeed could have peace with God.

Peace with God was restored and has been established through the Savior’s life, death and resurrection. He lived for you and me the perfect life God requires of us but which we couldn’t live, and then gives this life to us through faith. He died the death which fully paid the huge bill we had accumulated because of our sin. Now our debt to God has been paid. The proof that this is so is seen in the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. Since we now enjoy peace with God because of and through Christ, eternal life is the blessing which will follow. This is the faith that is sure of what we hope for, because it takes God at his Word. It does not ask God “what have you done for me lately,” but instead humbly trusts in that which God has already done for us and which he promises he will continue to do for us.

Sure, this faith will be challenged in our lives. Each day we are tempted to place our own intellect and reason above the sure testimony of God in his Word. When life seems unfair or we aren’t getting the answers we want, we will be tempted to live by sight, saying, “Unless I see…Unless this happens…I will not believe.” But this is when we need to remember that our faith rests upon the very Word of God, and the aim of that Word is faith in the Savior, not ourselves.

And so while it is true that you and I cannot see Christ or his miracles, the record is there, and that’s all we need. We need not look at Thomas and the other disciples and envy them. Our Lord had his Gospel written so that people in every age can know that Jesus is God and that faith in him brings everlasting life. As we read this word we come face to face with Jesus Christ, how he lived, what he said, and what he did. All of the evidence points to the conclusion that he is indeed God come in the flesh, the Savior of the world – your Savior. Amen.