Faith, not Fear
John 20 19 to 31
Is there anyone here who likes the repair shop? I do. I love to see old, broken, just discovered precious things, some surely beyond repair, coming back to life at the hands of the skilled repairer. They are renewed, as they are lovingly restored, sometimes by replacing a little bit or scraping off the dirt or rust. Then they can live on in the lives of those who cherish them and touch the lives of all who hear their story.
A few weeks ago, I was fascinated to watch how a master craftsman employed his skill to a diamond ring which was in a really sorry state. The gold band had broken, and the diamond had slipped out of its casing. Its owner had real doubts if anything could be done, but was willing to allow this master to try. As we think about the passage from John, I would like you to keep that image of the restored ring in your minds.
Today I want to look at the verses in John, with a focus on 2 words: love and doubt.
John
Firstly, let’s think about John, the writer of the gospel which contains the passage about Thomas. Who was John? Many scholars say he was a disciple of Jesus. He and his brother James were called the Sons of Thunder, responding immediately when Jesus called them, leaving their father Zebedee behind in the fishing boat. He was one of, if not the, closest friends of Jesus. Jesus chose John, along with James and Peter, when he was transfigured on the Mountain and spoke with Moses and Elijah.
A true first privilege. What I had no idea about is that many believe he was the youngest of the disciples, perhaps only 15 to 18.
A second privilege came at the cross because it was John who Jesus told to look after Mary, his mother, when Jesus died.
In his later life, he was exiled by the Romans to Patmos, where he lived in a cave, and it was here that the Book of Revelation, the final book of the Bible, was written.
John was a passionate, fiery, ambitious youngster at first. Luke tells us that he and his brother James wanted to call down fire from heaven when the Samaritans didn’t welcome Jesus. Yet he grew to understand humility and what it meant to be a servant. He was the only gospel writer to include Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. He had learnt from Jesus himself about having a servant heart. He had become a man filled with compassion, but it didn’t stop him from being bold and full of courage. He tells us he was the disciple Jesus loved.
What did he mean? Surely Jesus loved all the disciples equally. And if, for some reason, he loved one more than the others, would we not think of Peter? Was he bragging, or was he recording something from which we can learn? He was certainly devoted to Jesus. After Jesus’ arrest, it is only John and Peter who follow him as he is taken to the chief priest’s home. His grief and fear must have been intense, but he owned up to being a disciple. His courage was evident. He was the only disciple, according to the Bible, who was at the crucifixion. Even with all that, why did he refer to himself as the one Jesus loved? I think it must have been, at least in part, because he knew he was loved by Jesus. Deep within his heart, he had been transformed, not by persuasion or even by miracles. His transformation was due to the love of Jesus for him and the love and devotion he had for Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul tells us love never fails. The unfailing love of Jesus through the miracle of the cross brought him eternal life, where he would always be with his Saviour, friend, and Lord.
Thomas
So, what about Thomas? Poor doubting Thomas. He gets a bad press, don’t you think? Let’s turn to the passage from John, remembering that we are assuming that John was written by the disciple John, so he was actually there when this event happened. This time, we look at the story through the eyes of a disciple who was the last one to see the risen Christ.
Why was he last? Well, John tells us he wasn’t there. Why doesn’t John tell us where he was? We don’t know. Many have wondered what the reason was for his absence. I have searched for an answer. Was it because he was getting food? Hardly. John says the doors were locked because they were so afraid that the Jewish leaders would come for them. Food probably was the last thing on their minds, and getting it was risky to say the least. Was it because he was so full of grief that he needed to be alone in his misery? Was he so full of cowardly fear that he was hiding elsewhere on his own, so that the Jews who planned Jesus’s death couldn’t find him? Or was it desperation that he could have been wrong all along about Jesus? Why had death separated him from his friend, his king?
Labelled as Doubting Thomas, some commentators say he was a melancholic, pessimistic, moody man, isolating himself when things got difficult. I suppose it suggests he was a kind of my cup is always only ever half full sort of man. Others say that he was an intense man who showed true loyalty.
Is doubting something to be so ashamed of? I am certainly prone to doubt, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t think doubt is always a bad thing. For example, I doubt that I could jump into a swimming pool and swim the length, stand 6 feet tall or even navigate the M6 interchange known to us brummies as Spaghetti Junction. Is all of that because my faith is so poor, or is it because my doubt is necessary, as up to now, I never learnt to swim, I’m only 5 feet 1 inch tall, and I’m terrified of negotiating a road that really looks like a plate of spaghetti bolognese?
Perhaps the problem for Thomas was that his doubt related to Jesus. Yet, what do you think about this quote from the Oxford commentary?
As I have studied a bit about Thomas, I think he was an honest man, who had doubts certainly, but who was genuinely someone who, when he experienced things, allowed doubt to turn to faith, and became a true believer. Personally, I’m sorry for Thomas, labelled as the one who didn’t believe what was being told to him. John tells us earlier in the chapter that all the disciples, apart from Thomas, were together and the doors were locked. Mary had told them she had seen the Lord, but they were still fearful and doubtful, so the locks were still fastened tight. When he appears, Jesus doesn’t open the doors; it says he came among them. What did he do? He blessed them with peace, and He showed them his scars. Then they were overjoyed and believed.
If they had truly believed Mary, surely the doors might have been flung wide open, waiting for Jesus to come.
Thomas does indeed say that to be convinced, he would have to put his fingers and hand into the scars on Jesus’s body. One whole week passes before Jesus comes again to the disciples. This time, Thomas is there. Notice, though, the doors are still locked. Again, he gives them the blessing of peace. Why did they all need this gift of peace? Was it perhaps because fear paralyses, but peace liberates us? He gives Thomas permission to use his finger and his hand to check that the wounds were real, but Thomas, in that instance, recognises Jesus, and he responds with faith.
So, what do we already know about Thomas earlier in the gospels?
The first time we hear of Thomas in John's gospel is when Jesus escapes being stoned in Jerusalem. Then he learns a few days later that his friend Lazarus, who lived quite near to Jerusalem, was seriously ill. Unsurprisingly, Jesus wanted to go to his friend, but the disciples did their best to persuade him not to go, because it was too dangerous. It is Thomas who showed true faith and courage here. He wanted them all to go to Lazarus’s home, even if it resulted in all of them dying. Let us all go to die WITH Him, he says. He is fiercely loyal, preferring faith over fear.
There is another time when Thomas asks honest questions when he doesn’t understand. When Jesus talks about his going from them and then returning for them, it is Thomas who inquires outright about the things he doesn’t understand. He seeks clarity with no pretence.
Most importantly, at the end of this passage, when he sees Jesus for himself, Thomas is the first person in the Gospels to state that Jesus is God. He says My Lord and my God. He understood Jesus is God by his use of these titles.
The narrative comes full circle.
Many think John deliberately uses this event to show the circular journey of his Gospel. From its very opening words, it takes us on a journey. The beginning has now reached its conclusion. This idea of coming full circle is quite a useful way of looking at things. John starts right at the beginning of his gospel, identifying the basic truth about God, Jesus and about life itself. John talks of God becoming human, the Word made flesh. The unique one and only Son of God, who came and lived with man. In the next 21 chapters, he reveals people interacting with Jesus. Some reacted with hostility and open rejection. Others responded with hope and belief, like the disciples who left everything to follow him. We discover the places he visited and the teachings he gave, including at the temple. Miracles are recorded, and sermons are taught to the people on the Mountain. Many people found in Jesus a Saviour, the Messiah, the promised one from God, whose death and resurrection would bring believers into a right relationship with God the Father.
Thomas recognised Jesus for who he really is, turning his doubt to faith, understanding the truth and majesty of the resurrection. He truly believed. This is the climax of the Gospel of John. People. John sums up the chapter with “But these things are written that we may believe that Jesus is the Messiah and by believing we may have life in his name." On this, our faith rests.
Remember the repair shop. The master craftsman restores the broken circle of gold, no marks of the join to be seen anywhere. The sparkling diamond is the gleaming knowledge that God sent Jesus so that our damaged lives can be repaired by the love and skill of the master craftsman, and this restoration is open to all.
Sue