This morning’s reading from the Gospel of John [20:19-31] is very likely among the top ten bible passages known around the world. Most people refer to this story of the first visiting of Jesus with his disciples in the locked upper room after his resurrection as either the founding story of the Upper Room or the story of Doubting Thomas.
Actually, we were told that Thomas was not present with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared. As our reading this morning pointed out, Thomas was somewhere else when Jesus appeared before the other disciples. It wasn’t until a week later that the resurrected Jesus once again appeared to the gathered disciples, and this time Thomas was present.
As the story is unfolded for us, we discover that Jesus somehow knew that Thomas had told the other disciples that “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.”[1] After Jesus has Thomas seeing his hands and touching his side, he asks Thomas if he now believes since he has seen for himself rather than just having to accept the word of his brothers in faith. And so down through the ages many people have come to call this disciple Doubting Thomas.
But I would like for us to remember that in the opening two verses of today’s Gospel reading those same disciples who were present when Jesus first appeared did not rejoice until after Jesus had shown them this hands and the wound at his side. It would seem that the rest of the disciples also doubted the actual presence of Jesus without first seeing his wounds for themselves. And yet the title of Doubting is only reserved for Thomas. It would seem that maybe the real reason for this title would be that Thomas had doubted the word of his fellow disciples.
This seems to be a faith challenge which is still present with many individuals today. We can tell others that we met in this world about the life and the teachings of Jesus. Sometimes they believe us and they even join with us. But sometimes there are still those who doubt the reality of the risen Lord just because we tell them stories. We need to be careful, for it would be easy to brand them also with the title of doubting.
Some of us may also understand Thomas’ reaction. We may have been told over and over about Jesus and his teachings, but for some of us it was not until we personally experienced the presence of Jesus within our own lives that our eyes of faith where then opened and we began to believe in the resurrected Jesus. For some of us it was not so much the physical presence of Jesus as it was our watching how the belief in a resurrected Jesus had affected the lives, actions, and beliefs of those who are around us.
It should not be too big a surprise to discover that in our actions others have come see the presence of the resurrected Jesus. Many of us have noticed that there are individuals that we have meet and spent time with who remind us greatly of Jesus. If we truly believe in Jesus and his teachings, then we will discover that in many ways our actions will change to the point that others will come to see the presence of Jesus within us. Yes, this is the calling of being a Christian … to grow each day closer to God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit … and to each other.
[1] John 20:29 b NRSV
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