April 13, 2017
Dear MLEPC Family and Friends,
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 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." 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!" 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." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
John 20:24-29
Cara
vaggio, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, 1601, oil on canvas
Greetings, church family! The Scripture passage above is the passage for Easter Sunday this year, and I have the honor of preaching on it. It is unusual in terms of Easter passages, in the sense that the passage itself is really about the fact that Jesus reveals Himself to whomever He wills, and in this case, He revealed Himself to a skeptic. In fact, in servanthood, vulnerability, and great humility, Jesus even offered the very wounds of his crucifixion as proof positive that he, in fact, had risen from the grave.
The concept of a "doubting Thomas" is prevalent in popular culture. It's used to describe a person who is skeptical about something that they should not necessarily be skeptical about. Yet Thomas' skepticism is even more bewildering, as is the skepticism of most of the disciples in reference to Jesus' resurrection from the dead. They simply had a difficult time believing it, although they were with Jesus for his ministry, saw him perform miracle after miracle, and heard him say numerous times that he would be arrested, put on trial, executed, and then on the third day he would rise again.
This begs the question: why did Thomas, and really, all of the disciples, doubt that the Jesus who died on a Roman cross, also rose from the dead? My answer, and perhaps this is too simple, is that without Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, the disciples were incapable of recognizing Jesus' identity after he rose from the dead, let alone believe that he in fact had risen from the dead.
We must always remember that faith is a gift. It is God who provides this gift, based solely on His good pleasure. The gift of faith becomes operative because God's grace moves in people before they are even capable of placing their faith in Him and the gospel of Christ. Salvation comes not by the will of man but by the will of God. The vast majority of the Gospel accounts of Jesus' resurrection follow this sequence: The resurrected Jesus appears >
disciples do not recognize Him >
Jesus reveals Himself to them >
They believe in Him and worship Him.
This Easter, we take time to thank God for the gift of faith, and we take time to pray that God will issue this gift of faith to others who do not yet know the grace, love, power and freedom of being in relationship with Jesus Christ, the One who rose from the dead in victory over sin, its consequences, and death itself. May you all experience this Jesus on Easter, and beyond, as you seek to follow in His footsteps.
Dr. Steve Aguzzi
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