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During my high school days, there was this buddy from my neighborhood who always talked big, you know the type. "I caught a fish this big," he'd say, or "I can jump this high." One day, he approached a group of us and claimed he had a date with the cutest girl in our school. We all dismissed it, thinking he was either pulling our leg or just plain lying. We told him, "There's no way she's going out with you." Despite our skepticism, he persisted in his assertion. Then, one of the girls who was friends with the girl he mentioned confirmed it. Not only was it true, but she had actually invited him to the movies. It seemed unbelievable, but it turned out to be true. He never let us forget that he wasn't lying about her going out with a goofy guy like him. Today, we're discussing something even more unbelievable than a girl asking my friend out on a date. We know on Good Friday that Jesus was brutally murdered, whipped, and beaten, with nails driven into his hands and feet. Then, after hanging on the cross and dying, he had a spear rammed into his side. About 20 years ago, I watched Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ." Moviegoers complained about how brutal the crucifixion scenes were; it was hard to watch. The theaters even struggled to sell popcorn and snacks because it was too intense to eat while watching. Yet, the movie simply depicted a level of violence that our Lord endured. Jesus' body would have been severely battered. People wonder why Mary Magdalene (whom I briefly mentioned on Easter) couldn't recognize Jesus at first, and one of the reasons might be was the violence inflicted upon him. It puts into context Isaiah 53:5, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." Amen. Thomas knew what happened to Jesus; he knew that one does not come back from brutality like that. So, when the ten disciples claimed that Jesus was alive, it was beyond "I caught a fish this big," or beyond a normal guy getting a date with a cute girl. It wasn't just in the realm of improbability; it was in the realm of impossibility. No way! Thomas might have wondered if these guys were playing a prank on him. If they were, it would have been way beyond bad taste to claim that their master, teacher, and friend was walking around when Thomas knew he was dead. Or maybe Thomas thought they were having some kind of group hysteria driven mad by their grief. But whatever the issue was, Thomas wasn't going to fall for it. So, after hearing about the encounter (Thomas thinks "fake news"), he famously says, "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, all eleven are together again. Once more, the doors are locked. Why would eleven men in a house need to lock the doors? It's because they were living in fear – fear of the Romans, fear of the Jewish leaders, fear of the world. Maybe the ten who had met Jesus on that first night started doubting what they had seen a week before. I don't know what they were fearful about. It's okay to be afraid, but it's not okay to be controlled by your fear. When we make our fears greater than our faith in God, and then we're really in trouble. Like I have said before, when Liew, and the search committee asked me to consider coming as a support pastor here at KUC, I was afraid. (I did not know how afraid I really should be but I was afraid) I won't list all the things I was afraid of. Yet, as I heard God say to me Isaiah 41:10, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Lets say that as a community. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah knows his history: when the Israelites were fighting a battle and Moses would lift up his hands in praise of God, the Israelites could not be beaten. However, battles are not quick, and his arms would grow tired and when he lowered them, the Israelites would lose. So, he needed men to help hold up his arms (Exodus 17) to support him. It's good to have brothers and sisters who will hold up our arms when we are in the midst of battles, so that we can continue to praise God, regardless. Remember, our battles are not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12). But even when we don't have brothers or sisters to hold up our arms, Isaiah 41 tells us that He himself (GOD!!!!) will hold us up by his righteous right hand, because if God is with us, who can be against us? So, the disciples are huddled in their room, windows shut, doors locked, like an earthly purgatory. And I'm not sure if you've ever been in a room with eleven men in close confinement; it might not have smelled very good. And suddenly, Jesus is standing in their midst, greeting them with "Shalom be with you." Because if you're living in fear (no judgment), pray for God’s peace. I'll say it again because it's so important: if you're living with fear, pray for God’s peace, God’s shalom.
Jesus with the ten other guys there goes straight to Thomas. He doesn't belittle him; he simply, matter-of-factly, addresses the man who wants facts. He says, "Put your fingers here; see my hands. Put your hand on my side. Stop doubting and believe." It wasn't not an accusation; it's a matter of fact. You saw what has happened to me on the cross. You saw the price I had to pay for your sins. You see the reality of this world: that the world killed the Son of God, and YET God raised him from the dead. Jesus isn't telling us to turn off our thinking caps. Jesus doesn't tell us to turn off our feelings. Most people process the world through their thinking or feelings. And having faith doesn't reject our rational brains or our feelings, and yet there is something much more powerful than just our rational understanding of the world, or our feelings, and that is faith. That is our faith in God the Father. Thomas could see. Thomas could feel our master's wounds. Thomas got his physical proof. However, Jesus says to Thomas and all other Thomases through the ages, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." These words aren't just for Thomas but for all of us who walk the path of faith. Jesus acknowledges that there will be times when we won't have the luxury of physical proof, times when we must rely solely on faith. Belief without seeing is the essence of faith. It's what sets apart mere followers of Jesus from true disciples. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. It's about trusting in the promises of God even when circumstances seem bleak, holding onto hope when everything around us points to despair. But how do we cultivate such faith? How do we believe without seeing? It begins with a personal encounter with the risen Christ. When we allow Jesus into our hearts, when we experience His love and grace, our faith becomes more than just a set of doctrines or beliefs. It becomes a living, breathing relationship with the living God. We know that in Mark 8:27-29, when Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" The disciples were willing to say, "Some say you are a teacher; others say you are a prophet, others even say Jesus was John the Baptist come back to live." But Jesus says, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter says, "You are the Christ!" "You are the Messiah!" Here, Thomas goes one step further. He says to Jesus, "My Lord and my God!” Not just a tool of God, which is what a messiah is, but Jesus, you are one with the Father. You are the only one worth worshiping. You are the only one worth following. You are the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, the first and the last. Jesus, you are GOD. This is Thomas’ burning bush moment. This is Thomas’ Isaiah 6 moment when he was taken up into God’s kingdom and Isaiah says, “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Now Thomas has seen the Lord God face to face. That is what he is saying. That is who Jesus is. Let’s pray.
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