Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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As students at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, we studied the Bible and theology for a fair amount of our sophomore year for our seminar coursework. I remember two people in our seminar, one who was a former member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, a lapsed Mormon, and another who, to be honest, I don't remember his particular religious background, or perhaps it would be better to say his lack of one. Both of these guys would attack what we covered in Scripture pretty much every chance they got.
But when it came to studying the Gospels, something strange happened. I remember one of these guys, I believe the ex-Mormon, who asked in the middle of our Gospels seminar, "hey, can we talk about this Resurrection thing. It's kind of weird."
There were plenty of practicing Christians in the room, including myself. None of us had the guts to ask this question. Part of it might have been because we were worried what these two guys would say. I don't remember any objection to their request; in fact, I think many others felt the same way they did. It's just that no one else had the guts to admit it.
I'm sorry to say I don't remember how that particular conversation went. I can say that I do remember other conversations when it came to theology, specifically one conversation where we read the little-known Anselm of Canterbury and his proof for the existence of God. I remember one of these two men, this time I can say for certain it was the ex-Mormon, who at one point sighed and said "I don't know what to do with this."
I can't say what happened with these two men, or what happened with their faith. They had a difficult time and struggled with those readings. I think part of that is because they did take it seriously. They struggled and wrestled with it, and I think that led them to ask the questions that the rest of us either didn't want to, were too afraid to, or just didn't even think to ask.
I can also say that it was always shocking to me to see how many of my peers, people I never thought would ever do so, who became enamored with the world of faith. I can recall at least one who made his way into ministry.
Doubting or questioning, in it of itself, is not a bad thing. It can lead us to asking new questions, which in turn can lead to new knowledge. That's only the case if we are willing to ask with a mind to having our hearts changed.
That's what's really going on with Thomas this morning. There are some that mock him for his lack of faith. There are others who see it as a full justification of their own doubts. Thomas' example is meant to do neither. Thomas shows us the possibility of growth we can have if only we are willing to have our minds changed.
Thomas' doubts make sense. People don't normally come back to life. There are a few people who come back in the New Testament, and some in the Tanakh as well. All of them, though, had someone else bring them back, such as a prophet or Jesus Himself. Jesus doesn't have that luxury.
There's also the fear the Disciples were living in. It's hard to want to hold onto hope when all seems lost. It's much easier to try to protect ourselves so we don't get hurt again.
So Thomas questions what he hears from the disciples, and I'd argue the majority of us would do the same if placed in his shoes. But then, somehow, Jesus hears Thomas, though he's not physically present, and next time He shows up, Jesus answers Thomas' request to see the wounds in His hands and His side.
Now we don't hear that Thomas placed his hands in Jesus' hands and side, and I like to think that maybe the sight of Jesus was enough for him. But we do hear Thomas' response: "My Lord and my God."
Thomas is the first to say this about Jesus, to call Him "my God", which is very significant. Thomas may have been slow to believe, but he is also the first to truly recognize Jesus for who He really is. He doesn't just recognize that from his doubt, but also from his willingness to be proven wrong.
Jesus does say to Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Jesus is speaking about us here. It is, at times, much harder to believe because we don't have the physical Jesus in front of us. It can be harder to believe because the proof isn't tangibly in front of us.
It can be easy for us to doubt, but that at times can be a good thing only because it can lead us into a deeper faith.
What we are called is to follow the example of Thomas. We are called not to close ourselves off, but instead to be inquisitive. When we have questions, we can raise them, but only in the hopes that they will deepen our faith. It is not wrong to doubt, but only if we can do so in the hopes that we too can say to Jesus, "my Lord and my God."