From Fear and Doubt to Believing and Peace
Pastor Barbara's Sermon for April 23, 3006
Scripture: John 20:19-31 and Acts 4:32-35
Can you imagine what a range of emotions Jesus’ followers went through the day and weeks following his resurrection? Certainly the events surrounding Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion had been devastating. Grief and fear were probably right up near the top. We know that Peter was so scared that he denied that he knew Jesus. Jesus and his followers were seen by the authorities as rabble rousers, troublemakers, folks that were intent on upsetting the status quo. If Jesus had been hung on the cross, would they be next? We are told they are hiding behind locked doors because they were afraid of the crowd. Maybe some of them thought that after Jesus was laid in the tomb that Jesus things would calm down; but surprise, the tomb was empty and Mary Magdalene reports seeing and talking with Jesus early that Easter morning. He sent her to give them the message that he was ascending to God, his Father and ours. I wonder if they expected Jesus to be upset because of how they had deserted him, denied him, betrayed him. What would you have expected?
From our scripture reading we know that Jesus’ came to his disciples, minus Thomas, that Easter evening, apparently entering through the locked door. His first words were “Peace be with you.” And of course the disciples were overjoyed to see him. After showing them the wounds in his hands and sides, he again said “Peace be with you.” For Jesus these words were not just a pleasant greeting. They were a fulfillment of a promise he made to them before his death. He told them that regardless of what they were threatened with in the world, his peace would always be with them. In what we call Jesus’ Farewell Discourse in John chapters 13 to 17, he promises them a life of joy and peace, a life guided by the Paraclete or the Holy Spirit. This peace he offers them is not just a greeting card platitude of a beautiful scene; it is the beginning of the new world, the long awaited world of God’s shalom. This shalom is an inner world of freedom from fear, sin and death, true peace.
As I said earlier, one of the disciples, Thomas, was missing when Jesus came to the disciples in the locked room. He would not believe the others who reported on the visit. Thomas said 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.” It was a week later when Jesus came again through the shut doors, and this time Thomas was there. Jesus said a third time, “Peace be with you.” Then he went right to Thomas telling him to touch his wounds. Most translations use the word doubt quoting Jesus as saying, “do not doubt, but believe.” Brian Stoffregen, a Biblical scholar, said he consulted not one but six different Greek Lexicons for the translation of apistos, the word translated as doubt and not any of them use the word doubt. Instead he believes the best translation of the Greek would be “not having trust or faith or certainty”. I believe along with Stoffregen that instead of the bad rap Thomas got as being a doubter—we still today talk about a doubting Thomas and almost always in a negative connotation—Thomas was a person of great faith. He was the type of person who wanted to be sure. I see a person who questions rather than just glibly repeats things that others have said without trying to think them through as being a person to admire. Once such a person does become sure, his or her faith can be stronger than those who do not question. Just as growth can come through pain, faith can come through doubts. Fred Buechner says that “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.” Stoffregen suggests that Thomas should have been called the Confessing Thomas instead of the doubting Thomas. As soon as he sees Jesus’ wounds, he confesses that Jesus is “my Lord and my God.”
Let’s look at the role Jesus plays in the above encounter. He does not shame or belittle Thomas for putting conditions on his belief. Instead Jesus does what Thomas required. He generously shows himself to him, allowing him to touch his wounds. Thomas’ faith is more important than how he gets to that faith. I’m reminded here of one of the first things I was taught as a social work student, “Start where the client is.” Jesus was more than willing to start where Thomas was and where we are. That’s how important it is to Jesus that we believe. Jesus accepted Thomas as he was, a person who had to be sure, to be certain. From this post-Easter appearance I believe that the implications for us are that Jesus accepts us where we are and gives us whatever he can to get us to where we need to be. One of the most important things Jesus gave to us is the Holy Spirit, sometimes called the Comforter of the Advocate. This Spirit, part of the divine Trinity, is with us all the time. When I pray—as I often do—Come Holy Spirit, come, what I’m really asking is to let me be aware of this presence that never leaves me.
Getting back to our Gospel reading, Jesus says blessed are those that do not see and yet have come to believe. Jesus is probably not going to make an appearance to us to help us with our believing. So how do we get help in believing? Is there any evidence on which we can base our faith? What are the signs of Jesus’ resurrection? There are many different possibilities including the Holy Scriptures, the stories passed down to us from generation to generation. The most important evidence for me is the church, both the early church that we read about in Acts as well as the church today in all its imperfections.
When I occasionally think about the validity of the resurrection the thing that stands out most for me is the transformation of Jesus’ disciples. From a fearful, doubting group, hiding for their life, they become bolder and bolder. In Acts of the Apostles we are told that the whole group of believers was of one heart and soul. They held everything in common and there was not a needy person among them. Also instead of hiding out, they gave with great power their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord. What a change from those days just before and after the resurrection! For them to be one and to testify so boldly, there had to be great belief and great hope inspired by the risen Christ. Pinchas Lapide is a Jewish, non-Christian, NT scholar that believes God raised Jesus from the dead. For him, too, the proof is in the changed lives of the disciples. I want to quote his beautifully written passage: “When this cared, frightened band of apostles…these peasants, shepherds, and fishermen, who betrayed and denied their master and then failed him miserably, suddenly could be changed overnight into a confident mission society, convinced of salvation and able to work with much more success after Easter than before Easter. Then no vision or hallucination is sufficient to explain such a revolutionary transformation.[1]
How do I see the resurrected, still living, still speaking God? If I’m having difficulty believing in the resurrection, in new life, in an Easter kind of faith, I can think about the faithfulness of the people at Deering Community Church. I think of Shirley’s many hours of practicing to bring us beautiful music. I think of the Sunday School teachers, preparing lessons even when they are not sure about attendance; I think about the deacons and the greeters who contribute to making an hospitable welcome and smooth worship experience; I think about our delegates who spend many hours at meetings to support the work of the larger church; I think of the choir members giving up an evening each week as well as coming early on Sundays to practice. I think of the members who quietly make sure the bulletins are folded and the dishwasher is unloaded. I think of the teenagers who are so willing to help with the younger children; I think of the time, care and wisdom of our confirmation and Bible study teachers; I think of those that are willing to come up with extra money to do things that are outside the budget; I think of those who creatively make the sanctuary beautiful with flowers, Christmas decorations, and special cleaning. I think of the Trustees and other helpers who come out for the work days; I think of the children with their wonderful questions and even better answers; I think of the special notes, cards and emails that members write to each other and to me; I think of how the Guild members care for each other; I think of those who handle the money and make the budgets; I think of those that plan and staff our coffee house or our chicken BBQ or work long and hard hours on fund raisers. When I see our church doing all this plus standing up for and welcoming those that are too often shunned by society, working for peace with justice, or donating their dollars to help the needy, I am sure that Jesus is alive. Over and over again these many and varied workings of our church are means by which Jesus becomes real to us and to the world. All of these parts of the body of Christ working together is evidence for me that Jesus lives, that Easter happens, that God loves us. “Jesus lives not because he can walk through locked doors and show his wounds to frightened disciples but because he breathes new life into those disciples through the gift of the Spirit, and commissions them to continue his work.”[2] Let us continue to follow Jesus by loving the world in every way possible just as God did by coming and living among us as Jesus.
[1] Pinchas Lapide, The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective, p. 125
[2] Gail R. O’Day, New Interpreters Bible, Volume on John, p.848.
Scripture: John 20:19-31 and Acts 4:32-35
Can you imagine what a range of emotions Jesus’ followers went through the day and weeks following his resurrection? Certainly the events surrounding Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion had been devastating. Grief and fear were probably right up near the top. We know that Peter was so scared that he denied that he knew Jesus. Jesus and his followers were seen by the authorities as rabble rousers, troublemakers, folks that were intent on upsetting the status quo. If Jesus had been hung on the cross, would they be next? We are told they are hiding behind locked doors because they were afraid of the crowd. Maybe some of them thought that after Jesus was laid in the tomb that Jesus things would calm down; but surprise, the tomb was empty and Mary Magdalene reports seeing and talking with Jesus early that Easter morning. He sent her to give them the message that he was ascending to God, his Father and ours. I wonder if they expected Jesus to be upset because of how they had deserted him, denied him, betrayed him. What would you have expected?
From our scripture reading we know that Jesus’ came to his disciples, minus Thomas, that Easter evening, apparently entering through the locked door. His first words were “Peace be with you.” And of course the disciples were overjoyed to see him. After showing them the wounds in his hands and sides, he again said “Peace be with you.” For Jesus these words were not just a pleasant greeting. They were a fulfillment of a promise he made to them before his death. He told them that regardless of what they were threatened with in the world, his peace would always be with them. In what we call Jesus’ Farewell Discourse in John chapters 13 to 17, he promises them a life of joy and peace, a life guided by the Paraclete or the Holy Spirit. This peace he offers them is not just a greeting card platitude of a beautiful scene; it is the beginning of the new world, the long awaited world of God’s shalom. This shalom is an inner world of freedom from fear, sin and death, true peace.
As I said earlier, one of the disciples, Thomas, was missing when Jesus came to the disciples in the locked room. He would not believe the others who reported on the visit. Thomas said 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.” It was a week later when Jesus came again through the shut doors, and this time Thomas was there. Jesus said a third time, “Peace be with you.” Then he went right to Thomas telling him to touch his wounds. Most translations use the word doubt quoting Jesus as saying, “do not doubt, but believe.” Brian Stoffregen, a Biblical scholar, said he consulted not one but six different Greek Lexicons for the translation of apistos, the word translated as doubt and not any of them use the word doubt. Instead he believes the best translation of the Greek would be “not having trust or faith or certainty”. I believe along with Stoffregen that instead of the bad rap Thomas got as being a doubter—we still today talk about a doubting Thomas and almost always in a negative connotation—Thomas was a person of great faith. He was the type of person who wanted to be sure. I see a person who questions rather than just glibly repeats things that others have said without trying to think them through as being a person to admire. Once such a person does become sure, his or her faith can be stronger than those who do not question. Just as growth can come through pain, faith can come through doubts. Fred Buechner says that “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.” Stoffregen suggests that Thomas should have been called the Confessing Thomas instead of the doubting Thomas. As soon as he sees Jesus’ wounds, he confesses that Jesus is “my Lord and my God.”
Let’s look at the role Jesus plays in the above encounter. He does not shame or belittle Thomas for putting conditions on his belief. Instead Jesus does what Thomas required. He generously shows himself to him, allowing him to touch his wounds. Thomas’ faith is more important than how he gets to that faith. I’m reminded here of one of the first things I was taught as a social work student, “Start where the client is.” Jesus was more than willing to start where Thomas was and where we are. That’s how important it is to Jesus that we believe. Jesus accepted Thomas as he was, a person who had to be sure, to be certain. From this post-Easter appearance I believe that the implications for us are that Jesus accepts us where we are and gives us whatever he can to get us to where we need to be. One of the most important things Jesus gave to us is the Holy Spirit, sometimes called the Comforter of the Advocate. This Spirit, part of the divine Trinity, is with us all the time. When I pray—as I often do—Come Holy Spirit, come, what I’m really asking is to let me be aware of this presence that never leaves me.
Getting back to our Gospel reading, Jesus says blessed are those that do not see and yet have come to believe. Jesus is probably not going to make an appearance to us to help us with our believing. So how do we get help in believing? Is there any evidence on which we can base our faith? What are the signs of Jesus’ resurrection? There are many different possibilities including the Holy Scriptures, the stories passed down to us from generation to generation. The most important evidence for me is the church, both the early church that we read about in Acts as well as the church today in all its imperfections.
When I occasionally think about the validity of the resurrection the thing that stands out most for me is the transformation of Jesus’ disciples. From a fearful, doubting group, hiding for their life, they become bolder and bolder. In Acts of the Apostles we are told that the whole group of believers was of one heart and soul. They held everything in common and there was not a needy person among them. Also instead of hiding out, they gave with great power their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord. What a change from those days just before and after the resurrection! For them to be one and to testify so boldly, there had to be great belief and great hope inspired by the risen Christ. Pinchas Lapide is a Jewish, non-Christian, NT scholar that believes God raised Jesus from the dead. For him, too, the proof is in the changed lives of the disciples. I want to quote his beautifully written passage: “When this cared, frightened band of apostles…these peasants, shepherds, and fishermen, who betrayed and denied their master and then failed him miserably, suddenly could be changed overnight into a confident mission society, convinced of salvation and able to work with much more success after Easter than before Easter. Then no vision or hallucination is sufficient to explain such a revolutionary transformation.[1]
How do I see the resurrected, still living, still speaking God? If I’m having difficulty believing in the resurrection, in new life, in an Easter kind of faith, I can think about the faithfulness of the people at Deering Community Church. I think of Shirley’s many hours of practicing to bring us beautiful music. I think of the Sunday School teachers, preparing lessons even when they are not sure about attendance; I think about the deacons and the greeters who contribute to making an hospitable welcome and smooth worship experience; I think about our delegates who spend many hours at meetings to support the work of the larger church; I think of the choir members giving up an evening each week as well as coming early on Sundays to practice. I think of the members who quietly make sure the bulletins are folded and the dishwasher is unloaded. I think of the teenagers who are so willing to help with the younger children; I think of the time, care and wisdom of our confirmation and Bible study teachers; I think of those that are willing to come up with extra money to do things that are outside the budget; I think of those who creatively make the sanctuary beautiful with flowers, Christmas decorations, and special cleaning. I think of the Trustees and other helpers who come out for the work days; I think of the children with their wonderful questions and even better answers; I think of the special notes, cards and emails that members write to each other and to me; I think of how the Guild members care for each other; I think of those who handle the money and make the budgets; I think of those that plan and staff our coffee house or our chicken BBQ or work long and hard hours on fund raisers. When I see our church doing all this plus standing up for and welcoming those that are too often shunned by society, working for peace with justice, or donating their dollars to help the needy, I am sure that Jesus is alive. Over and over again these many and varied workings of our church are means by which Jesus becomes real to us and to the world. All of these parts of the body of Christ working together is evidence for me that Jesus lives, that Easter happens, that God loves us. “Jesus lives not because he can walk through locked doors and show his wounds to frightened disciples but because he breathes new life into those disciples through the gift of the Spirit, and commissions them to continue his work.”[2] Let us continue to follow Jesus by loving the world in every way possible just as God did by coming and living among us as Jesus.
[1] Pinchas Lapide, The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective, p. 125
[2] Gail R. O’Day, New Interpreters Bible, Volume on John, p.848.
posted by Sermons given at Deering Community Church @ 10:38 AM
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