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Are We Doubters, Too?

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“Are We Doubters, Too?”

John 20:19-31 (20:29) – April 7, 2024

            Seeing is believing! Or . . . is it?

            I wonder what things come to mind when I mention the phrase, “Seeing is believing”? Or even, “I won’t believe it until I see it!” Sometimes, people can be really doubtful, even really skeptical about things. I can just imagine several people I know folding their arms across their chests and saying, “Unless you show me . . . “

            In the gospel account we read today, from John 20, the disciple Thomas had just that reaction. After the Resurrection, the first time Jesus came to the disciples, Thomas was not there. We’re not told why, simply that he wasn’t there. Maybe he was scared, maybe he was away for the day, or out of town. Maybe he was sick. We just aren’t told why he wasn’t there.

            The ‘why’ is not the important part. The fact that Thomas wasn’t present the first time is. Thomas had doubts. Sincere doubts. Truth to tell, the other disciples’ story was a little farfetched. I mean, how many people have you known who came back from the dead, and walked through walls into a locked room?

            I wonder. I wonder if Thomas’ reaction strikes a chord with anyone here today. How many of us today are like Thomas? Doubting that Jesus has risen indeed from the dead? Or, completely missing Jesus, and doubting that Jesus is even here at all, today?

            Let’s think some more about Thomas and his reaction. Thomas not only doubted, he wanted concrete proof. Tangible proof, proof he could touch and feel and handle. Thomas wanted to put his hands in the nail marks on Jesus’ hands. That’s pretty concrete. But – what about you and me? Do we want concrete proof that God is working in our lives right now? Do we want concrete proof that Jesus rose from the dead and is present with us, today?

            The second time the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples, it was also in a locked room. And, this time, Thomas was present. Let’s paint the picture. The disciples are huddled together in the Upper Room, still frightened of the Jewish leaders. It’s only been a little over a week since their Rabbi Jesus had died on the cross, after all! I’d imagine they would be shaking in their shoes! Then, the risen Jesus suddenly appears in the midst of them all, Thomas included. What do you think would be going through Thomas’s mind right about now? His Rabbi, his Lord, back from the dead, right in front of him!

            Let’s go further as we imagine Thomas’s face, and imagine what he is thinking and feeling as the risen Lord Jesus invites Thomas to touch Him. Then, we look around at the faces of the other disciples and try to figure out what they are thinking and feeling, too! The commentator Carolyn Brown says that she suspects the disciples “are glad Thomas asked his question because they really wanted to know the same thing but were afraid to ask.  It does take courage to ask some questions and Thomas had it.” [1]

            I think that “doubting Thomas” is not the most accurate nickname for this earnest disciple. Perhaps, maybe, just maybe, we ought to think of Thomas as courageous Thomas. Because, it takes real courage to ask out loud some of those questions Thomas wanted the answers to. After all, he was a real “show-me!” kind of guy, and not in a mean way, either. A healthy skepticism is just that – healthy and curious.

            I wonder whether our doubts and fears about Jesus and the Resurrection can be as easily taken care of, as Thomas’s? What if our problem is less doubt, and more fear? Fear of being misunderstood by others, fear of looking foolish, fear of falling flat on our face? Perhaps, some kind of nebulous fear that you and I do not even understand, but we know is deep down inside of us?

            Let us return to Thomas. When he sees our risen Lord Jesus in the flesh – the resurrected body – he suddenly believes that everything the disciples were telling him about the resurrected Jesus is true! And, “he makes the climactic confession of John’s Gospel, addressing Jesus as, ‘My Lord and my God!’” When Thomas saw Jesus with his own eyes, that was enough for him. Enough to make the declaration of divinity directly to our risen Lord! Remember the confession made in the first verse of John chapter 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” [2]

            Sure, some healthy curiosity is just that – curiosity. And, some people are naturally skeptical. We know God can handle that! After all, that is the way God constructed many people. Our Lord Jesus is not surprised by any of this. He won’t get mad, or storm out, all upset. No! He was warm and accepting of Thomas and his “show-me” attitude, and even answered him right back! And, what did Thomas do? What did Thomas say to Jesus? “My Lord and my God!”

            As commentator David Lose tells us, Thomas offers those same readers a model for faithful response to an encounter with Jesus – belief, belief that leads to confession. All through the Gospel of John we see a variety of responses to Jesus. The confusion of Nicodemus the religious teacher, the trust of the Samaritan women, the stubborn fidelity of the man born blind, the disdain of Pilate, the denial of Peter. [3] John saves the best for last: he shows us the radical, bold confession of Thomas, sure and certain at last.

            Have there been long moments in your life where you have doubted God’s presence? Have you ever felt lost and alone, almost like the way the disciples felt right after the Crucifixion? We do not need to fear or be alone, because Jesus has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. We can embrace our flickering faith with the same words of Thomas: “My Lord and my God!”          

So, the Gospel of John helps us to believe, too. This Gospel was not only written to bear witness so long ago, in the first century, months and years after Jesus was raised from the dead. This Gospel was also written for the many generations which have come to believe in Jesus Christ throughout the centuries. That includes us, too.

Even though today we may have doubts, and fears, and unbelief, and wonder whether, and why, or even why not, Jesus comes to us in our doubts and fears and unbelief. Our Lord comes to us with reassurance and open arms and says “Do not doubt, but believe!” And our faithful, bold response to Jesus? “My Lord and my God!” Alleluia, amen!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2015/02/year-b-second-sunday-of-easter-april-12.html

[2] https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/its-not-about-thomas  

[3] Ibid.

Love, For Such a Time

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“Love, For Such a Time”

Esther 4:1-17 (4:14) – December 4, 2022

            Do you remember some fairy tales? The scary ones? The ones where the good guys run away from the bad witch, or the evil fairy, or the wicked king? And, then the good guys turn around and stand up to those evil people? Those fairy tales are so much like the story of Esther we heard a little of today in our Scripture reading.  

            What happened just before this chapter in Esther? The evil, wicked counselor Haman convinced the King of Persia to have all of the minority resident aliens, or foreigners, killed on a certain date. These foreigners are the Jews. At this point, about 600 years before the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, the Jewish people have been conquered.

Many of the Jews have been forcibly taken hundreds of miles away to a foreign land, to Babylon (or Persia). There they are: a foreign minority in a country not their own. What a situation to be in! Yet, the Jew Mordecai has worked hard, and is now an official in the King of Babylon’s palace. What’s more, his younger cousin Esther won a nationwide beauty contest held by the King to choose his next bride.

            Except – remember what I said a few minutes ago? How the good guys in the fairy tales so often keep getting stepped on and beaten up by the evil, bad guys? That is the way it was with the Jewish people, in Babylon. Many of them were forcibly corralled and taken far, far away to a land not their own, to Persia. To work for the Babylonians, like the Jewish official Mordecai did, in the King’s palace. Plus, his young cousin Esther was now queen of the whole country! Except again, Esther is “an outsider in Persian [or Babylonian] culture — especially in the royal city of Susa. Esther is a resident alien, a foreigner, and a member of this peculiar tribe that Persians tolerate unevenly.” [1]

            I can see some clear parallels with the story of the Virgin Mary. She was also a Jew, living under a conquering army, in the occupied country of Palestine. Similar to the situation of Mordecai, Esther and their Jewish friends, living in exile far away from their home. Both women had troubles to face, although Esther’s trouble was magnified because of the autocratic King.

            We focus on Esther and her story today partly because Esther and her bravery are linked closely with Mary and her courage, found in the Gospel of Luke. Preachers have preached sermons on Mary for many years, centuries, even. See Mary and her bravery and willingness to step out into the unknown with God at her side. But, sermons on Esther? Not as often, to be sure. Yet, Queen Esther of Persia did something very similar, in terms of courage, bravery and love.   

            In this chapter from the book of Esther we have grief and dismay from Esther’s cousin Mordecai, certainly! Yet, there is also a time for discernment, an expression of hopes and fears, and a final resolve from Queen Esther as she decides to go and have an audience with her husband, the autocratic, distant King of Persia. For such a time as this she was appointed queen.

            Here’s a big question for us, today. We can see Esther instructing her cousin to gather the expatriate Jews together, those who live in the capital city of Susa. Her countryfolk are to fast and pray for her, just as Esther and her maids fast and pray, as she prepares to see the King. Are we that serious about large challenges, today? Do we fast and pray before significant events in our lives today? And if not, why not? We can certainly see this precedent set for us repeatedly in Scripture, in both the Hebrew Scriptures as well as the New Testament.

            I know certain acquaintances of mine would probably run back and forth when faced with a huge challenge like this one, wringing their hands, maybe even giving up. “It’s no use! I’m too puny, too weak; no one would listen to me, anyway!” Perhaps even hoping that someone else would do something to save my people! Your group! Our bunch of expatriate friends!  

            Remember, young Mary was a teenager when she was approached by Gabriel. She had no idea what was happening until the angel explained. She could have been scared out of her wits, or fainted dead away at the sudden, fearful appearance of the angel. And, telling her that she would become pregnant, without the protection of a marriage, of a husband? Mary must have known other young women who that had happened to, and seen how ostracized and shunned they were in her tight-knit community. It took a great deal of bravery and courage for Mary to accept what the angel told her. Yes, there are real similarities between Mary and Esther.

“Esther and Mordecai do what they can with what they have and that is enough to save the day. That makes this a good story with which to encourage worshipers of all ages to look for what they can do about problems they confront rather than what they cannot do.  It is easy for children (and the rest of us) to assume there is nothing they can do about many problems they see around them.  [Young people] see themselves as too young, too small, not smart or knowing or wise enough.” [2] But, isn’t that what so many of us grown ups do, too? We can’t do anything about any of these big, grown-up sized problems because we are too puny, or not smart enough, or wise enough, or knowing enough.

But, isn’t God with us today when we face down problems? Just as God was with Esther and Mordecai! And just as God was with Mary all the days of her pregnancy, and beyond! We can praise God for the name Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” We can praise Jesus for claiming that name, and remaining right by our sides. Through scary and anxious times, as well as fearful and intimidating experiences. Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us will be right next to each of us. And for that, we can praise God! For such a time as this.

[1]  https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/narrative-lectionary/esther-2/commentary-on-esther-41-17-2

[2] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2015/08/year-b-proper-21-26th-sunday-in.html

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

Courage, Not Fear

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“Courage, Not Fear”

Mark 6-50 jesuswalkingonthewater

Mark 6:46-52 (6:50) – August 12, 2018 – from Dave Ivaska’s book Be Not Afraid

“O God, thy sea is so great, and my boat is so small.” So says the Breton’s fisherman’s prayer on a small brass-inscribed plaque. The plaque was given to John F. Kennedy by Admiral Rickover, and President Kennedy kept this plaque on his desk in the Oval Office.

When I started to think about this Scripture passage from Mark, the narrative where Jesus walks on the Sea of Galilee by night, this plaque came to mind. I suspect the disciples did feel afraid on that small boat as they faced the choppy waves, strong currents, gusty winds, and other weather conditions. Similar to that Breton fisherman.

I have never been to Israel, but I have read that the weather around the Sea of Galilee is particularly changeable. There are hills and even small mountains surrounding a portion of the inland sea. Sometimes, the weather patterns can cause rough weather to flare up with next to no warning. According to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 6, the weather that night on the Sea of Galilee was windswept and the water was churning and choppy. The disciples were out on the water after dark. Some of them were fishermen, but not all. So, some of them were used to being out in an open boat in the middle of open water. Others of the disciples were not fisherman at all, and were probably extremely uncomfortable.

What was the general morale of the disciples? Jesus was notably absent—not with them in the boat. I suspect some of the disciples were fearful and anxious. Maybe even complaining about their sorry situation, out in the middle of the lake and with no Jesus. Just think about their desperate situation, and compare it to your own. From time to time, I am sure all of us have felt like we are adrift in choppy water, all alone, someplace like the Sea of Galilee. Heavy weather is on the horizon. Who can help us deal with our fear and uncertainty?

We need Jesus, that’s who. Just as much as the disciples did.

This scary situation on the Sea of Galilee did not just happen all by itself. This nighttime situation followed after a very busy day for Jesus. This was the day that Jesus miraculously fed several thousand people with a few loaves and fishes. When this all happened, they all were in a lonely place far away from any village or town, near the Sea of Galilee.

I want to be sure all of us understand. This feeding was not just a little miracle. Instead, Jesus did a huge miracle! Feeding well over five thousand people with just a boy’s sack lunch of a few little loaves and fishes? How astounding is that? The disciples were right there with Jesus, serving and distributing all the loaves and fish to all the crowds who attended Jesus’s after-lecture luncheon. Except, Jesus provided all of the food! Miraculously.

Listen again to the beginning of today’s Scripture reading from Mark, which follows the paragraph on the feeding miracle: “ 45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.”

At the end of a really busy day with a lot of public ministry, I can see why Jesus wanted to be all by Himself, not only to pray and rest and recoup, but also to spend some down time rejuvenating with His loving, caring Heavenly Parent. Wouldn’t you, if you were in a similar position? Resting and recouping after a long, challenging day of ministry, just about anyone would want to be reassured by the loving embrace of their Heavenly Parent. I know I would!

After Jesus withdraws to be with His Heavenly Father for some hours, it’s time for Him to rejoin the disciples. Let’s continue with the reading from Mark: “ 47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake.”  I would have loved to be with the disciples in that boat!

Just imagine all the exciting information we would hear about leadership and discipleship, serving and helping others, and getting closer to God!

Or, even more, I would love to have a film camera and crew on their boat that night! What a bunch of reaction shots! Shots showing fear, anger, uncertainty, anxiety—the whole range of emotions and reactions to the unexpected and miraculous appearance of Jesus, supernaturally walking on the Sea. Considering what huge miracle had just happened only a few hours ago, “what confidence did the disciples would have had to believe that Jesus would now help them in this terrifying situation?“ [1]

We’ve talked about this before, how the disciples sometimes had a problem believing what Jesus plainly said. Or, a problem seeing what Jesus had just clearly shown them. Or, a problem understanding an illustration or object lesson Jesus had just brought to them. This was one of those situations.

The disciples were a bit thick-headed. They just did not get the full ramifications of the huge miracle of the loaves and fishes. They just did not understand how Jesus—who was God’s son, fully God, and creator of the heavens and the earth—could possibly walk on water.

Jonah had this problem, too. He was a prophet of God, he heard the word of God regularly, but he just didn’t get the message clearly. It took getting swallowed by a fish in the middle of the ocean to get the cotton out of Jonah’s ears.

Listen to a part of Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the huge fish, from the 2nd chapter of Jonah: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and God answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 6  But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. 7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.”

It took a miracle of a huge fish to get Jonah to see clearly. It takes a miracle of Jesus walking on the water, on top of the feeding-and-provision-of-food miracle, to get the disciples to see clearly. Yet, God is with them all, even through the darkness and the storm, even through being swallowed by the big fish or being buffeted by choppy seas.

“What does this story reveal about Christ’s involvement in our own trials? He is both aware of and concerned about our struggles and acts on our behalf. In addition to helping us in our plight, His deliverance reveals to us His supernatural power.” [2] another way of says it is that Jesus is God’s son. Fully God, and fully man. Of course, Jesus can walk on water! And, of course, Jesus can be with us, in and through and beyond our trials and problems. Having God incarnate as my—as our personal Friend and Savior is very reassuring, believe me.

Sometimes we do go through the storm, and even repeated storms. Sometimes we do have serious illness happen to us or to a loved one. Sometimes we travel through the valley of the shadow, and we need that reassurance that God is with us. Jesus can say to us just as much as He said to the disciples, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

These are the words of Jesus. We can take them to heart. These reassuring words are for the disciples, and for us, too. Alleluia, amen.

[1] Ivaska, David, Be Not Afraid (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 101.

[2] https://intervarsity.org/bible-studies/mark-6c

Mark 6:45-56: Confounded by Christ | InterVarsity

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2018: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!)

Unless…

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“Unless…”

Jesus and Thomas illustration John 20-24

John 20:19-31 (20:25) – April 8, 2018

Imagine a city under martial law. Soldiers prowling the streets, night and day—and especially at night. The occupying army and the city authorities come down hard on the civilian population. Sure, the army of invaders polices the city efficiently, but the civilians have very little freedom of movement, very little freedom of expression. This kind of oppressive living would be very difficult. I am thinking of various cities and regions in Asia, Africa, Central and South America. Also within recent memory, we can add places in Europe that were under martial law and forces of occupation. Scary stuff.

We enter the scene in the Gospel of John right after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, late that Sunday evening. We find the disciples cowering behind locked doors, as John tells us.  They were very much afraid!

Jerusalem in the first century of the Common Era was not quite as bad as some places we can imagine from our modern day. Israel was not under strict martial law, but there were many rules and regulations concerning freedom of movement and about public gatherings. I suspect the capital city Jerusalem was a big headache to the Roman soldiers in charge of maintaining the peace, especially at the times of year of big festivals. Including Passover.

As we eavesdrop on the small group gathered there in the Upper Room, we can tell most of them (if not all of them) are scared to death. Perhaps, they thought of what had happened on that awful Good Friday. Perhaps, they considered where each of them had disappeared to. We are not told, and we can just imagine their sad and frightened conversation.

When, suddenly—suddenly—Jesus appears. The Gospel record tells us, “Then Jesus came and stood among them.”  He does not even come in through the door, but just walks right through the wall. Or, the closed door. Locks do not matter to Him. Can you imagine how shocked and scared the disciples were at this sudden appearance? Of someone they had seen die and get buried only three days before?

This must have been a terrifying, mystifying, and joy-filled experience for those disciples in that Upper Room. We can hardly imagine the deep outpouring of all kinds of emotions when they saw their Rabbi Jesus, risen from the dead. Alive once more.

Notice that Jesus did not say “What happened? Where were you? What do you mean, running away and leaving Me all alone? You screwed up! You guys are losers!” No, Jesus did not say anything angry or shaming like that. Instead, He said, “Peace.” Can you imagine? Jesus wished all of His friends “Peace.” In other words, “It is okay. I understand. I forgive you.” Can you imagine how the disciples felt when they heard this marvelous expression from Jesus? [1]

Except…not all of the disciples were there to witness this visit, this post-Resurrection appearance of our Lord. One disciple was missing. Thomas. We do not know why, or where he was, or what he was doing, only that he was indeed missing.

Let us turn to the account from John 20, and listen to what happened: “24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

He did not believe. Cut Thomas some slack. Perhaps some of us might have been in the same situation as Thomas, if we had not been there either, immediately following the Resurrection. Thomas is called “Doubting Thomas,” and sometimes he is even scoffed at. But, I prefer to think of him as “Skeptical Thomas.” He did not want to believe in mere hear-say, or in false reports, or in wishful or magical thinking. No, he wanted to have firm evidence of something so serious and earth-shaking as his Rabbi coming back to life. And, can we really blame him?

I love what one of my favorite commentators says about Thomas. Carolyn Brown says that “no amount of explaining can make ‘doubter’ into a positive adjective – especially in this story.” She wants to describe Thomas as a curious person who wanted to see for himself what his friends had already seen. [2]

Did something similar ever happen to you? Did you ever miss a big event (for whatever reason), and then had to listen to your friends and acquaintances excitedly go on and on about that big event? So much so, you wished they would just cut it out, and stop chattering about the big event that happened? Do you suspect Thomas might have felt that way?

At least Thomas is honest! If we look further at the Gospel of John, we see that Thomas was the disciples “who cared enough to interrupt Jesus when he did not understand what Jesus was saying (in John 14:5). He really wanted to understand Jesus.” [3]

How many of us today can say that same thing? Can you relate to Thomas? How many of us really are trying to understand what Jesus said, and what He meant? Thomas certainly is straight-forward. He is skeptical, but he also wants to find out exactly what happened. Put his hand in the spear wound in His side, and his fingers in the holes in Jesus’s wrists.

This sounds so much like many journalists today. They want to find out, first-hand, and get all the straight information. Get the whole story. Perhaps Thomas might have made a great reporter, if they had had newspapers in the first century.

We can ask questions, too. It takes courage to ask questions. We can be skeptical of God, too. God knows we all have questions. There is no honest question Jesus cannot handle.

Children have wonderful questions for Jesus. Carolyn Brown is now retired, but before she retired, she was a Director of Children’s Ministry at a Presbyterian church. Children ask God some serious, penetrating questions, like: “Why didn’t you make me taller or prettier or smarter or…..?“ “How can God pay attention to everyone in the world at every minute?” “Why can’t I see you or at least hear your actual voice like people in the Bible did?”  [4]

There were some confused disciples and puzzled followers of Jesus after His Resurrection, too. But, Jesus does not answer us in long, drawn-out explanations. Instead, He shows us Himself. He showed Himself to Thomas, and showed his fresh wounds. He said, “Stop doubting, and believe!”

What was Thomas’s response? “My Lord, and my God!”

Thomas saw Jesus’s wounds with his own eyes, A skeptic like Thomas could work his way through honest uncertainty and come to a ringing statement of faith.  What is more, Jesus then said ““Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!” And that includes all of us, today.

Can you and I make a rock-solid statement of faith like Thomas, too? Please God, we can, and we will.

[1] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2015/02/year-b-second-sunday-of-easter-april-12.html

Worshiping with Children, Easter 2, Including children in the congregation’s worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2015. 

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2018: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!)