1 Timothy 3:14-16
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, 15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. 16 Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
As some of you may know I absolutely love Flannery O’Connor, that wonderful southern writer of the last century. On a shelf in my office, in one form or another, is a copy of every published work she has ever written. I guess you could say my “literary love affair” with Miss Flannery started a few years ago when a friend of mine named Lanny left a copy of The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor in the driver’s seat of my truck; that very night, lying in bed, I read every story Lanny had marked as his favorite, and over the next few days I had read all of her short stories (which I have read several times over since). But I found I couldn’t stop there, so I bought the two novels she wrote, The Violent Bear it Away (which I read on a plane ride to Dallas) and Wise Blood (which I started on the return trip and finished that week). I also found various compilations of her letters, lectures, and spiritual writings (Flannery was a rare southern Catholic). If there’s anything she’s written I haven’t read it’s safe to say I will one day.
When you’ve read everything an author has written you begin to notice certain patterns and differences in her works, and it should come as no surprise that there are marked differences between the fiction of Flannery O’Connor and her more personal letters and spiritual insights to her friend Betty Hester, simply designated by the letter A. Her letters are more practical, personal, and to the point, and while written with the same mastery of language as her stories there is still a directness that stands out—still the same author, just a different intent. You notice these sorts of things when you’ve read everything an author has published, and it’s no different with the authors of Scripture.
Take for instance the works of Paul. You see, to read the entire Pauline corpus (the collected letters attributed to the Apostle Paul) is to read the writings of the Church’s first real theologian. Paul’s works are filled with deep, often confusing, language about the nature of God in Christ, the condition of humankind, and the wonder of salvation. I mean just listen to his words in the third chapter of Romans: “But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.” Did you get all of that? Great theological words from the proto-missionary Paul, but of course, there are words and phrases and ideas like this all over the Pauline epistles.
This morning, however, we’ve read from one of the few letters of Paul that breaks from type. Just as Flannery’s letters to A. are markedly different in genre from her stories, Paul’s letters to Timothy (and Titus) are different from his other epistles. In the letters to Timothy and Titus (often called the Pastorals) Paul doesn’t go to great depths explaining the vast wonders of theology: no, he gets down to the real nitty-gritty of congregational life. This is Paul the bishop, Paul the mentor, not necessarily Paul the apostle and theologian.
In the first three chapters of 1 Timothy, Paul gives very practical guidelines for the how the church in Ephesus ought to be conducted: qualifications for elders, deacons, etc. After all, Ephesus is a church in the midst of a highly-populated city with a thriving cult of the goddess Artemis, the twin sister of the god Apollo. It is a church with a history of “celebrity” pastors: Paul, Peter, and John. With such circumstance, it’s no wonder Timothy would need the guiding words of his mentor and co-laborer Paul. Then, in the three verses we’ve read this morning, Paul expresses his desire to return to Ephesus and sums up his reasons for writing this letter to Timothy. It is in these verses that I believe you will find a very direct word for our congregation this morning.
Paul says in verses 14 and 15, “I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” Notice the three phrases he uses to describe the church: household of God…church of the living God…pillar and bulwark of truth. I think it’s safe to say Paul has a high view of the church. Calling the church the “household of God” speaks of more than just a building. While you may refer to this building, this room, as “God’s house”, Paul has something much deeper in mind. The term Paul uses there (*Blogger doesn't recognize my Greek font, so insert Greek for "household of God) can refer to a physical dwelling or structure, or it can refer to those who occupy such a structure. The word “household” used by most English translation captures it well; Paul isn’t referring to a physical space, but those people who make up the household of God—believers.
He goes on to call it the church of the living God, (*insert Greek for "church of the living God"). This household of God isn’t like the temple to Artemis where they worshipped an inanimate idol: this is a congregation in which God himself lives! It is language reminiscent of Peter’s confession of Christ in Matthew 16: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” The church is meant to be a community of people thriving in the all-consuming presence of the living God! Furthermore, this sort of church upholds the truth as the pillar and bulwark of the truth. The Church—both the local congregation and the Church universal—has a purpose, and that purpose extends beyond simply offering services! The church’s existence rests in upholding the truth.
Did you notice Paul’s words in verse 16? “Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.” Just when you think Paul is going to stick with practical words about the mission of the church, he slips into his old habit of writing deep theology. Actually, what Paul has done here is clarify what he means by “the truth.” Paul even gives a quick jab to the Artemis cult there in Ephesus: they had a popular confession claiming “Great is Artemis” or “Great is Artemis,” so Paul turns those words in a subtle way by claiming that “the mystery of our religion is great.” Perhaps Paul is quoting from an early Christian hymn which speaks of the universal nature of the truth of the gospel, spanning flesh and spirit, angels and the nations, and even this world and glory. There is nothing outside the scope of the truth the Church is called to uphold.
So what does it look like to be a “pillar and bulwark of the truth”? I suppose Paul and those first century Christians may have had a different definition than most churchgoers these days. I suppose it would look strange to those first Christians if they were to join us for worship this morning. I can imagine they would wonder why we bothered tying knots around our necks, or why we are meeting in some building that isn’t one of our homes. Perhaps they’d find the projector and screen more than just a little strange, along with the hymns we sing—not to mention the language we speak! But I wonder if they’d still recognize us as brothers and sisters meeting for the worship of God and the upholding of the truth of the gospel? Would they still be able to see the gospel in us despite the difference of time, culture, and language? Are we a pillar and bulwark of the truth?
Why do we do what we do as Christ’s church, as a local body of believers? Do we hold services on Sundays out of obligation to some tradition that was established before we were born? Do we gather together for prayer on Wednesdays simply because, well, we always have? What about Sunday School; why do we have Sunday School? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves every so often to be sure we’re true to the calling of Christ on our lives as a congregation. Why do we do what we do? Well, if we answer that question with any other response aside from the will of God, then we need to refocus our efforts. Are we, the people of Fairview Heights Northside Baptist Church, a household of God, a collected gathering of believers seeking to do the will of God? Are we a church of the living God living in the real presence of the one true God? Are we a pillar and bulwark of the truth, seeking with all that we do to uphold the gospel and proclaim the reality of Christ to our neighbors?
Let me challenge you, all of you, this morning. If you’ve been a part of this congregation and simply going with the flow, allowing the monotony of obligation propel you towards a state of spiritual apathy, it’s time to ask yourself why you do what you do as a part of this church. If you show up on Sunday mornings, evening, or Wednesdays because you expect to be served rather than to serve, then it’s time to ask if you’re being a true part of the household of God. Each and every one of us who claims to be members of this church are called to uphold the truth of Christ in all that we do, most of all in what we do as a congregation.
So won’t you join me in seeking the will of God as we pursue the kingdom’s work together? Won’t you join with me in this time of invitation to bind our hearts together in prayer for our church as we seek to minister to those in need? Will those of you who are not members of this congregation join us in the work of Christ’s Church this morning? Won’t you join me in this time now as we are called together to be a pillar and bulwark of truth?
Let us pray…
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
A place to find a good sermon.
Here is a link to the podcast page of Grace Episcopal Church of Anniston, Alabama. My friend Lee is the Rector there, and her sermons are definitely worth a listen.
http://graceanniston.org/podcast/
http://graceanniston.org/podcast/
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
More than Meets the Eye
John 20:19-31
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin ), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "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." 26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
What can one say after the kind of week we have had? What words can we hear that don’t ring just a little hollow in the comfort of this sanctuary? Just over the course of this week hundreds of lives have been lost in the wake of one of the worst natural disasters in this state’s history. Tens of thousands are still without electricity or water. Entire communities have been erased from the map. And right here in our very own community we have experienced such an alarming tragedy that words fail to express our emotions. So what can one say? Is it right to say anything at all when words seem so useless in a time like this? How can one say anything in a place like this when there are so many who have lost everything, and so many more who can’t even find where to begin to put the pieces back together? Can God really have something to say to us, something that will bring us peace in such a tumultuous time as this?
You know, it has always interested me how people tend to get more “religious” in the wake of such tragedy. Television reports and newspapers run stories with titles like “Finding God in the midst of Devastation.” People who would never darken the door of a church or bend a knee in prayer suddenly show up at the front door of the church asking for someone to pray for them or give them shelter. Sometimes people get more “religious” by becoming more vocal in their disgust with the divine. They blame God for the tragedy that has struck; they curse the heavens and the God they imagine dwells there; they may even reject the assistance of a church because somehow they think that the church is subtly behind their misfortune and is seeking to profit from it by adding another body in the pew on Sunday morning. Whatever the case may be, it seems that when tragedies such as these strike, people begin to see them as signs—signs of God presence in their midst.
Of course, who can blame them for wanting a sign? My grandma used to tell me: “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.” It’s not an uncommon philosophy for many people today. Folks have a difficult time believing what their told. Don’t believe me? Well that would just prove my point wouldn’t it? We don’t believe what we’re told because we’ve been let down too many times, whether it’s been by politicians unable to live up to their campaign promises or loved ones who have told us time and again they’ll get help, they’ll get sober this time. We just don’t believe them anymore. We need proof, something tangible. We want some collateral when it comes to believing someone’s word, and perhaps that is why people tend to wax religious when tragedy strikes. Because somehow, in the midst of the confusion, despair, and horror there is some kind of tangible proof of something greater, something bigger than us.
I suppose that very same sort of feeling had crossed those first followers of Jesus when the tragedy of Good Friday struck. For years life seemed to be heading in a positive direction: they had a Messiah now; he did miracles, taught with wonderful stories, and even walked, laughed, and ate with them—right there in the midst of them! They had proof of a genuine Messiah, because he was there; they could hear him, smell him, touch him. What more could a follower of Christ need to prove his or her faith than the Christ himself?! But then that Friday came, and as Mark tells us in the fourteenth chapter of his gospel, “All of them deserted him and fled.” They left, right when Christ could have needed them most and right when their faith was most directly put to the test. Then…tragedy: Jesus was crucified. The movement was surely doomed to be over as the disciples had fled, and none of them seemed to believe what Jesus had said when he told them he’d be back on the third day.
Sunday dawned, and with it came the hope of all humankind—the resurrection. The disciples, however, didn’t see it; they were only told about it (“Don’t believe anything you hear…”). So it doesn’t come as a surprise to me that, (20:19-20) “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” Jesus just showed up! And not in some David Copperfield sort of way with smoke and mirrors, but in a supernatural way beyond our comprehension. Jesus appears and shows them his hands and his side: here’s proof, tangible, physical evidence of his existence.
Of course, the timing is important. This is after the devastation of Good Friday, and here Jesus is giving his troubled disciples proof. However, there is so much more he gives them than just some visible evidence, for he continues on in verses 21 and following: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” In the wake of Good Friday’s tragedy, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit onto his disciples and gives them peace. Consider the magnitude of such a thing: not simply comfort, not just an explanation as to what has happened, not some sort of systematic theology of atonement. He gives them peace, and then breathes the Holy Spirit upon them, charging them with the duties of a follower of Christ. In the wake of tragedy, Jesus offers peace and the comforting commission of the Holy Spirit. Of course, the disciples gathered there that first day saw Jesus when he granted them peace and the Holy Spirit—they had visible evidence! So really, Thomas’ action in the following verses shouldn’t come as so much of a shock to us.
In verses 24 and 25 the Bible says, “But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘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.’" Now, perhaps Thomas had in mind Jesus’ words from Mark 13:5-6: “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!' and they will lead many astray,” so maybe he just wanted to be sure that it was Jesus and not one of these others who would lead them astray. Maybe, but I doubt it. Thomas just wanted what we all want and what the other disciples had—proof. He wanted to see the telling signs of Jesus’ crucifixion and his physical body that would prove resurrection. Of course, the odd thing is (at least to me) that Jesus gives Thomas exactly what he asked.
Verses 26-28: “A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” Jesus not only showed up, but offered Thomas to touch his wounds. Here is undeniable proof! Yet I wonder if Jesus wasn’t just a little disappointed with Thomas; after all, he’s gone on to receive the nickname “Doubting Thomas.” You can almost hear Jesus’ disappointment in verse 29: “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me?’” While the NRSV translates this sentence as a question, other translations render it as a declarative statement: “You have believed because you have seen me.” The existential theologian, Rudolf Bultmann went so far as to claim that the resurrection appearances of Jesus occurred simply because of the weakness of the disciples’ belief; they had to have some sort of proof to “seal the deal.” And that brings us back to looking for signs in the midst of tragedy.
Thomas, along with the other disciples desired some sort of proof of Jesus’ resurrection after the despair of Good Friday. They wanted a sign. That, my friends, is truly irony at its best, especially in John’s gospel, in which Jesus performs no miracle—the writer of the fourth gospel prefers to call them signs. In fact, the last words of our text this morning sum up the author’s use of signs quite well: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” The author wrote down these signs so that we may believe, yet there are still countless people, particularly in the midst of such troubled times, who turn their gaze towards heaven asking for a sign.
But do not be misled into thinking that somehow the heartbreak of these past few days is somehow simply a “sign” from God. Do not give into the simplistic idea that faith is based on what can be seen and therefore proven. After all, if faith can be proven with tangible evidence can it really be called faith any longer? No, in the midst of these tragic days we hear a better word from Jesus, for just as he appeared to Thomas for the sake of his faith, Jesus also spoke these words: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
If you are one who is looking for a sign, the truth is you could find one. If you’re one who wants to prove God’s existence in the terrifying forces of nature, you could easily do so. However, we are called to a faith in things unseen, to a faith witnessed for us in the pages of Holy Scripture and in the lives of those saints who have gone on before and are in our presence now. Jesus says those who believe without seeing are blessed, and in the midst of tragedy and despair he offers peace and the comfort of the Holy Spirit to those who believe. So are you still waiting for a sign? Are you simply riding on the religious fumes that tend to follow such devastating times? Or will you this day let go of that human desire for proof and cling to Christ who offers you peace that surpasses all evidence and hope that is greater that all that we could hope to see? If you call on his name this day, you will truly find joy in the midst of heartache, love in the midst of grief, and a life that is more than meets the eye.
Let us pray…
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin ), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "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." 26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
What can one say after the kind of week we have had? What words can we hear that don’t ring just a little hollow in the comfort of this sanctuary? Just over the course of this week hundreds of lives have been lost in the wake of one of the worst natural disasters in this state’s history. Tens of thousands are still without electricity or water. Entire communities have been erased from the map. And right here in our very own community we have experienced such an alarming tragedy that words fail to express our emotions. So what can one say? Is it right to say anything at all when words seem so useless in a time like this? How can one say anything in a place like this when there are so many who have lost everything, and so many more who can’t even find where to begin to put the pieces back together? Can God really have something to say to us, something that will bring us peace in such a tumultuous time as this?
You know, it has always interested me how people tend to get more “religious” in the wake of such tragedy. Television reports and newspapers run stories with titles like “Finding God in the midst of Devastation.” People who would never darken the door of a church or bend a knee in prayer suddenly show up at the front door of the church asking for someone to pray for them or give them shelter. Sometimes people get more “religious” by becoming more vocal in their disgust with the divine. They blame God for the tragedy that has struck; they curse the heavens and the God they imagine dwells there; they may even reject the assistance of a church because somehow they think that the church is subtly behind their misfortune and is seeking to profit from it by adding another body in the pew on Sunday morning. Whatever the case may be, it seems that when tragedies such as these strike, people begin to see them as signs—signs of God presence in their midst.
Of course, who can blame them for wanting a sign? My grandma used to tell me: “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.” It’s not an uncommon philosophy for many people today. Folks have a difficult time believing what their told. Don’t believe me? Well that would just prove my point wouldn’t it? We don’t believe what we’re told because we’ve been let down too many times, whether it’s been by politicians unable to live up to their campaign promises or loved ones who have told us time and again they’ll get help, they’ll get sober this time. We just don’t believe them anymore. We need proof, something tangible. We want some collateral when it comes to believing someone’s word, and perhaps that is why people tend to wax religious when tragedy strikes. Because somehow, in the midst of the confusion, despair, and horror there is some kind of tangible proof of something greater, something bigger than us.
I suppose that very same sort of feeling had crossed those first followers of Jesus when the tragedy of Good Friday struck. For years life seemed to be heading in a positive direction: they had a Messiah now; he did miracles, taught with wonderful stories, and even walked, laughed, and ate with them—right there in the midst of them! They had proof of a genuine Messiah, because he was there; they could hear him, smell him, touch him. What more could a follower of Christ need to prove his or her faith than the Christ himself?! But then that Friday came, and as Mark tells us in the fourteenth chapter of his gospel, “All of them deserted him and fled.” They left, right when Christ could have needed them most and right when their faith was most directly put to the test. Then…tragedy: Jesus was crucified. The movement was surely doomed to be over as the disciples had fled, and none of them seemed to believe what Jesus had said when he told them he’d be back on the third day.
Sunday dawned, and with it came the hope of all humankind—the resurrection. The disciples, however, didn’t see it; they were only told about it (“Don’t believe anything you hear…”). So it doesn’t come as a surprise to me that, (20:19-20) “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” Jesus just showed up! And not in some David Copperfield sort of way with smoke and mirrors, but in a supernatural way beyond our comprehension. Jesus appears and shows them his hands and his side: here’s proof, tangible, physical evidence of his existence.
Of course, the timing is important. This is after the devastation of Good Friday, and here Jesus is giving his troubled disciples proof. However, there is so much more he gives them than just some visible evidence, for he continues on in verses 21 and following: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” In the wake of Good Friday’s tragedy, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit onto his disciples and gives them peace. Consider the magnitude of such a thing: not simply comfort, not just an explanation as to what has happened, not some sort of systematic theology of atonement. He gives them peace, and then breathes the Holy Spirit upon them, charging them with the duties of a follower of Christ. In the wake of tragedy, Jesus offers peace and the comforting commission of the Holy Spirit. Of course, the disciples gathered there that first day saw Jesus when he granted them peace and the Holy Spirit—they had visible evidence! So really, Thomas’ action in the following verses shouldn’t come as so much of a shock to us.
In verses 24 and 25 the Bible says, “But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘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.’" Now, perhaps Thomas had in mind Jesus’ words from Mark 13:5-6: “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!' and they will lead many astray,” so maybe he just wanted to be sure that it was Jesus and not one of these others who would lead them astray. Maybe, but I doubt it. Thomas just wanted what we all want and what the other disciples had—proof. He wanted to see the telling signs of Jesus’ crucifixion and his physical body that would prove resurrection. Of course, the odd thing is (at least to me) that Jesus gives Thomas exactly what he asked.
Verses 26-28: “A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” Jesus not only showed up, but offered Thomas to touch his wounds. Here is undeniable proof! Yet I wonder if Jesus wasn’t just a little disappointed with Thomas; after all, he’s gone on to receive the nickname “Doubting Thomas.” You can almost hear Jesus’ disappointment in verse 29: “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me?’” While the NRSV translates this sentence as a question, other translations render it as a declarative statement: “You have believed because you have seen me.” The existential theologian, Rudolf Bultmann went so far as to claim that the resurrection appearances of Jesus occurred simply because of the weakness of the disciples’ belief; they had to have some sort of proof to “seal the deal.” And that brings us back to looking for signs in the midst of tragedy.
Thomas, along with the other disciples desired some sort of proof of Jesus’ resurrection after the despair of Good Friday. They wanted a sign. That, my friends, is truly irony at its best, especially in John’s gospel, in which Jesus performs no miracle—the writer of the fourth gospel prefers to call them signs. In fact, the last words of our text this morning sum up the author’s use of signs quite well: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” The author wrote down these signs so that we may believe, yet there are still countless people, particularly in the midst of such troubled times, who turn their gaze towards heaven asking for a sign.
But do not be misled into thinking that somehow the heartbreak of these past few days is somehow simply a “sign” from God. Do not give into the simplistic idea that faith is based on what can be seen and therefore proven. After all, if faith can be proven with tangible evidence can it really be called faith any longer? No, in the midst of these tragic days we hear a better word from Jesus, for just as he appeared to Thomas for the sake of his faith, Jesus also spoke these words: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
If you are one who is looking for a sign, the truth is you could find one. If you’re one who wants to prove God’s existence in the terrifying forces of nature, you could easily do so. However, we are called to a faith in things unseen, to a faith witnessed for us in the pages of Holy Scripture and in the lives of those saints who have gone on before and are in our presence now. Jesus says those who believe without seeing are blessed, and in the midst of tragedy and despair he offers peace and the comfort of the Holy Spirit to those who believe. So are you still waiting for a sign? Are you simply riding on the religious fumes that tend to follow such devastating times? Or will you this day let go of that human desire for proof and cling to Christ who offers you peace that surpasses all evidence and hope that is greater that all that we could hope to see? If you call on his name this day, you will truly find joy in the midst of heartache, love in the midst of grief, and a life that is more than meets the eye.
Let us pray…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)