Easter 2 Yr A
Confessing Thomas

Thomas Sunday Reflection

Thomas the Apostle, “Doubting Thomas” as he is better known, is one of those biblical characters that allows us to feel good about ourselves. Like when Peter blurts out his hare-brained idea to memorialize the Transfiguration with three shrines (The Gospel of Luke has to advise in a parenthetical clause that Peter did not know what he was saying). Or when Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, we all get to be glad that we are not as conceited and self-righteous as the Pharisee (not realizing, in our contempt, we are replicating his sin). And here, in this post-resurrection passage, we moderns get to feel superior because we are stronger in our faith than even one of Jesus’ own disciples. After all, the Risen Christ himself declares in the next verse, “Blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe.” That would be us.

And yet, my suspicion is that many of us are inwardly tracking our own doubt when we hear this story. Why shouldn’t Thomas demand the same evidence given to his colleagues in the upper room? (Though he raises them one by demanding not only to see the wounds but to place his finger in the scars of Christ’s hands and side.) It should be reassuring to us all that Jesus does not condemn Thomas for his doubt but obliges his skeptical follower with what he requires—physical, tactile proof. Only then does Thomas, overwhelmed, utter his confession of faith: “My Lord and my God!” 

Still, Jesus follows Thomas’ proclamation with his final beatitude: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” Why blessed? For one, few of us will have a corporal encounter with the Risen Christ, at least this side of the grave. If we are to believe and receive life in his name (v. 29) then we must come to our belief through faith. 

There is another sense of faithful blessedness that I’ve learned from our two Chihuahuas. 

One, Titan, was rescued from the neighbor’s yard after he had been abandoned as a tiny puppy. Titan suffered one terrifying night long ago, and the rest of his years have been spent on comfy dog pillows surrounded by doting doggie daddies. When work or errands take us away, he sleeps confidently, full of unswerving faith that we will return and dinner will appear, on time, in his bowl. Titan’s greetings when we come home are warm but unsurprised. His adopted sister, Juno, on the other hand, spent her first nine months as a stray and then a ward of the SPCA. She is forever grateful for her adopted home, but also terrified that it could all slip away. For Juno, our homecoming from the grocery store or a two-week vacation elicit the same ecstatic writhing and anguished yelps of joy. Juno fears every time we leave the house that the earth could open and swallow her fathers forever. She is amazed and overjoyed each day that it has not.

Titan has faith—and the peace that comes with it. Juno is utterly unbelieving. She suffers the deep anxiety brought on by her doubt—but also experiences the intense joy that seeing the 3-D proof affords.

(c) 2023 Brad Erickson

Introduction

Think about some of your favorite clothes. Maybe a dress of find material that fits like a glove. Maybe a faded denim jacket that’s a quarter century old. As you think about your favorite, also think about how you would describe it to someone else. It’s highly unlikely that any two of us have the same favorite or the same reason for liking the garment. Now think about the unique nature and fit of your faith. Your faith should be as comfortable as your favorite garment, should fit you like that dress, or feel as comfortable as that denim jacket. Can you share the story of your faith as easily as you can share the story of an article of clothing? What does a life dressed in Christ really look like? Hopefully it isn’t like some one-size-fits-most caftan or rain poncho that doesn’t really fit anyone well. When we are clothed in Christ, we are truly wearing the very best, and we are both alike and unique in how we model and share our Christian identity. 

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The title “Confessing Thomas” is an homage to Fr. Mark A. Abdelnour’s interpretation. Here’s an excerpt from Fr. Mark’s sermon in 2016 on Thomas Sunday:

“Doubting Thomas?” Why do they call me Doubting Thomas?
They don’t call Peter, “Denying Peter,” do they? And Peter denied Him 3 times. . . . when He needed him the most.
They don’t call Paul, “Hold Your Coat While You Stone Him Paul,” do they?
Even though that’s exactly what he did when they stoned Stephen. . . .

John 20:19-31

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.” . . . 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.” But Thomas . . . was not with them when Jesus came. . . . [and] 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.” 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!”

From sermon4kids.com: “You and I have never seen Jesus, but we believe. We accept Him by faith. We don’t have to see it to believe it!”