Sermon by Deacon Mike Stutso, 4/16/2023, John 20:19-31
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
Dazed, confused, angry, hurt, sad, scared, bewildered, baffled, perplexed befuddled, betrayed, dejected, rejected, lost, and questioning their faith, I could keep going on and on with words to describe: WHO? Well, it should be obviously the DISCIPLES.
I am going to borrow some material I had thought of for Wednesday’s sermon. It was on Luke 24:13-35, The Walk to Emmaus”. So, they both happened on the same day, one says, “On the same day” and the other says, “When it was evening on that day”. But the same situation occurred in both instances, the words above apply to our Apostles and the disciples, Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of our Master. Just in case you are interested, in Acts 1:14-15 it says there were about 120 disciples, I love info like that.
Now Theologians have forever told us that the disciples never got it until the Holy Spirit was breathed into them. I know I’ve said it myself numerous times and meant it. But I’ve decided to put myself into their shoes; I mean really think about it. Look at their lives prior to meeting Jesus; some were fishermen, one a tax collector, possibly a couple businessmen, a thief. I mean no brain surgeons or rocket scientists and the University of Haifa had not been built yet. They were ordinary people, ordinary jobs with ordinary lives until Jesus. Then their lives were turned upside down.
Let’s face it how many of us have ever known anyone who was or is fully human but fully Devine, I don’t know anyone but the Apostles and the disciples. I’m sure if Jesus walked up to me now and I was working in the fishing industry and he said follow me and you will fish for men, I’d ask what does it pay and what are the benefits.
Nothing, I mean nothing, has ever occurred or has occurred since Jesus, we are lucky that we’ve had over 2,000 years of theologians to sort this out for us and verify these things. I can totally see the mass confusion in their lives and inability to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, he doesn’t look like a mighty king that will deliver them from the Romans and the rest of the world. He looks like an ordinary man that is one of the greatest prophets of all times. So now when I beat them up for their inability to understand, I think I’ll cut them some slack and say, I might have the same issues as they did.
Let’s work on this Gospel now. We know as I earlier stated that it was the first day of the week, the Resurrection, which just happens to be the first day of the Jewish week, I always think of it as Monday, but I see our Jewish sisters and brothers celebrate Shabbat/Sabbath and Sunday is the beginning of the week. As I said, I thought Monday was the first day of the week because Monday was the first workday. It says the doors were locked for fear of the Jews; their own people, the people that turned over our Master to be almost beaten to death and then demanded he be crucified.
So, I bet they were scared of the Jewish nation or the Jewish leaders and High Priest? It could also be they are afraid of their uncertain future because their teacher is gone or possibly are they afraid of Jesus because they have failed him, deserted him, except for one? I see a lapse in their spirituality and belief in what Jesus has taught them and the promises that he would never leave them by themselves.
But Jesus shows them that no locked doors or walls can stop him. He has not come to confront or criticize them for their failures or running from his Crucifixion but to grant them peace by saying “Peace be with you”. His greetings could be related to the Hebrew greeting of “Shalom” meaning tranquility and wellbeing. Then he shows them his wounds not in defeat but to show his victory over death by his resurrection just as he and the prophets had foretold, that he is truly the son of God. That he is at this meeting made of real flesh and blood and not a figment of their imagination or a spirit.
Jesus then said “As the father has sent me, so I send you” and breathes on them and says “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive sin of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained”. I was reading an article that said that this is a commissioning scene, the commissioning of the church as a whole not an elite group within the church. In John’s Gospel, “Sin” are a rejection of Jesus and his ministries, not a priest with the ability to forgive sin but of the people accepting Jesus as they go out to proclaim the love of God that Jesus has made known.
Now we get to the person this Gospel is nicknamed after: “Doubting Thomas”, isn’t it funny that we have to put a title on almost everything, another example is Wednesday’s Gospel “The Walk to Emmaus”. I guess it makes it easier to remember the story instead of saying Luke 24:13-35, which is not a lot of help.
Unfortunately, Thomas was not there for the first sighting of Jesus in “The House” but Thomas is not asking for anything more than the other Apostles and disciples were wanting and received on Jesus’ first visit. They all doubted Mary when she came back to proclaim that Jesus was not in the grave. So, they were all looking for proof so let’s cut Thomas a bit of slack here.
But again, Jesus appears, even through locked doors again, question, are the Apostles and disciples still afraid and doubting what they saw and received from Jesus, it would appear so? Now, Jesus is prepared to honor Thomas’s demand, then Thomas with seeing, needed nothing more. Thomas at this point makes one of the most important and powerful confession and statement of belief by saying, “My Lord and my God”, an incredible act of faith. Jesus asks him “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” I don’t believe for one minute that Jesus’ statement was meant solely for Thomas but all the Apostles and disciples and all of us.
I found a statement I will quote from Elisabeth Johnson. “Jesus’ response to Thomas is not a rebuke, but rather a blessing for all those who will come to believe without having had the benefit of a flesh-and-blood encounter with Jesus. Indeed, the author goes on to declare that this is the very purpose of this book, addressing all of us who have not seen but have heard this testimony: “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name”.
So, I will close with a statement I now live by from a mentor and friend, Fr. Steve, “I believe so that I can understand” I have added to this statement: I understand because I do believe.
AMEN