Sermon by The Very Rev Chris Yaw, 4/12/2026, Easter 2
Lessons: John 20:19-31
Happy Eastertide Saints!
And let’s begin with that old Bon Jovi song 'Livin’ on a Prayer.'..
I had a friend who loved to sing it - and one day he got to that verse many of us know: “
"We've gotta hold on to what we've got - it doesn't make a difference if we’re naked or not…”
And I had to stop him and say – wait a minute - ‘I think the verse is ‘it doesn’t matter if WE MAKE IT OR NOT.’
And we actually got into one of those arguments that you had to let Google decide…
And then he finally told me – all these years – I’ve been singing it that way!
Yep – all those years… and he had discovered a different way!
And today I want to take us on a similar ride with dear old St. Thomas –
You know, doubting Thomas - And the suggestion that we may have been misreading the room a bit on this guy for the last two thousand years or so…
That a better moniker for him might not be ‘Doubting Thomas’ – but ‘Thomas the Brave.’
Thomas the Brave!
Of course, we’re so used to ‘Doubting Thomas’ –
Over the centuries he’s come to be known as the patron saint of the "I’ll believe it when I see it" - vibe.
We use him as the cautionary tale—the guy you don’t want to be at the annual parish meeting.
He’s the one we point to when we want to shame people for having questions or for needing a little more "proof" before they dive into the deep end.
But when we actually look at the script— looking at the Greek, the context, and the sheer human physics of the Gospel of John—we realize that for Thomas, skepticism may not be his most endearing attribute: And that another one sticks out:
Thomas is the only one in the entire group with a spine.
And with a spine that the Christian Church is in great need of today.
Let’s consider the possibility that we’ve been gaslighting this man for two millennia without looking at the actual math of the room.
Just maybe we’ve turned a story about courage - into a story about a lack of faith –
And in doing so, we’ve missed the very thing Jesus was trying to show us about what it means to be his disciple – and the very thing we, critically, need today.
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We pick things up in John 20 - it’s the evening of the Resurrection.
The tomb is empty. Mary Magdalene has already run back and told everyone,
"I have seen the Lord!"
The news is out.
The revolution has supposedly begun.
But the disciples aren't throwing a party.
They aren't out in the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor.
They’re scared.
The text says the doors were locked "for fear of the Judean authorities."
They are literally cowering in a room, paralyzed by the "what ifs."
They are suffering from a spiritual and emotional lockdown.
But here’s the thing: Everyone is there… except Thomas.
So we ask: Why wasn't Thomas in the room?
Was he at home under his covers?
Was he hiding in some other secret basement?
Probably not.
Based on everything we know about him, Thomas was likely out in the streets.
He was getting groceries. He was checking the news. He was walking the very streets where Jesus had just been executed.
While the "inner circle" was playing it safe behind a deadbolt:
Thomas was the only one who didn't let fear dictate his location.
He wasn't "missing out"—he was the only one brave enough to step outside.
This is the same Thomas who, back in John 11, when Jesus wanted to head toward a literal death trap in Judea to see Lazarus, said to the rest of the group: "Let us also go, that we may die with him"
Thomas wasn't a doubter; He was a pragmatist.
He was the guy who stayed when things got heavy.
He was a realist who was ready to what made the most sense for the Gospel.
As Nadia Bolz-Weber reminds us, we tend to prefer a "shiny" faith - when God tends to show up in the “grit.” Thomas was out in the grit of Jerusalem while everyone else was looking for safety in the shadows.
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Now let’s jump to John 14.
It’s that time when Jesus was giving this deep, metaphorical, "Upper Room Discourse" about "preparing a place" and "knowing the way." You probably remember the story - He’s talking about mansions and paths and the Father’s house.
Everyone else is nodding along like they totally get it: which is something I’ve practiced so well when listening to sermons I don’t understand – and maybe I’m not alone?....
I smile and say "Amen" to things that actually confuse the heck out of me because I’m afraid that if I ask a question: people might think I don't belong.
So, the disciples here were clearly lost in the sauce.
They had no idea what Jesus was talking about.
Enter Thomas.
He’s the only one with the courage to raise his hand and say:
"Actually, Lord, we have no idea where you’re going.
“So how could we possibly know the way?" (John 14:5).
That’s not doubt.
That’s intellectual honesty.
It takes massive courage to be the only person in the room to admit you don’t understand.
Thomas didn't want a "polite" faith; he wanted a real one.
He understood that a faith that can’t handle a hard question isn't a faith worth having.
Being brave enough to raise your hand when everyone else is nodding takes courage – takes conviction – takes honesty – takes courage:
Thomas the Brave.
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Now, let's look at the "math" of the following week – let’s go back to the beginning of our reading - This is the part that usually gets skipped over in the Sunday School version.
Jesus shows up in that room when Thomas is gone.
He shows those 10 disciples his hands and his side.
He breathes the Holy Spirit on them.
He gives them a "Go" mission.
He says, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you" (John 20:21).
Massive power. World-changing authority. The keys to the kingdom.
Right?
A week later--a week!--the disciples finally see Thomas and say,
"We have seen the Lord!"
But did you notice that: they are still in that same room.
The doors are still locked.
They are still cowering.
Thomas looks at them and basically says, "I’ll believe it when I see it."
We think he’s talking about Jesus’ scars.
But what if he’s talking about theirs?
He’s looking at ten guys claiming to have the power of God, claiming to have the Holy Spirit, claiming to have seen the conqueror of death--But they are still too chicken to unlock the front door.
Thomas didn’t doubt the Resurrection; he doubted the witnesses.
He refused to believe in a "miracle" that produced zero change in the people who claimed to experience it. He’s basically saying:
"If you’ve seen the Risen Christ, why are you still hiding in the basement?
“If the Spirit is on you, why is the deadbolt still turned?
“You say you have 'Good News,' but you look exactly like you did last Friday—terrified and stuck."
Thomas didn't see any strength in them.
He saw the same old fear. He was waiting for a witness that actually moved the needle.
Thomas the Brave was the one who had courage to move beyond the locked doors.
He had the high standards to expect more from his fellow disciples – And He had the foresight to see that the superpower Jesus had given them in that room would be the key to what humanity needs to flourish…
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Let’s go back to that locked room…
Think about those disciples. It’s days after the arrest and crucifixion – and the night after the resurrection. Jesus is alive – and those disciples are drowning in shame.
They all ran. Peter denied him.
They probably hated themselves.
They abandoned Jesus when things got real.
Think about when Jesus showed up,
They likely expected a lecture or a "told you so."
Does anybody remember that old Saturday Night Life skit called ‘Jesus: He’s back, and boy is he mad!’ But that’s only on comedy TV - Because here, Jesus shows up—not with a list of grievances, not with payback on his mind, but with peace.
He tells them they can forgive. And crucially?
They have to start by forgiving themselves.
That’s where the engine starts. It begins with us forgiving ourselves.
Only then can we push that grace out into the world.
Because let’s be honest:
Unforgiveness is a poison. We think we’re hurting the other person by holding onto our rage, but we’re really just drinking the toxic stuff ourselves.
Forgiveness is power. And we have this incredible power.
With ourselves and with those around us.
We can choose to keep people in chains, or we can choose to let them go.
The disciples were keeping themselves in handcuffs behind those locked doors because they hadn't yet embraced the forgiveness Jesus offered. They were "retaining" their own sins.
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Thomas wasn't a warning about having too little faith.
He was a masterclass in Courageous Faith.
He had the courage to be honest about his confusion.
He had the courage to show his face when everyone else was in hiding.
And he had the courage to demand a faith that actually changes the person who claims to have it.
Maybe it’s time we stop calling him "Doubting Thomas" and start calling him Thomas the Brave.
If you look at your bulletin covers you see that I choose an image of Thomas where pious tradition tells us he ended his ministry – South India! In fact, we have some parish members who are from that part of the world – And who can tell you about the proud tradition behind his ministry – that Thomas baptized and brought many to faith – founding a church that is still with us today.
Yes, maybe it’s time to start calling him Thomas the Brave.
Because it’s high time for Jesus’ disciples to stop living like we’re locked in a basement.
The doors are unlocked. The Spirit is breathed. The scars are real. He is alive.
Theologian Howard Thurman once said,
"Don't ask what the world needs.
“Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
“Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
The disciples in the locked room weren't yet alive!
They were just surviving. But when Christ came them that second time with Thomas –
That was apparently enough – Because off they went, to spread the message –
They finally ‘got’ it - Off they went – to live and die for this message –
And to declare to you and me that we are even more blessed when we follow them – for ‘Blessed are those who do not see but believe!’
So, what are we going to do with that? This is the challenge of this story.
This is where I leave you. Are we going to keep the doors locked?
Or are we going to follow Thomas out into the world, asking the hard questions, forgiving the unforgivable, and showing the world that God is not just a story, but a living, breathing, scar-bearing reality?
What are we waiting for to go ‘all in’ on the call to follow?
Friends, the lock is broken.
And the world is waiting.
Amen.