Do you Get It?

Jann Martin April 23, 2006

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John 20:19-31

Gospel Lesson

¹⁹ That evening, on the first day of the week, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! "Peace be with you," he said. ²⁰ As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his side. They were filled with joy when they saw their Lord! ²¹ He spoke to them again and said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." ²² Then he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven."

Jesus Appears to Thomas

²⁴ One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. ²⁵ They told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he replied, "I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side."

²⁶ Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, "Peace be with you." ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!"

²⁸ "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed.

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway."

Purpose of the Book

³⁰ Jesus' disciples saw him do many other miraculous signs besides the ones recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Our lesson begins this morning with the disciples gathered together in a locked room. They were afraid of what could happen to them being associated with Jesus, afraid that they might be crucified next. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there with them. "Peace be with you," he said. As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his side. They were filled with joy when they saw their Lord! Their emotions must have felt as if they were on a roller coaster. They had just been through Jesus death and were upset that the one they thought had come to save them and be their king had been hung on a cross. Jesus had told them He would rise again after the third day but they hadn't understood what He had been telling them. Now He was standing there very much alive with them. He showed them the marks from the nails in His hands and the mark in His side where the spear had pierced Him. After seeing these marks, they realized that He was indeed alive again, just as He had told them.

²¹ He spoke to them again and said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 Then he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven." Here, Jesus repeats His greeting and adds the statement, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Jesus is telling His disciples that the power that God gave Him in His ministry is also given to them as they begin their ministry. They are to take this knowledge of the gospel of salvation and share it around the world. We have the stories and the words of Jesus and the disciples in our Bibles; we are to read, study, ask questions, take what we have learned, and share it with all who will listen.

This is when Jesus commissioned the disciples to go out into the world and share the Gospel. He gave them the authority to tell the people that their sins were forgiven or not forgiven by the power of God. They were to pray for guidance and not proceed on their own strength. With this power, they were to tell the new believers about Jesus and let them know their sins would be forgiven if they believed that Christ died for their sins. To this day we too have this same gift offered to us, all we need to do is accept it.

Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus first appeared to them in the locked room. When he joined the disciples after Jesus had been there, they excitedly told him that Jesus was alive. He doubted them and said he wouldn't believe that Christ was alive until he saw the marks of the nails and the pierce of the sword in His side with his own eyes and that he needed to touch Jesus to believe this was true.

A week later Jesus again appeared to the disciples. Once again, the doors were locked and He suddenly was standing there among them. He again said, "Peace be with you." This time Thomas was with them, and Jesus said to him, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" 28 "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed. The story doesn't say whether Thomas actually touched Jesus or believed just by seeing Jesus standing there in front of him. Jesus wasn't hard on Thomas, He knew Thomas was still a faithful believer; sometimes people need a little doubt or questioning to really believe in something. This doubt and questioning can lead to a stronger faith.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have Jesus suddenly appear in this room with us? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could touch Him, talk to Him, and hear His answers more clearly? We can hear His words when we read the Bible, and His gift of the Holy Spirit helps us to interpret what He is trying to tell us. He can be just as real to us today as He was to Thomas on that day so long ago.

In the following poem by Garnett Ann Schultz, we get glimpse of God

I feel God in the touch of Spring
In budding trees and birds on wing,
A garden bright as sun shines through
And roses sprinkled by the dew,
In quiet places, peaceful hours
The beauty of the budding flowers.

I feel God in the touch of dawn
In twilight hours as day is gone,
He finds His way into my heart
Of all my life so much a part,
He touches me - I know He's there
As I would bow my head in prayer.

I feel God in the golden sun
In challenges and prizes won,
His gentle voice would bid me know
He walks beside me as I go,
Despite the hurt, the untold pain,
Tis He shall make life right again.

Each aching heart is then made whole
As God would touch each weary soul,
Lend courage, faith, a soft caress,
The One who never loves us less,
With eyes that surely look above
I feel God in His touch of love.

Jesus did not simply rise from the dead, he returned to comfort his fearful disciples. He returned to them to help them understand all that had happened. Before He died, He had told them that He would rise again in three days, but they could not comprehend something like this really happening. With them being able to see and touch Him, they are able to share what they have learned with all who have come after them, with their messages in the Gospel.

I heard a story about a woman who kept the books for a church out of gratitude for the support their youth group gave her daughter. She volunteered many hours as an accountant for this church. One day the pastor realized that he hadn't seen her in church on Sundays. When he asked her about this, her reply was "I'm not good at religion, I just don't get it." He thought about it and wondered if someone who was tone deaf didn't get it when beautiful music was being played. Or, if someone who was color blind didn't get it when looking at art. Some people avoid church because they are mad at a member, the pastor, or a social stand the congregation has taken. What if a person avoided church because they weren't sure how to believe? They heard stories of how God changed the lives of others but just didn't get it. It's these people we need to reach and tell them the story of how Jesus died on the cross, was buried in a tomb, and on the third day defeated the devil and death and came back to give us the gift of eternal life. We can each have some of the doubting Thomas in us. This is ok. We just need to listen and read the stories in the Bible and pray for the Holy Spirit to help us take it all in and get it.

Amen.

©Jann Martin 2006