Thomas's Bad Rap
Thomas's Bad Rap
Thomas often gets a bad rap for his doubt, but Jesus is a gracious God and met Thomas, His disciples, and will meet all of us, right where we are at.
Watch a video as I share my thoughts here on how Jesus meets us right where we are at:
Or read my remarks as prepared, below.
Happy Easter Monday, as my pastor would call it, since every day is resurrection day for people of faith. But yes, yesterday was Easter Sunday and as we celebrated I was reflecting on all the people who had the chance to witness the risen Lord, my thoughts turned to Thomas. I have always thought, of all the people who saw Jesus after his resurrection, Thomas gets an unfair bad rap. As many of you know, Thomas is most often called Doubting Thomas. Thomas gained this unflattering nickname because according to John 20 he doesn’t believe the other disciples account that they have seen the risen Lord until he witnesses Jesus himself. Now the reason I think this is an unfair label for Thomas, is none of the other disciples demonstrate much faith in the idea of Jesus’s resurrection until they see Jesus either. In fact in Mark 16, when Jesus appears to them in the upper room, Jesus calls them out for their stubbornness and unwillingness to believe the women who were first to witness the risen Lord. And while Jesus does calls the disciples out for their lack of faith, the thing I am most struck by in all of Jesus’s post resurrection appearances is how he meets people right where they are at. The disciples, ourselves, we are called to lives of faith, but this faith is not blind. Instead Jesus reveals Himself to us in a way that is meaningful to us, as individuals, if we are willing to just look for it.
Maybe you are like Mary and Jesus is revealing Himself to you by bringing you comfort in your sorrow. After the women discover the empty tomb and share this news with the male disciples, we are told in John 20 that Mary returns to the empty cave and weeps. Jesus comes to her, and asks her why she is crying. She doesn’t recognize Him at first, maybe because her eyes are filled with tears, or maybe it's because Jesus looks different in his resurrected state, or maybe it's all of the above. For whatever reason Mary thinks he is the gardener and asks if he has moved the body. At this point, Jesus turns to Mary and simply says her name. “Mary.” It is in this moment that she recognizes Jesus. He knows her name. I imagine that Jesus says it in a way that a parent says a child’s name when comforting them. Jesus comes to Mary in her pain and speaks her name. Is this how Jesus is speaking to you? Is He coming to you, calling you to a deeper level of faith by meeting you in your pain? Is He gently calling you by name?
Maybe you are a person who is more moved by learning and intellect at this point in your faith journey. In Luke 24 verse 13 and following we are given the account of two disciples who leave Jerusalem after everything goes down with Jesus’s arrest and execution. Jesus joins the two disciples on the road as they travel to Emmaus. As they walk the disciples are debating the implications of all that they had witnessed about Jesus’s death and the empty tomb. These two disciples, like Mary, do not recognize Jesus at first. Jesus then proceeds to explain to them how all of scripture, the entire story of the Old Testament and the words of Moses and the prophets, all pointed to Him. Jesus explains how His Life, His death, and His resurrection fulfilled the promises of old. As they break bread for dinner that evening, everything becomes clear and they recognize this stranger for who He is, the Risen Lord. Perhaps this is where God is revealing Himself to you right now. Maybe He is calling you, challenging you to faith or to a deeper level of faith through study. This might be on your own or in a Bible study, lessons online or through a deeper dive into your faith through one of the classes offered at your church. Yes Jesus is the Lord of the brokenhearted but Jesus speaks to all parts of us, our heart, our soul and our mind.
Perhaps instead you are like Peter and you are in a place needing restoration. We are told in the account of Jesus’s death that in the midst of his trial, Peter denies knowing Jesus, not once or twice, but three times. In John 21, after Peter encounters the risen Lord, Peter sets out and goes fishing. Now Peter was a fisherman by trade before he had become a disciple of Jesus. And while we are not told why Peter heads out fishing at this juncture, I think like many of us Peter turns to the water and something familiar to think, to process and to bring calm to his swirling re thoughts and emotions. After a long night of fishing without catching anything, Peter sees Jesus on the beach. And like with Mary and the disciples on the road, Peter and the others in the boat, do not recognize Jesus at first. Only when He tells the fisherman to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, directions similar to the ones Jesus gave when they first met, do the disciples realize it's Jesus on the shore. Peter jumps in the water and swims in to meet his rabbi, his teacher and as they eat a meal together Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, not once, or twice but three times. Jesus meets Peter right where he is at, calling out and forgiving each denial, restoring their relationship. Not only does Jesus offer forgiveness He reminds Peter of his purpose. He reiterates Peter’s calling to spread the gospel, to share the Good News of Jesus’s message of faith, hope, and love. Perhaps like Peter you are in need of restoration or reconciliation. Perhaps you feel your relationship with Jesus has been severed or broken or distant. Regardless of how far you feel from God, He is not far from you. And just like for Peter Jesus is on the shore, ready to meet you where you are at and restore your faith and remind you of your purpose.
These are just some of the ways the resurrected Jesus builds faith by meeting individuals where they are at. Hebrews 11:1 in the NET reads, “Now faith is being sure what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.” Our faith is not blind, it is not based on wishes and dreams. Faith is built on being convinced, being made sure of our Savior, and that happens when our Jesus reaches to our core and speaks to our greatest needs.
So where is Jesus revealing Himself to you? Like Mary, and the disciples on the road and Peter you might not recognize it at first. If you can’t see it right now, if you are unsure of where Jesus is speaking your life, look in your greatest area of need, because that is where our Savior most often meets us.
Have a happy Easter week friends, I would love for you to share in the comments below where our resurrected Lord is meeting you, right now.
