John 20:19-31
These things are written so that you may believe…
John’s Gospel account includes this statement of
purpose. It is the purpose, the
intention of this writing – that you may believe, and believing, have life in
Jesus’ name. This writing – which we
could understand to mean the entire Gospel of John, but really it applies aptly
to all of Scripture and to all the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. The whole point of it all is not
to make you smart, to make you sin less or do more good works. It’s a faith issue – believing – and that
faith is what brings life. John wants
you to believe in Jesus and have life.
It’s that simple.
And Jesus would agree, of course. He wants you to “stop doubting and
believe”. You’re just like Thomas. We all are.
It’s hard to believe anything these days. Doubting skepticism is the default position
of the wise. There’s so much misinformation and disinformation. We have fact-checkers and counter
fact-checkers checking on the fact-checkers.
Truth seems hard to come by.
For most people, the most reliable source of truth is their
own senses. Seeing is believing. I saw it with my own eyes. Or at least relying on the word of someone
you trust. Thomas had neither of these,
when the disciples told him Jesus showed up.
He didn’t see him, because he wasn’t there. And he didn’t believe them, for whatever reason. Maybe he thought it was a sick joke. Maybe he thought they were out of their
minds. Whatever the reasons, Thomas went
with his normal experience – his rational default understanding. That dead men don’t rise. That Jesus couldn’t have been standing in
that upper room, because his body was tucked away behind the stone, in the
grave, dead as dead.
Jesus had other things in mind for Thomas. So he appears a week later, throws Thomas’
exact words in his face. “Come here
Thomas. Touch my wounds. See that it’s me. Stop doubting and believe!”
And Thomas believes.
Perhaps because we share a name, but you might know that I’m
on a bit of a lifetime quest to rehabilitate Thomas’ reputation. He’s doubting Thomas, to be sure, he did
doubt. But he’s also believing
Thomas. And furthermore, confessing
Thomas, as he declares, “My Lord and my God!”.
We don’t call Peter “denying Peter”.
We don’t call James and John, “The power-hungry brothers Zebedee”. We don’t even say, “Betraying Judas”. So why remember Thomas for his worst moment,
and not for his best?
So Believing and Confessing Thomas – he sees and hears and
touches and believes and confesses. And
he, like all believers, has life.
Jesus comments further – “Blessed are they who have not
seen, and yet believe”. And friends,
that’s you and me. We haven’t seen Jesus
like Thomas did – or the other apostles – bodily, in the flesh. We haven’t heard his voice or touched his
wounds. We rely on their word of
witness. We believe in the testimony of
Scripture. And that we believe based on
this is a great blessing indeed, as Jesus says.
But just how does believing in Jesus bring life? How do we receive this great blessing for
those who do not see, and yet believe?
This has to do with what Jesus said in the first part of
this account. “Peace be with you.” His
greeting, which he repeats. Now think
about the effect of this. Here are his
disciples, hiding in fear from the Jews, and all of a sudden Jesus shows up in
their midst, miraculously. And if they
had reason to fear the Jews, they would have all the more reason to fear him.
These were the disciples who one after another pledged their
undying loyalty. They said, one after
another, “I won’t leave you Jesus, even if I have to die with you!” And while no, they didn’t deny him in such a
dramatic way as Peter did – they all did desert him in his darkest hour. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will
scatter, and boy did they. All except
John would forsake him that Thursday night.
And now to have him stand in their midst – it must have been
not only startling, but also dreadful.
Is he here to condemn us for our failure to be faithful? Is he here to holler at us? “How could you leave me?” “How could you let them arrest me and crucify
me?” Is he here to dish out a punishment
for our cowardice and give us our just desserts?
Ah, but no. Jesus
comes with no such thing. He comes with
peace. Peace be with you. Peace, because he’s already forgiven
you. Peace, because the strife is o’er,
the battle won. Peace with God and peace
with Jesus.
So too does Christ come into our midst and bring his peace,
first things first. We confess our sins
– how we have failed him and deserted him and feared when we ought not fear –
and every other sin, just like the disciples had – so do we. But Jesus brings absolution to us, first
things first. The word of peace spoken
by his servant brings that same forgiveness he charged the disciples to bring. Jesus for them, Jesus for us. Peace and forgiveness for them, and so also,
for us.
He breathes on them.
He breathes his Holy Spirit on them (the word Spirit and Breath are the
same word in the Greek). It is the Holy
Spirit that brings the peace and forgiveness of Christ, that applies the word
of Christ to us sinners. It is the Holy
Spirit that creates faith in us and gives us new life. So of course he gives them of His Spirit.
And then to those apostles, those first ministers of his
word, he gives a charge, a solemn duty and task, an authority. He says, “If you forgive anyone his sins they
are forgiven. If you do not forgive
them, they are no forgiven”.
This is the basis for our absolution even today. When a pastor stands before a congregation
and, in the stead of Christ, and by the command of Christ, forgives your sins –
it is because of these very words of Jesus.
We’ve just been through Holy Week and Easter. And we’ve
considered some of the most important words of Christ – the Words of Institution
in the Sacrament, the words he spoke from the cross. But if you were making a list of the top ten
most important words or sayings of Jesus, this would have to be pretty high on
the list: Charging the apostles to
forgive sins in his name!
It’s as good as if he did it himself, in the flesh! It’s as sure and certain as if it was his
very voice, from his own lips.
Some might have a hard time with that idea. After all, who can forgive sins but God
alone? But Jesus, who is God, gives this
charge to his ministers. And so it is
his word about it that counts. If it’s
too hard to believe that your sins are forgiven, then he would say to you like
he said to Thomas, “Stop doubting and believe!”
And back to life.
These things are written that you may have life. Forgiveness brings peace, and forgiveness
brings life. When your sins are
forgiven, and you stand before God in the holiness and righteousness of Christ
– you get the same life Christ has.
Death cannot win the victory over you, either. Death only has the last say when your sins
still matter – but they don’t. They’re
forgiven in Christ. They are taken away,
nailed to the cross, less than a distant memory. And with no sins, that means death has no
power over you, any more than it did over Christ. Forgiveness and life go together, you
see. And all of this and more is ours in
Jesus Christ.
Blessed are you who have heard and believed all the words of
God concerning this forgiveness and life.
Blessed are you who hear the absolution spoken – that blessed answer to
your confession – I forgive you your sins, in the stead and by the command of
my Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed are you,
who receive the Holy Spirit, who casts out doubting and calls you again to
believe. Blessed are you, like Thomas,
and empowered to confess. My Lord, and
my God! Even Jesus Christ, who is risen,
risen indeed, Alleluia, Amen.
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