John 20:19-31
Sermon
One of my favorite characters in all of scripture has been Thomas- Doubting Thomas as he is often named. Here’s a poor fool who just can’t accept good news when it comes to him. His 10 closest friends, the other disciples, testify that they have seen and interacted with the living Lord, and yet, that isn’t enough for him. He declares “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
This week’s lectionary seems to set up a clear contrast for Thomas. As opposed to the doubt expressed in the Gospel reading, the letter attributed to Peter seems to testify to the rock solid nature of Peter’s faith. After all- is he not the one whom Jesus referred to as the rock by whom I’ll build my church? He’s even given the nickname- Cephus, which means rock. His testimony is far more pious than Thomas- he declares that Christ has “given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you”
So, clearly, this must be an object lesson for us. Be like Peter- firm in our faith, and not like that dastardly Thomas, right? That fits well with a message we hear at times in regards to faith. If your faith is shaken, people are told that they need to go to church and “get right” with God. If a grieving widow shakes her fist at God, she might be told that its wrong to blame God, that its wrong to say such horrible things, and instead she needs to remain strong.
How are other kinds of doubts received? If someone is unsure of an aspect of scripture, if they struggle with one part or another, can their faith be affirmed? And what about theology? Do we have room to question that? Is our journey of faith set with Peter- the rock- on one side and Thomas-the doubter-on the other? This being faith, the other betrayal, and we need to stick as close to this side as possible? How do we know if we have crossed the line?
Let’s look at Thomas and Peter to see if we can make any kind of determination. We’ll look at Thomas first- this should be easy, we’ll just look for the point at which Jesus rebukes him-
“Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Hmmm, Jesus does say “Do not doubt but believe,” but only after allowing Thomas the evidence he was looking for. Rather than being rebuked, Thomas was given a chance by Jesus to explore his doubts. It was through that exploration, and through coming in contact with the living Lord Jesus Christ, that Thomas is able to confess “My Lord and my God.” Now lets imagine for a second that Thomas had simply taken his fellow disciples word for it- he would never have needed Christ’s presence at all to declare his faith. Jesus would never have needed to allow Thomas to explore his wounds. No, it is only through doubt, and by admitting his doubts and exploring it, that Thomas experiences Christ.
There is a story about a pastor who went to the leadership board of his church to hand in his resignation. He told them he had all sorts of doubts, and felt that he had lost his faith, and thus was convinced he should tender his resignation.
Now the congregation loved and revered their pastor. So the board prayed about it, returned and announced that they refused to accept his resignation. "If what you are experiencing is doubt, then come and preach your doubts," they told him.
The pastor stayed, and spoke about the doubts, issues, concerns and struggles that he was wrestling with.
After two years passed, he once again stood before the church's leadership council, this time to thank them for the opportunity they had given them. He had gone through the tunnel and had come out the other side, finding faith again in the process.
It was through exploring his doubts that the pastor could once again “find faith.” I put “finding faith” in quotes because I am convinced that he was following his faith all along. Something tugged at his soul. Perhaps he had questions he needed to answer. Perhaps he had some understandings about God that he needed to let go of. Exploring those doubts was a way of affirming, rather than negating, faith.
So what about Peter than? Even if we remove the stigma from Thomas, we still know that it is Peter- the rock- whom we should try to emulate. I mean, if we have doubts we should explore them, but better to never have them in the first place, right? Better to have a faith that is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.”
Peter must have been so revered by his fellow Christians. I mean, a man of such strength and honor. Let’s see what Paul had to say about this sterling of a man-
“But when Cephas (ooo, wow, he’s even using his nick name- the Rock, here comes the praise) came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned... he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy” - Galatians 2:11-13
Huh....not exactly what I was expecting. Paul condemns Peter as a hypocrite. He says that while Paul followed Jesus’ teachings about eating with the gentiles for a while, he eventually went back to the practice of only eating with fellow Jews. And Peter preached to the church in Galacia that they should do the same- they need to keep kosher and only associate with others who keep kosher.
Now isn’t this the very Peter who had a vision from God about it being ok to eat anything? What is going on here? Jesus had a table that was open for all, why is Peter closing it? What is going on with this rock of faith?
Perhaps Peter earned the nickname for other reasons. Perhaps the reason Peter was called Rock was that he was so stubborn that even a vision from God could only move him for a bit, before he resettled in his place. Peter just seemed to be so sure about his ways, about his belief that being holy meant, in part, being circumcised and keeping kosher. And, he certainly had a lot of evidence to support him- remember- Jesus was a faithful Jew. He was circumcised and most likely followed the the dietary law. None of his critics accuse him of it. So, why should Peter be swayed? Yes, God gave him a vision, but apparently Peter’s faith was too strong to be swayed. Even God could not induce lasting doubt in Peter.
So, what is faith then? Is it keeping to the courage of our convictions, being the rock in a storm? Or is it in expressing and exploring our doubts? Rather than seeing doubt as something to fear, perhaps it can also “be celebrated as a vital part of our faith.” Perhaps it is only in that environment that we can be open to the movement of the Holy spirit and can make a real decision.
Let’s take an example of two couples getting married. One comes and says, “we are sooo looking forward to getting married. We just know we are perfect for each other. We will be married our entire lives and it will be blissful.”
Well, what do you say married couples? Clearly, they are delusional! Marriage is hard. But, if you believe that all will be perfect, of course you will get married without doubting. If a marriage only means bliss until death, is there a real decision here?
The other couple come and say- “Well, we’ve decided to finally make the leap and get married. Look, we know it is going to be hard. And we certainly aren’t perfect. Looking around in the world, we know there is a pretty decent chance this marriage may not stand the test of time. But we love each other, and we want to give it a shot.”
Now here is a couple with their feet firmly planted on the ground. They enter into marriage knowing full well the difficulties they might face. “This is the very point when a real decision needs to be made....To decide for marriage knowing that all manner of things may conspire against the union is to make a truly daring and authentic decision.” It’s to get married with one’s eyes wide open.
Let us engage in faith with our eyes wide open. Let's not force them shut and cling tight, let our eyes be open to the way the spirit is moving among us. Only a genuine faith can embrace doubt, can explore it, and be open to transformation. Because it is when we are open, when we are honest, and when we express our concern, that Jesus Christ can appear to us, and say Peace.
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