John 20:19-31

Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Let us pray,

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all of our hearts, be pleasing and acceptable to you, our rock and our redeemer…

This week I had coffee with a friend via Facetime. As we chatted, it became very clear to me that she is barely holding it together. Her husband is a contractor. He isn’t able to work right now. They can cover their bills for now, but she is worried what the summer will look like. Her kids have been home with her now for over a month. Last week their school sent home packets of homework for them to complete each day. Which means she had to put the girls on a schedule because all three of them couldn’t be on the internet at one time. She’s working from home. But her boss keeps scheduling mandatory happy hours at 2pm. Which is exactly when her daughter is supposed to be taking a math test. She told me that most days she just wants to hide under the covers because maybe then she’ll get a break from the dogs and the kids and the mortgage payments.

Does her situation sound familiar to you? Even if you aren’t sheltering at home with little kids, everyone’s situation is hard right now. Our lives today look completely different than they did a month ago. We’re worried about our jobs, our families, and our futures. We’re wondering when things will return to normal.

In many ways, we look like the disciples did on the evening of that first Easter day. Huddled together behind a locked door. While we’re social distancing from a virus, the disciples are hiding from the Jewish leaders who were behind the plot to kill Jesus. Like us, the disciples are likely afraid for their own lives, and afraid of their uncertain futures.

In our Scripture reading for this morning, we learn that Jesus isn’t stopped by fear or by locked doors. He came to the home of the disciples and stood among them and said ‘Peace be with you!’ Jesus comes not to confront his disciples with their failures. Of the ways they denounced him or abandoned him during his arrest and crucifixion. But to grant them peace.

A week later, Jesus appears to Thomas, one of the 12 disciples, who was not with the disciples when Jesus came. Thomas demands that Jesus show up for him, just like Jesus showed up for the other disciples. Once Thomas sees his hands and feels his side, he stops doubting, and he believes.

The story of Thomas is the story of Christian discipleship. Or of how people come to faith in Jesus. First one person, in this case Mary Magdalene sees Jesus. She then goes and tells the disciples about her encounter. The disciples doubt that she really saw Jesus. It isn’t until they have an encounter with the risen Lord that they are able to believe. Once they encounter Jesus, they are able to tell others about him. And so it goes until the gospel is shared with every nation and peoples.

I believe that the good news of Eastertide is this. The first is that no matter the wrenching chaos of the world. No matter where or how or even if we mark this day, Easter happens. Easter happens in an empty tomb. Easter happens in the space between ourselves and our computer screens. Easter will happen as we transition to a new normal. Just as Jesus found the disciples on that first Easter evening, Jesus will continue to find us behind our locked doors. And Jesus will continue to offer us peace.

The second bit of good news is that everyone doubts, but not everyone believes. This is good news for those of us who are struggling to see God in the midst of a global pandemic. Thomas teaches us that faith is not always believing in that which we cannot see. It is hanging in there with some level of interest and commitment until Jesus moves us to the next level.

This week I’ve been reflecting on what faith looks like in the midst of a global pandemic. For me faith looks a lot like hanging in there. Of taking each day as it comes. Of developing a routine, and setting small goals. Of being patient with myself and with those I’m interacting with. Of remaining unwaveringly hopeful that we will get through this while at the same time confronting difficult realities. Of saying being okay with saying “I don’t know.” While at the same time saying “But I’m not going anywhere.”

This week during our offering time, I asked us all to reflect on what faith looks like in the midst of a global pandemic. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Please send me an e-mail or a text message if you’d like to share what you’ve learned. The reason I had us reflect on this is to illustrate that we’re all feeling some degree of doubt right now. We’re all angry with God, angry with each other, angry with a stupid virus. It’s difficult to see God at work when you’re just trying to make it through the day.

What I love about Thomas is that he doesn’t just doubt, he demands. He demands that Jesus show himself and answer his questions. Even in doubt, he expects that Jesus is alive, that Jesus is powerful, and that Jesus cares for his people. He doesn’t use his doubt to refuse to ask Jesus the hard questions. Instead he uses his doubt to demand Jesus remind him who he is and whose he is.

My hope for us this week is that even in doubt, we would be willing to demand some resurrection hope. To demand that God show up for the hurting, the feverish, the unemployed, the grieving, and the new moms of this lonely new world and wash over us with the good news of Easter. That Jesus is alive, and for that we have hope, and for that we celebrate. Because of Easter, Good Friday will not last forever. Even, and especially in the midst of a global pandemic.

Friends, my hope for us this week is that we would be able to go out into this week living into that hope in the midst of strange and uncertain times. Let us try, in all that we are, and in all that we do, to extend the peace of Christ to those we interact with either at home, at the grocery store, or virtually.

Thanks be to God,

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.