Psalm 16; John 20:19-31

I love the Gospel of John.  I love it as a beautifully written piece that pulls the reader right into the story.  You may want to ignore what the author of this Gospel is saying, but it’s not likely you’ll be able to.  This Gospel was written later than the other three that are included in our Bible, probably around the year 90 in the common era – 60 years after Jesus’ death.  It was  written from and for a community that had been  part of the Jewish synagogue until they had too much success converting others and were ousted from their home. 

There are 22 chapters in this Gospel; two of them cover the period following Jesus burial in the tomb.  Last week, Howard spoke about one of the stories in this section, the story of Jesus appearing on the beach where Peter and some of the other disciples had set out for a night of fishing.  In that story, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him.  It’s a very intimate interaction – something we may come to expect in the Gospel of John.

Today’s reading is also intimate.  Jesus had appeared to the disciples gathered at night in a house with locked doors.  Thomas wasn’t present.  When he heard about it he blurted out that he wouldn’t believe it unless he put his fingers in the marks of the nails and his hand in Jesus’ side.  You don’t get much more intimate than that.  So, of course, Jesus shows up a week later again with all the doors shut.  This time Thomas is present.  Jesus invites him to place his fingers in the nail wounds and his hand in his side.  All Thomas can do is utter, “My Lord and my God.” 

Thomas is an intriguing character in the Gospel of John.  When Jesus was deciding to go to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead, the disciples realized that this could lead to Jesus’ own death.  They try to persuade him not to go.  Thomas, however, says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (11:16b)  That would certainly suggest a sense of loyalty and bravery on Thomas’ part.  Later, in what is referred to as the “farewell discourse” (13:31 to 17:26), as Jesus is talking about his impending death he tells the disciples not to worry because he is going to prepare a place for them in his “Father’s house” (14:1).  And he tells them, “You know the way to the place where I am going” (14:4). Thomas responds by asking Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where you are going.  How can we know the way?” (14:5).  

With Thomas we have a character that we can relate to, in different ways.  Perhaps you know the fire of commitment that would lead you into harm’s way for something you truly believe in.  Perhaps you feel totally confused and are willing to expose yourself to other’s ridicule by speaking from that confusion.  It’s possible that you may be willing to voice your doubts about that which you cannot see.  And maybe, you have experienced the exuberance of unfettered faith.  We have a companion here in Thomas.  In the end, his response to Jesus’ invitation to touch him is a resounding, “My Lord and my God.”

These five words are often pointed to in arguments supporting the divinity of Jesus.  “My Lord and my God.”  What might be going on for Thomas and for the author of this Gospel?  Some would say that Thomas was declaring Jesus to be Lord and God, using words for God from the Hebrew Scripture, Yahweh and Elohim.  Theodore, Bishop of Mopsuestia, in what is now Turkey, was a New Testament scholar.  In the early 5th century, he suggested that Thomas’ statement was an exclamation in honor of the God that Jesus taught us to love.  150 years later, long after Theodore died, he was condemned for his position on Christ. 

Some of us here at GCC have been enjoying a small group discussion that uses the DVD series titled:  Saving Jesus from Fundamentalism.  It’s a series that Adult Education has used in some of their programs.  It is challenging and invigorating and has led to many lively discussions.  Two of the New Testament scholars who appear on this DVD offer a helpful perspective on language that was used about Jesus in the Gospels.  Bernard Brendon Scott and John Dominic Crossan hold up some very important aspects about first century Palestine – the time and location of Jesus’ life and ministry.  

Crossan talks about Roman Imperial Theology in which the living, human emperor is referred to using what to us are very familiar terms.  The emperor is Redeemer,  Divine, Son of God.  The emperor is Lord and Savior of the World.  The emperor is God.  These are terms that are used in the Gospel of John.  Scott shows us how the writer of this Gospel uses these terms to refer to Jesus as a claim that runs counter to the cultural norm.  Crossan sums up the meaning of all of the Gospels with this statement:  Jesus, not Caesar, is Lord.

In our reading, Jesus appears to the disciples in a locked, dark room.  He greets them with these words, “Peace be with you.”  He moves toward Thomas and invites him to touch his wounds.  Thomas is frozen in his steps and blurts out, “My Lord and my God.”  What does Thomas see?  In this Gospel, we experience Thomas as defender to the death, as confused disciple, as unbeliever, as faith-filled follower.

Regardless of which Gospel we are studying, we find very similar traits among them.  We find a man called Jesus who is something of a radical.  He does not concede to religious authorities.  He does not concede to political authorities.  Nor does he collude with those who would overthrow the Roman system of oppression through acts of aggression.  He engages others in conversations about what is most important.  While he does some teaching, he is also very interested in the perspective, opinion, ideas of those around him.  His primary concern is not whether a particular topic will upset people.  His primary concern is that everything that is important whether it is controversial or not become  part of what is discussed.  He’s likely to say and do things that are upsetting. For Jesus, these discussions are not simply intellectual debates; they are conversations that take in the intellectual, the experiential, the emotional, the spiritual.  They take in all of what it means to be human.

Another key trait in the four Gospels is that they show us the life of Jesus in community with others.  And certainly the Gospel of John is very much about community.  Even in these appearance  stories, Jesus shows up where the community has gathered. 

On Tuesday evening, the Open and Affirming Task Force at GCC, invited the congregation to join them in a discussion about our attitudes toward sexuality.  One of the things we agreed on is that there was little or no discussion about heterosexuality and for most of us none about homosexuality when we were growing up.  We also agreed that it is very important that we find ways to talk about such things.  Nina Fockens and Cindy Dailey, members  of the task force, facilitated the discussion and invited us to look at sexuality in a way that took into consideration what we had experienced, what we knew, what we thought, how we felt, and what the scipture and tradition tell us about this.

I was reminded of the task that Hands of Peace sets before a few dozen teenagers who are Jewish, Muslim, and Christian from the Middle East and from the Glenview area.  Each summer these young folks come together for two very intense weeks.  Every day they meet in what are called co-existence sessions and they talk about their experiences that lead them to mistrust and even to hate each other.  Every day, they spend time being brutally honest with each other.  They interact with each other about their experiences, their understanding, their feelings, their faith.  They are fully present. They also spend time with each other doing the things that teenagers love to do.  By the end of the program, they have forged close ties with each other that carry over into their lives back in the Middle East.  These co-existence sessions are supervised by trained facilitators so that while the dialogue may become very heated at times, it does not get out of hand.

As the Open and Affirming discussion continued we talked about how race has come into the public arena as a topic that continues to need attention and discussion.   We can try to ignore our feelings, experiences, thoughts, and expectations about race, about sexuality, about political, social, and cultural differences, but that will not make them go away.  Or we can begin and continue the more difficult work of creating an environment in which we are all able to bring our experiences, ideas, concerns, and needs to the discussion knowing that what we share will be heard and respected – not necessarily agreed with.  We can move beyond shouting matches and name calling to become  a community that has discovered a way to explore ideas together, learning from each other.

That’s what Jesus was doing with his faith community 2000 years ago.  Lifting up ideas and exploring the possibilities.  He was encouraging everyone to be part of the discussion, to be part of the community.  Thomas and the other disciples experienced  Jesus in the gathered community.  They saw him with their eyes in the darkened room.  More importantly, they saw him with their hearts – they saw him with all that they had heard, felt, knew, and believed because of their encounter with him.  May we also be open to seeing with our hearts.