“SIGNS WRITTEN AND PREACHED THAT YOU MIGHT HEAR AND BELIEVE”
Saint John 20: 19-31
Quasimodogeniti: 24 April Anno Domini 2022
Fr Jay Watson, SSP
Abandonment and fear; anxiousness over what’s going to happen next; expectations demanded to be fulfilled the way the victim requires. All these raw emotions broiled and boiled through the minds, hearts, and guts of the remaining “11.” One of their own was already dead—hanged by his own hand in suicidal despair. Who could save them from the apparent, visual, “body of death?”
But these men were not victims. Neither are you no matter what your mental state or physical problems. You are not losing. You know the Church’s Hymn: “Jesus lives, the victory’s won, death no longer can appal me; Jesus lives, death’s reign is done…” The men (and women off stage) in this Gospel text are heroes; heroes of The Faith. Their sins are to be avoided BUT their Faith is to be copied. Their Faith is not their own doing or work but rather a gift of The Spirit!
Saint Thomas gets most of the attention. That’s okay, he was an Apostle, Confessor, Martyr, and Saint. He’s a hero. All four of The Evangelists mention him in the list of Christ’s called Disciples—he is usually paired with Saint Matthew. Thomas was apparently also called Didymus, which means “twin.” It was his confused question to Jesus that prompted our Lord’s famous response: “I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life: no man cometh unto The Father, but by Me” [Jn. 14.6]. Thomas was with Simon Peter at the Sea of Galilee (fishing) shortly after the events in our text—he was not going to be absent from his brethren again—until post Ascension. His own personal courage is shown when, on the way to Bethany and Jerusalem, where Christ will raise Lazarus from the dead, when it was very dangerous for Jesus to be in vicinity, he confesses: “Let us also go, that we may die with him” [Jn. 11. 16]. He meant it.
Thomas’ shortcoming, his sin, for which he is unfairly labeled “doubting Thomas,” is not that he was absent on Easter evening. His trespass is not that he had doubts about all that had been written of The Christ in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. His fallen failure was that he thought he needed visual and demonstrable evidentiary PROOF for his senses rather than the preached assurance of The Word of God. He’s not alone. Every Christian, everyone of you, falls into this same sin—sometimes daily. You want to be able to “see,” touch, verify, measure, weigh, and quantify. No. The Apostolic age is past and done. There are no more visual miracles…that we know of…that the Scriptures promise us. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son” [He. 1.1-2]. Here those words of Paul: “by His Son…spoken unto us!”
You don’t look for and you don’t demand cancers, heart diseases, viruses, and other crippling maladies be instantly cured. You know that sickness and earthly death will still accompany you and yours until the end of time. But the end of time is not the end. Jesus Lives, the victory’s won; death no longer can appal you! Why? The Word of God. You have the good news of The Word (Jesus) of God (Father). You are given This Word (Jesus) by The Holy Ghost—The Lord and Giver of Life (Jesus). The Spirit uses the tongues, the voice, the speeches, sermons, declarations, the very “words” of Jesus spoken by Saint Peter, Saint Chrysostom, Saint Chemnitz, or Saint Penikis. You? The Word/s come to you—“repent and believe!”
Saint Mary Magdalene gave the “11” The Gospel Words of Jesus—His Resurrection reality: “He is risen, He is risen indeed, Hallelujah!” They did not believe but doubted the women. To be sure, Peter and John did run to the empty tomb, but even that absence of a body did not yet fill them with The Body of Christ. They gathered with doors shut for fear of the Jews. Their hard hearts did not believe.
So, when Saint Thomas is not satisfied with the protestations of the other Ten, it’s really no different than when they dismissed the Magdalene. It’s no different when you doubt and waver and act fearful and confused.
No, you don’t get to place your fingers in the wounds in Christ’s hands and feet. You don’t get to examine His side. You don’t see Him east a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. But those “signs” and all the others that The God/Man did in the presence of Thomas, and other eye-witnesses, were written down in a book—in the Gospel of Saint John, and others, that you would believe their words, i.e., The Word!
Jesus obeyed the Commandments for you and gives you the credit. But you don’t see it. Jesus suffered and died on The Cross at Calvary for your sins and lawbreaking and disbelief and weak belief. But you don’t see it. THE WORD!
Not gimmicks, programs, coffee shops in the narthex and valet parking for seniors when it’s raining. Not life-coaching, better fitness and time management techniques. THE WORD! We preach Christ Crucified for the forgiveness of sins!
Thomas was blessed because Jesus loved him, and saved him, and let Thomas handle and touch His Divine Resurrected Body. But you this morning can make the same Spirit given confession in the face and presence of the same REAL Christ: “my Lord and my God” when you hear: THE WORD.
“As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things…so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” [Ro. 10.15,18].
The Word of God. Jesus. Peace unto you!
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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