John 20:19-31
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.”
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.”
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.
Jesus Persistently Provides You Peace
Do you know the nickname that the disciples gave Thomas? It started with a D. We’ve come to call him “Doubting Thomas,” but they called him “Didymus,” which in Greek means “twin.” John doesn’t expand on this. The Bible never tells us who Tom’s twin was, but I think I know. Let’s dive back into our Gospel Lesson and see if we can find any clues as to the identity of Thomas’ twin.
John 20 is still recording the events of Easter Sunday. To recap: the women went to the tomb, met some angels, heard the announcement that Jesus is risen, and even got to see Jesus with their own eyes on their way back to tell the disciples. But the disciples didn’t believe them.
Peter and John ran to the tomb to check on their story, found the tomb empty, but had more questions than answers.
Cleopas and his friend unwittingly spent the afternoon Jesus on the road to Emmaus. It was only after dinner that their eyes were opened, and they realized whom they had been talking to.
So, by my count, by the evening of that first Easter Sunday, we have at least 7 eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, i.e. people who saw with their own eyes indisputable evidence that Jesus was alive! You’d expect them to be buzzing with excitement – singing and dancing and rejoicing at this wonderful news – but remember how John starts our Gospel for today:
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!”[1]
They were still afraid. There were still questions and doubts in their minds. They had heard the good news, but they still couldn’t understand, and they definitely weren’t ready to act on it. Does that remind you of anyone? It’s the same way Thomas behaved.
Thomas happened to be away on that first Easter Sunday, and when the rest of the disciples told their story, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas stubbornly replied,
“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.”[2]
Thomas gets a bad rap for doubting, but this is the same kind of thing that the disciples had said when the women came back from the tomb. Every one of them doubted. Every one of them was afraid. And we find out that even after a week’s time, not much had changed:
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!”[3]
The doors were still locked. The disciples were still afraid. There were still doubts and questions – not just in Thomas’ mind, but in all their minds. Most of them had seen the risen Jesus with their own eyes, and yet they still could not muster the strength to act on what they had seen and heard. I’ll ask again, does that remind you of anyone?
We read some scary stories in our first two readings today. In Acts 5, when the disciples finally left the locked room and started telling other people about Jesus, they were promptly arrested and thrown in prison. The Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation while he was in exile on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.[4] All the rest of the disciples were arrested and persecuted and executed for their faith. There were legitimate reasons for them to be afraid and to hide behind locked doors.
That’s what fear does, isn’t it? It puts us in full retreat. It makes us want to withdraw from the world and start our own Christian colony on a secluded island somewhere where we can practice our faith without fear (sometimes we treat church as our secluded Christian colony, i.e. the only place we feel comfortable talking about Jesus).
It can be scary to talk openly about our Christianity. What will other people think about us? Will we be considered alt-right, fundamentalist fanatics? Will we be ostracized by our friends and classmates? Will we be left out of certain groups and activities?
There was a bill that passed unanimously in December in our parliament in Canada that forbids us from counseling people about sexuality and sexual identity based on what the Bible says. Even parents could be prosecuted for telling their children what God has to say about sex and gender. It might be enough to make you want to move, or pull your kids from school, or, at the very least, not talk about it in public.
And then the doubts and the questions set in: Did God really say this about that? Do I know enough to say anything about anything? Why is it so hard – to be a Christian, to be confident, to speak boldly about what I believe? Why can’t I be like one of the disciples in John 20 who got to see Jesus with their own eyes? Then it’d be so much easier to believe.
You are like them! They were afraid too. They had their doubts and questions just like you. They cowered behind locked doors for weeks even after they saw Jesus with their own eyes. In an instant Easter changed their lives forever, but they didn’t become different, stronger people overnight, and, more importantly, they didn’t do it by their own might. Their transformation was only possible by the persistent peace of Jesus.
That was the first thing he said to them,
“Peace be with you!”[5]
Then, after he showed them the holes in his hands and side, he said it again,
“Peace be with you!”[6]
A week later, this time when Thomas was with them, he said it again,
“Peace be with you!”[7]
They didn’t get it right away. They could have that peace so much earlier and at so many different times – at the sight of the empty tomb, at the announcement of the angel, at the 7+ eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection – but they didn’t. They were still afraid. They still had doubts and questions.
And Jesus persistently proclaimed, “Peace be with you!” He showed them his hands and side as proof of that peace. Did they fear what the Jews and the Romans could do to them? They had reason to. They had seen what they did to Jesus. They would be imprisoned and persecuted and even executed, but they still had peace in knowing the power of the resurrection.
The world could do its worst. They could even lose their lives. But because of Jesus and his resurrection, they could also have the confidence that they too would rise from the dead and live with him eternally. Their peace is our peace. Because of Jesus’ resurrection the world can do its worst to us too, but we will live forever in heaven and can have peace now, because we’ve seen the power of the resurrection.
The sight of those holes in Jesus’ hands and side would also remind the disciples of the sacrifice he made for them, the price he paid for their sins and yours – even for the times that you swallow your tongue and are too ashamed or scared to be seen or associated with Jesus. He has forgiven you – your fear, your hesitation, your unwillingness to proclaim his peace to others. You have peace in the promise of forgiveness.
And the persistent appearance of Jesus provided them peace too. He didn’t just give them a moment. He didn’t just give them one eyewitness. He appeared to them several times over the course of 40 days to provide them peace.
And this is maybe where you might say, “That’s not fair! I still want what Thomas got. I want to put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side. If I got to be in the presence of Jesus, then I maybe I could be at peace like them.” But you do:
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 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.[8]
Jesus is still present with you. Jesus still persistently proclaims and provides his peace to you and for you. We don’t get to put our fingers where the nails were like Thomas did, but God has given you something that he never gave to Thomas, or any of the other disciples. We have the Word of God, especially the whole New Testament, faithfully recorded and painstakingly reprinted for you.
As the pastor who organized and incorporated this congregation once said, “When you read John 20:31, put your name where John writes ‘you,’ e.g. ‘These words are written that Pete may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing Pete may have life in his name.’”
Jesus still persistently provides peace to you, in his Word written and read for you and to you week in and week out. You may still have fears and questions and doubt. We all do. The disciples did, even after they saw Jesus raised from the dead. And while Easter does change our lives forever in an instant, we are not transformed into stronger, bolder, more confident Christians overnight or by our own might. That transformation takes place over time through the Word and Sacraments by which Jesus gives you peace by the power of his resurrection, the promise of forgiveness, and the persistence of his presence.
So, have you figured it out yet? Do you know who Thomas’ twin is? It’s me. And it’s you. It’s everyone whose doubts are dispelled and whose hearts are filled with faith in his Word that promises you peace. Peace be with you. Amen.
[1] John 10:19
[2] John 20:25
[3] John 20:26
[4] Revelation 1:9
[5] John 20:19
[6] John 20:21
[7] John 20:26
[8] John 20:30,31