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Showing posts with label Doubting Thomas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doubting Thomas. Show all posts

Monday, May 2, 2022

Beautiful Scars, part 3

Introduction
Today is the third Sunday of Easter.  There are actually 7 Sundays of Easter. The resurrection is so powerful, it cannot be fully expressed in just one Sunday. Eastertide is the 50 days from Easter to Pentecost, which is June 5th this year. Eastertide is a time of expectant prayer where we wait for the Holy Spirit to empower us to serve God. We recall how the resurrected Jesus told the Disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to empower them to tell people about Him everywhere. During Eastertide this year, I challenge you to read through the Book of Acts by June 5th.

Today, we pick up the second half of the story of doubting Thomas from last Sunday.  First, let's read the full story.  Then we will go back and look at each verse.

John 20:24-29
24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Now, let's look at each verse.

John 20:24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came.
First of all we see that Thomas was nicknamed Didymus (which means Twin). Fascinating!  The disciples were real people, just like you and me.  Apparently one of them had a twin.  We don’t know anything about His twin.  Was the twin male or female? Did his twin die or was he still alive? Was he a follower of Christ? Unfortunately, the Bible doesn't tell us anything about Thomas' twin.  Sometimes we have to live with unanswered questions.

A more relevant unanswered question I have from this story is:  why Thomas absent the first time Jesus came?  Was he off on some important errand? Was he off by himself because that was the best way for him to cope with his grief at losing Jesus?  We don’t know.

How many times have you missed the powerful presence and working of Jesus because you weren’t there? We have so many things vying for our attention these days. It's easy to get distracted and miss out.  That's why we should make sure you make time for God.  We can make time through weekly sabbath rest and worship in church.  We make time through daily prayer and devotion.  We can make time to see God's power and work through occasional spiritual retreats (like the Walk to Emmaus) or a simple walk on the beach.  God is not confined to a set schedule, so always been on the look out.

John 20:25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”  But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
It is from this one verse that we get Thomas’ most famous nickname. The disciples nick named him “The Twin”, but we call know him today as “Doubting Thomas”.  It's unfortunate that Thomas walked with the Lord for at least three years and saw and did so many amazing things, but the one thing people remember about him is defined by this one verse where Thomas doubted.  

Has “One” moment in your life ever come to dominate your identity?  Maybe you were diagnosed with cancer and you were forever after known by your cancer.  Maybe you spouse died and you became a widow or widower.  Maybe you went through a divorce and that came to define your life experience.  Sometimes someone hurts us deeply and then forever after the wound shadows us whether we like it or not.  Even though we are so much more, our identities can become defined by that one thing that happened.  People see us through that one; we may even see ourselves through the lens of that one identity shaping thing.

However, Jesu came back to set us free.  We don't have to miss out on the future because of something that happened in the past.  Jesus came to redeem our identity.


John 20:26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.

Even though the disciples were meeting behind locked doors, Jesus was miraculously there.  Nothing can keep Jesus from finding you.  No wound, no trauma, not even doubt can stop Jesus from coming for you.  No one get left behind in Jesus’ Kingdom. Jesus keeps coming back to find the sheep who doubt, or a little slower, or who just missed out on the chance to be with Him for one reason or another. Isn’t it good to know that Jesus doesn't give up on us?  He keeps coming back to invite us to come follow Him and find peace.

Even so, don’t put off answer Jesus' invitation, because no one knows how many more breaths or heartbeats you have.  Life is short and you don't want to leave this life with any regrets.  And you certainly don't want to leave this life without ever choosing to follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  That would be an eternal regret.  You would find yourself in hell, separated from God forever, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

John 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
Jesus had beautiful scars.  He didn't try to hide them.  He came to Thomas and said "Look!  It really is me!"  Jesus' scars were the most beautiful things ever trace upon human skin because they proved His true identity and the depth of His love.  They proved he died on a cross to pay for our sins, but that he also rose from the grave to defeat sin and death.  

Jesus wasn't ashamed of His scars and we don’t need to be ashamed of our scars either.  Remember, everyone has scars, even if you can’t see them.  But Jesus can redeem our scars so the wounds that caused them no longer define us.  Rather, our scars, if we are brave enough to share them with one another, tell the story of how Jesus has redeemed us or is redeeming us.  Our scars ceased to be a record of our brokenness and become a witness to Jesus' transforming power when we have faith and follow Him.

John 20:28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
This is the simplest profession of faith.  Jesus is the Christian's Lord and God.  Thomas proclaimed Jesus was his Lord.  This means two things for Thomas.  First, it meant the man standing there with scars was indeed Jesus, not someone else.  He was the man who walked with Thomas for three hears teaching and loving and healing and performing miracles.  He is also the man who hung and died on the cross.  He was the man Thomas loved.

However, "Lord" also means Jesus is Lord.  He has absolute authority.  He is to be followed.  He is to be obeyed.  Jesus is Lord of all!

And Jesus is "God".  Jesus is more than “just a man”.  He is more than a good man, more than a prophet, religious leader, revolutionary, miracle worker, healer…  How many times have you tried to limit Jesus to what you wanted Him to be – the person who could get you out of a bind, save you from hell, heal your friend, teach your kids to be kind…  Jesus may be all of the above, but He is not just those things.  Jesus is God.  Let that sink in.  Let that define your relationship with Him.

John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
We can “see” Jesus in a thousand ways today.  We still see miracles. healing, answered prayers.  We see Him through the way He works out His plans, bringing people together in a million different ways.  We can even see Christ's power in a sunset or the beauty of nature.

I see Jesus in the workings of my church all the time.  He makes things happen in ways that no man could do by himself.  Jesus is still alive and full of power and working miracles every day.

When we are immature, we may need to see the signs and wonders of Christ to believe. However, our goal is to grow up so we can walk by faith and not by sight. That means we don't have to depend upon frequent sighs and wanders in order to trust Jesus.  No, even if we see nothing, we know Jesus is alive.  We have faith.  That is enough.

See Jesus Through Holy Communion
Even so, Jesus knows our weakness.  That's why He gave a us such a gracious gift in Holy Communion.  This is the sign sacrament Jesus instructed us to practice again and again to remember Him.  It reminds us of His nail scarred body given freely for us.  It reminds us of  His blood shed for our sins because of His love that has no end.  It also reminds us He died for us, but he is not dead.  He is here among us.  Just as Jesus came back so Thomas could believe, Jesus comes back so we can believe every time we celebrate Holy Communion.  

Have you missed Jesus before.  We’re you off somewhere else or distracted when everyone saw the risen Christ?  Did you miss the miracle?  Or have you been like Thomas and you’ve doubted because of something terrible that happened in your life.  Maybe you wondered how Jesus could really be alive and love you because that happened.  

In this bread and this wine of Holy Communion, you can see a miracle.  Don’t miss it.  Come touch Jesus’ nail scarred hands as you hold the bread in your hands.  Come place your hand in the spear wound in Jesus’ side as you partake of the cup of wine.  These are the glorious, beautiful scars Jesus reveals to you to show His love for you.  And keep your eyes opened for the millions of other ways he shows you His life and love.  

Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!

Monday, April 12, 2021

Seeing is Believing?

Introduction
For our messages over the last couple of months, we’ve been comparing the conventional wisdom of our world with what Christ actually said.  

Today, we conclude this series with the common expression “Seeing is believing.”  Seeing is believing means you need to see something before you can accept that it’s real. 

We live in the age of science.  Most people don’t believe in silly superstitions anymore because science has shown them to be imaginary.  Furthermore, we know talk is cheap.  How many times have leaders made promises and not followed through?  Talk is cheap.  Seeing is believing.

One state in our union even made the philosophy “seeing is believing” their state motto.  In 1899, Representative Willard D. Vandiver said, "Frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri. You've got to show me." This led to Missouri being called the “Show Me State”.

Maybe we could all do with a little more of the Missourian’s common sense.  It seems like some people will believe anything.  A little skepticism may help guard you from being so gullible.  But what did Jesus say?  Did Jesus subscribe to “seeing is believing”?

Last Sunday was Easter.  We celebrated the incredible ressurection of Jesus Christ.  He was crucified, dead, and buried in tomb.  On the third day, he rose and appeared to His disciples.  Today, we read John 20:24-29.

John 20:24-29
24 
One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Jesus is Alive!
(and patient with our skepticism)
I sort of feel bad for Thomas.  First of all, he missed it the first time the resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples.  Thomas must have been out doing errands and when he gets back the other Disciples are all like, “Jesus is alive!  And he appeared to us!” Thomas must have been like, "Great and I missed it!"  In all seriousness, Thomas understandably doesn’t believe their fantastic story.  He says, “Unless I see it for myself, I won’t believe it.” 

I probably would have said the same thing.  After 20 years of church ministry, I seen enough supposed miracles turn out false to make me plenty skeptical.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’ve also seen countless answered prayers and legitimate miracles of God.  But I've also seen enough illegitimate ones to give me a healthy dose of skepticism. Furthermore, I've seen enough duplicity in people to make me wise enough not to accept everything or everyone at face value.

And—let’s just be honestif all the other disciples started claiming something as fantastic as Jesus coming back from the dead, a lot of us would be like Thomas.  We might even use the expression: “seeing is believing”.

That’s why I love that Jesus showed himself to Thomas.  He didn’t leave Thomas out.  He came back to visit His Disciples when Thomas was with them.  And to Thomas, he’s like, “Here I am.  You need to see it to believe it.  Go ahead.  Look at me.  Touch me.  Feel the scars.  It really is me.” 

Jesus is patient with Thomas’ skepticism.  He helps him. And I think Jesus is patient with our skepticism too.  He understands.  We live in an age where much leads us to be skeptical.  Jesus understands.

However, Jesus also knows the value of faith—deep faith.  Faith is critical, and because Jesus loves us, he doesn’t want us to miss out on the full power of faith.  He even told Thomas and the Disciples something in verse 29 that we need to take to heart.  He told them, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.

Seeing is Believing vs. Believing is Seeing
Have you ever thought of all the things in life you believe without seeing?

When you heat up your leftovers for lunch in the microwave, do you really know how it all works?  Probably not, but you trust that it will.  You press start and the magic light comes on inside the box and heats up your food.  

How about when you use your computer to connect to the internet.  If you are really smart, you may understand how it works in theory, but really you just have faith that it will do it's computer thing when you need it too.

You probably don't give it a second thought that your brakes will work when you drive in a car.  One minute you are hurdling down a road at 60 miles per hour and the next you press the pedal to slow to a safe stop.  You have faith your brakes will work.

We believe these things work the way they are supposed to because someone who knows better than us told us.  We believed them and we trusted the these machines.

Have you ever thought about the kid of faith it takes to go to the grocery store?  I grilled hamburgers for dinner the other night.  My wife went to the grocery store and walked up to the meat counter.  She picked up a styrofoam container wrapped in cellophane.  Inside was some mushy red ground flesh called ground beef.  Why are you able to take that bloody meat home and cook it and put it in your mouth and chew it and swallow it?  Perhaps it's because you trust the food from the grocery store is safe.  We believe because we trust the grocer has kept that meat safe and sanitary.  Or maybe it's because we trust the Food and Drug Administration (FDA )has monitored our grocer and ensured they did the right thing.  Now think about that for a minute.  You trust a government agency to ensure what you put in your mouth is safe.  Government and their agencies have not always had a stellar record of being trustworthy.  Let that sink in for a minute.

We live a lot more of our lives by faith than we realize.  We put our faith in people, products, companies, and even the government.  Hopefully these are worthy of our faith.

When it comes to religion, in whom do we put our faith?  Christians are known in the Bible as “Believers”.  In whom do we believe?  

Sometimes, people put their faith in a pastor.  (Listen, I'm a pastor and I know my own heart.  It’s a scary prospect to think of people putting their faith in fallible pastors.)  People will often put their faith in a church or a denomination.  All of these have proven to be unworthy.  Through the centuries, we have seen corruption and the abuse of power in these organizations.

True Christian faith must be in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  The most reliable witness we have to Jesus is the Bible, which we call the Word of God.  John 3:16 says, “…everyone who believes in him [Jesus] will not perish but have eternal life.”  And in John 16:9, Jesus said, “The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.”

I appreciate that the NLT says "refuses to believe in me."  People are capable of believing.  We live by faith and believe in things all the time.  However, when faced with the choice to believe Jesus or not, very often people refuse to believe.

Would you be skeptical of Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the Word of God who was with God in the Beginning, who gave life to everything that was created and whose life gave light to everyone? (See John 1:1-4)  Would you doubt Jesus’ own word in the Holy Bible while at the same time you trust the FDA, your grocer, and even the mechanic who fixes your car’s brakes?

The resurrected Christ showed himself to Thomas, the other Disciples.  In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes Jesus had appeared to more than 500 people.  That’s a lot of people, but the vast majority of Christians over the centuries have accepted Christ’s ressurection by faith and not by actually seeing.  We are able to see Jesus is alive because we believe what the Bible says about him and this opens our hearts to know He is walking with us in all of life's circumstances.

Faith Makes All Things Possible
In Mark 9:23, Jesus said, “Anything is possible if a person believes.”  Have you ever thought of all the incredible things accomplished over the centuries because someone believed it could happen when no one else believed? 

500 years ago, no one really believed people could fly.  Then in the early 20th century, the Wright brothers switched from making bicycles to flying machines.  That made one that could fly only a few hundred yards.  Today, we have airplanes that can fly anywhere in the world and people travel all over through the air.

On hundred years ago, no one really believed a man would walk on the moon.  Then in 1969, we had "One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind."  For the first time ever, a human foot touched down onto the dusty surface of the moon.

In 1966, the TV series "Star Trek" debuted.  People were amazed at all the fantastic, futuristic gadgets they portrayed--things they believed people might only way off in the distant future.  They had things like personal handheld communicators (cell phones), hand held computers (tablets and smart phones), and voice activated computer ("Hey Siri...")  I wonder what crazy, outlandish, impossible inventions will become a reality next al because someone imagines it and has a vision and faith that it is possible even if everyone else says it's impossible.

How can a high school senior face graduation and an unknown future unless they believe that somehow, they can do it and a bright future lies ahead of them?

How can a wife and husband reconcile a broken marriage if they don’t believe it is possible (if only through the help of God)?

How can an addict become sober if they don’t believe it is possible through the help of a Higher Power than their own?

How can NICU nurse care for a 2 pound baby born 3 months early unless they believe that somehow, that child full of tubes and IVs can make it and live to have an incredible life if only her caretakers believe it is possible?

How can a cancer patient find healing through a incredibly difficult chemo treatment without faith that it might just work?  Or how can they hope to face death if the treatment doesn’t work unless they have faith that their is something more to life than just death?

How can a person work through the grief of losing someone they really care about without faith that somehow the future hold more than just sorrow and tears and darkness and loneliness?

There are countless real-life examples of times when faith is essential to help people imagine a better future despite their current situation. 

Seeing is believing is not enough.  Sometimes, we just can’t see it until we believe.

If you are from the Dalton area, you may remember how on April 5th, 2013, Coahulla Creek High School student Hannah Locke was in a terrible car accident that left her paralyzed.  Her tragedy and also her faith and determination have inspired countless people.  Her journey has not been easy.  For some, it would have been impossible, but Hannah’s faith helped her do the impossible.  Though Hannah is still in a wheel chair, she is a living example of how faith can motivate and inspire a person to live their best life despite tragedy.  Hannah is now married (Hannah Mackenzie Reed) and expecting a child. 

Hannah's faith has inspired so many.  In a recent public Facebook post, Hannah shared this: “As I reflect over the past 8 years, I can’t help but to think about how immensely blessed I have been. While these 8 years have brought trials & tribulation, frustration & heartache, it has also brought growth, perseverance, and immeasurable joy. If it took these 8 years to bring me to where I am today, filled with the peace that only comes from God, full of love for life and the people in it, and full of thanksgiving for the many blessings, I would do it all over.”[i]

Faith makes Hannah's positivity and progress possible.  Faith is absolutely essential for us all.

Conclusion
Today, I invite you to trust Jesus.  His Word is trustworthy.  You may be wise to be skeptical of some things or people in this world.  However, you can always trust Jesus.  Put your faith in Him today and let Him save you.  

And one more thing.  Don't let your skepticism about people or other things in this life cripple your potential.  There will always be disappointments and let downs. But don't give up.  Keep having faith.  It's worth it. 

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

Jesus Appears to His Disciples
            Sunday was the second Sunday of Easter.  Most people know Easter marks the day Jesus rose from the grave.  But not everyone knows there is a whole season of Easter that continues for several weeks after Easter Sunday.  Jesus appeared to his disciples on Easter, but he also appeared many times in bodily form over the next few weeks.  So for the next few weeks, we will study some of those stories.  And the main idea I want us to consider is does Christ still appear to people today?  Have you ever seen Jesus?  Have you ever  touched his scars and how? 
            I want to read a story from John 20:19-29, which details two separate times Jesus appeared to his disciples.  I will make some comments as we read through the passage.

John 20:19-20
19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!
 
            First of all, I want you to notice Jesus came in peace.  Maybe you would be afraid to see Jesus.  I mean, if he really were alive and going to pay us a visit, we might be ashamed because of something we weren't doing right in life.  Or maybe we would be afraid he would be angry with us or would want to punish us.  The disciples were afraid.  They locked the doors to the upper room because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.  But they might also have wondered if Jesus would be angry with them for the ways they had failed him.  Would he come to scold them or punish them? 
            But Jesus reassures the disciples saying , "I come in peace."  And Jesus' visit was a good thing. It filled the disciples with joy when they saw the risen Lord.  He was glad to see them and they were glad he came.  We don't have to be afraid to see Jesus either.  If he were to come pay a visit, he would come in peace.  He loves you and wants to reassure you.  It would be a good thing and would fill you with joy.  So don't be afraid to look for the risen Lord.
 
John 20:21-23
21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
 
            In Luke and Acts, the Holy Spirit does not come until the Day of Pentecost.  The Gospel of John seem to indicate the Holy Spirit was given in when Jesus met with the Disciples and Thomas (although some have said it this was just a symbolic act from Jesus to show the Holy Spirit would be given).  Whether the Holy Spirit came at this time or at another time or at multiple times, the main point of this passage is the Holy Spirit will always be with us.  That will be an important idea we will address again in a moment.  But first, let's go on with the passage.
 
John 20:24-25
24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

            This was the first appearance of Jesus.  It happened on the first Easter Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the grave.  But the disciple Thomas was not with them.  We don't know where he was, but he wasn't there. (Maybe he was off having the oil changed in his camel.  We don't know...) 

John 20:26
26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them.

            Here we have a second appearance of the risen Christ.  This one was one week later.  Again, it was on a Sunday.  So, notice, that both of these appearances happened on a Sunday.  Sunday is a special day.  It is known as "the Lord's Day."  Technically, Saturday is the Sabbath (the seventh day) because that is the day God rested after 6 days of creation work.  But here we see that right after Jesus rose, the Disciples are meeting together on Sundays.  And it became the custom for Christians to meet for worship on Sundays, which they called "The Lord's Day" because he rose on a Sunday.  Sunday is a special day.  Every Sunday is a little Easter.  And it would seem Sundays are a day when we can encounter the risen Christ in a special way when we gather in the church with other believers.  If you want to see the risen Christ, I recommend you start by going to church on Sunday.
 
John 20:26-27
The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
 
            Again, we see that Jesus comes in peace.  He is not angry or upset with Thomas or the other disciples.  Some have looked down on Thomas for needing proof.  The other disciples told him Jesus was alive and they had seen him, but Thomas said he wouldn't believe unless he saw it with his own eyes.  But there's no need to look down on Thomas.  He wasn't asking for anything the other Disciples hadn't already received.  And Jesus is not upset with him.  He wanted Thomas to believe, so he gave Thomas what he needed.  He wanted Thomas' faith to be secure.  And Thomas was convinced.  He said,
 
John 20:28-29
28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

            Right here at the end of the passage, we see that Jesus has made a distinction between the Disciples (who saw Jesus and believed) and us (who have not seen Jesus and yet still believe).  And Jesus said we are more blessed because we believe without seeing.

            The Disciples—including Thomas—were able to witness for Christ in an exceptional way because they saw the resurrected Christ.  In 1 John 1:1, the beloved disciple said, "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life."  They had seen Jesus while he was alive.  They had seen him on the cross.  They saw him in the grave.  They saw him, heard him, and touched him after he rose from the grave.  Thus, they were absolutely convinced Jesus was alive and that he was their Lord and God (as Thomas put it).
            It had to be that way for the very first disciples.  There had to be a firm foundation.  I believe that is why the resurrected Christ appeared in bodily form to the 11 disciples and so many of the first Christians in the days immediately following Easter.  Jesus wanted to absolutely convince them so they could build a firm foundation for the church.  We needed them to see Jesus so we can be assured our faith is built on something solid.  And yet, Jesus also said we are more blessed because we have not seen. 

We Are More Blessed
            Jesus walked on the earth in bodily form after his resurrection for 40 days.  Then he ascended into heaven.  We recall this essential element of our faith every time we recite the Apostles' Creed.  We say, “…He rose from the grave, He ascended into heaven…”  Perhaps we do not experience the resurrected Christ now in the same way the disciples did in the first 40 days after his resurrection, because Jesus has ascended.  We can still see Christ.  He is not dead; he is alive!  But we may see him in a different way because he has ascended, whereas he appeared to the disciples in bodily form.
            Most Christians overlook how important it is that Jesus ascended to heaven.  Because Jesus ascended, we now have the Holy Spirit.  And through the Holy Spirit, Jesus can be present everywhere at once.  You see, a body can only be in one place at a time--it is limited by time and space.  That is why Thomas missed out of Jesus' appearance that first Sunday.  Remember, he wasn't in the room with the other.  He was off getting the oil changed in his camel or something.  Why didn't Jesus appear to the 10 disciples in the upper room and to Thomas at the same time down at the camel service station?  Jesus couldn't, because he was a body and not a spirit.
            But we are more blessed because now Jesus is present in the Holy Spirit and is not limited by time and space.  So Jesus can be present right here with me as I type the words of this blog and he can be present with you wherever you are reading them.  As the Holy Spirit, Jesus can be everywhere at once.
            We are also more blessed because we believe Jesus rose based on faith.  Faith is very powerful.  Faith helps us see Jesus in more ways than the Disciples did at first.  They could only believe if they saw his nail scarred hands.  But we can believe and see Jesus when we gather together to serve in God's name.  If we believe, we can see Jesus there in that moment.  If we believe, we can see Jesus when a mother loves her child sacrificially.  Through faith, we can see Jesus in her actions.  Through faith, we can see Jesus when a father forgives his son.  Through faith, we can see the risen Christ is with us when we take our own father to the hospital for a critical surgery.  Because we believe, we know we are not alone.  We can see Jesus through our Christian friends who support us and pray for us and help us when we need it most.  Faith helps us see Jesus is more than just a man's body walking around with nail scars on his hands and a wounded side.
            Increasing faith is the mark of mature Christians.  Think of those Disciples in this story; think of Thomas.  They were only baby Christians--just born really.  And They needed to see Jesus.  When we see a child, maybe two-years-old, that child might cling to its mother's leg.  It might not ever want to let go.  And if Mama leaves the room, the child's whole world falls apart and it is afraid and may even cry uncontrollably until Mama comes back into the room.  That's normal for a two-year-old.  But eventually, the child grows up and matures and becomes a college student and may even move away to another town to attend school.  You wouldn't want that child to still be clinging to its mother's leg all the time.  No.  The child is grown up now and has faith that their mother is still there.  She is still alive.  She still loves them.  They will still see each other again.  And so it is with more mature Christians.  We don't need to see Jesus in bodily form all the time with us.  Through faith we trust he is there. 
            The Disciples would eventually mature in this way too.  At the beginning, like babies, they needed to see Jesus with them.  But they would eventually grow up and spread out to do amazing things because their faith matured.  Thomas' faith led him to travel all the way to India.  To this day, there is a community of Christians in India that trace the founding to the Disciple Thomas who brought the story of the risen Jesus to their community.  Faith is a powerful thing.

We Must See Jesus
            Jesus is alive.  He is not dead.  And we can see the risen Christ, through faith.  He still appears to us today.  He may not appear in bodily form as he did for the disciples and Thomas in our scripture reading, but he shows up in other ways.  Do you have faith to see him?
            It is not enough to just know Christ intellectually.  It is not enough to read and memorize the things he said or to know historical facts about him.  We must actually see him, in some sense, so we know he is alive and real and participating in our lives.  It is not enough to be a Christian because your parents or grandparents were.  It is not enough to be a religious person who follows the religious program of Jesus and his Church.  It is not enough to mumble an empty prayer into the air, not believing there is a living Savior listening.  No. You must see that Jesus is alive and he is here and he is listening to your prayer and will answer according to his great wisdom, power, and love.  We will probably see Jesus is different ways than the Disciples, but we can still see him.  We need to see him, through faith. 
            Jesus showed the Disciples and Thomas his scars to prove it was really him.  You see, he wanted them to believe.  He wanted Thomas to believe.  That's why he came back a second time when Thomas was there.  Thomas said he wouldn't believe in less he saw Jesus and his scars for himself.  So Jesus came, because Jesus wants all his followers to believe.  And if that's what it took for Thomas, that's what Jesus was willing to do.
            Which proof do you need in order to believe?  Jesus wants you to believe.  He is willing to help you.  Maybe you don't need to see the scars like Thomas, but you might need something.  What is it?  Why don't you ask Jesus to show you?  He wants you to be secure in your faith.  So why not ask him to help?