Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 30, 2008 - Second Sunday of Easter
[Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31]Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.
To the very end, the Gospel of John remains a dramatic presentation. The scene in today's passage of Jesus' post-resurrection appearance to the disciples is no exception. Jesus appears, shows his hands and feet, gives the Spirit and a commission to forgive sins. (It is important here to understand that the meaning of "sin" in the Gospel of John refers to a refusal to believe in Jesus, and not the common meaning we give it in terms of violating the commandments.) Jesus commissions the disciples to confront the world with his message and with the sin of unbelief! Almost on cue, Thomas comes in, having been absent, and provides an example of the sin! He is not just a "doubter," he refuses to believe unless he can have physical evidence ("signs and wonders"). When Jesus does for him what Jesus had done earlier for the other disciples (who proclaim their faith to Thomas: "We have seen the Lord."), Thomas gives up his agenda completely and makes the dramatic profession of faith: My Lord and my God! In this he is like Peter at the washing of the feet! By making this profession of faith, Thomas purges himself of the sin of unbelief. But what about those who come later? This is the whole point of the scene. The Gospel was written for a generation living long after these events. They will not have the advantage of the physical encounter with Christ. Jesus seems to speak directly to them and calls them "blessed." They too will have to confront the world with the message of Jesus. invite belief and challenge unbelief. A skeptical age that views religious faith as a matter of personal choice rather than universal truth will be uncomfortable with being challenged to believe. Yet we who believe have the commission from Jesus to make our belief known, realizing that the message acts, as the Gospel of John consistently says, as a "judgment" on the world. We must proclaim a universal truth and not just a personal choice! AMEN
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