Listen to the Blessing

Listen to the Blessing

John 20:19-31

The people that history calls “the Desert Fathers” were 4th century men and women who went out into the wilderness to confront their demons. They went, after the example of Jesus, so that they could become pure in heart. They would live in caves or simple huts, weaving baskets or rope to sell so they could buy the food that they needed. As their hands were doing repetitive work, it left their hearts and minds free for prayer and meditation. Some of them gained a reputation for wisdom and holiness.

People in the cities would sometimes go out to the desert to ask these hermits questions about God, and about faith. Many of the answers the seekers were given came in the form of short stories about what the hermits had experienced while on this quest of faith. Frankly, many of the stories are a little too fantastic for our modern ears today. There is one story, however, that I want to share with you. It is a story that came as an answer to the question, “Why do people fall away from the faith?”

“One day a dog saw a rabbit running for cover among the bushes of the desert, and the dog began to chase the rabbit, barking loudly. Soon other dogs joined in the chase, barking and running. They ran a great distance and alerted other dogs. Soon the wilderness was echoing the sounds of their pursuit but the chase went on into the night. After a while, many of the dogs grew tired and dropped out. A few chased the rabbit until the night was nearly spent. By morning, only the first dog continued the hunt.”

If you don’t know why that is a great answer, keep listening, because the key to unlocking that story is in our scripture for today. And once we have the key, we can listen for the blessing Jesus gives us, the blessing of the Good News.

In our reading, it would have still been Easter Sunday, according to our way of thinking. But in the ancient Jewish understanding of time,it is the next day. Their day began with sunset, to remind us that it was out of the darkness that God created the light. It is the next day, after Mary Magdalene had experienced that light coming out of the darkness. It is the next day, and the disciples are still living in the darkness.

The main disciples have gathered in the same upper room where they had their feet washed by Jesus, but they were not feeling very clean. It was the same room where they had shared the bread and wine with Jesus, but they were not feeling much like a happy family. Even though they had heard Mary’s report, they were in that same upper room with the doors locked, hiding in fear.

Thomas is not with the other disciples. We are not told why Thomas isn’t with them. And we can speculate on lots of different reasons why Thomas wasn’t there, but all we can say for sure is that he is not with the other disciples. So, he wasn’t there when the Risen Lord appeared to the other disciples who were behind the locked doors. And what an appearance it was, because Jesus said to them something amazing.

Some of us have heard this story so many times before that we often miss the impact it would have had that very first time it was said. We need to remember that these are the disciples who denied knowing Jesus in his hour of need. These are the disciples who turned and fled, when Jesus was crucified. These are the disciples who let strangers take care of the burial. These are the disciples who hid behind locked doors when they learned that the body was missing from the tomb.

This is the first time the disciples have seen Jesus, raised from the dead, since all this went down. We might expect Jesus to say something like: “Isn’t there something you boys want to say to me?” We might expect Jesus to wait for them to ask for forgiveness, or maybe even demand that they explain why they should be forgiven. It is what most of us would do, if we were in the same situation.

Jesus, however, didn’t wait for them to ask for forgiveness. He doesn’t have to, because he had already forgiven them, while he was still on the cross. The disciples come to believe in the victory of Jesus over sin and death, not because they ask for forgiveness, but because as they stood in the presence of the Resurrected Lord, they knew they were forgiven. And they knew they were forgiven because Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you.”

But Thomas wasn’t there to hear these words. Thomas doesn’t know that he is forgiven, and he valued Jesus too much to let himself off the hook. When the other disciples tell Thomas what they have experienced, we get that speech that could have been written by most any one in Missouri – “You’ve got to show me the nail prints in his hands, and the wound in his side, before I will believe. You’ve got to let me touch those nail prints, and let me put my hand in the wound, so that I know that this is really the same Jesus who was crucified, dead, and buried.” That speech has forever dubbed him with the name “Doubting Thomas.”

Preachers particularly like that name, because many people have doubts today. In our intellectual world, we actually affirm the importance of doubting. We have learned that we make advances by questioning what we know, doubting what we are sure of, and by testing our theories. And that is all well, and good, and necessary in the ways of the world today.

It is, however, false and inauthentic to apply that same attitude about doubting into the realm of faith. There is a significant difference between doubting and knowing, and doubting and believing.

Tex Sample tells the story of working in the oil fields one summer after attending a year of seminary. He worked in order to be able to pay for seminary. One of the oil workers asked Tex very loudly, “Well, preacher boy, what do you believe about the virgin birth?” Tex started in on one of those seminary answers that begins with the ancient cultural understandings of divinity in the religions of the surrounding regions, and how that understanding might have influenced the telling of the birth stories of Jesus. This worker, again very loudly, stopped him. “Whoa there, preacher boy! I didn’t ask you what you thought. I asked, ‘What do you believe?’”

We do not move from doubting to believing because we have worked our way through strong, Biblically based, culturally relevant arguments that logically make our case. We do not move from doubting to believing because of archaeological discoveries and other provenanced artifacts that can serve as proof that the people of our Bible stories actually existed and lived in ways that the Bible tells us they lived. The only way to move from doubting to believing is to experience the Risen Lord.

Thomas had doubts before he encountered the Risen Christ. He didn’t have any doubts after he met the Risen Christ. Before, he knew the scriptures and the teachings, but still he had doubts. Before, he had witnessed the turning of the crowd, the travesty of injustice, and the violence of the crucifixion, just as Jesus had told them it would happen, but he still had doubts. Before, the other disciples had given their witness, but he still had doubts.

Thomas believes, not because he has finally figuredit all out, but because he has seen the Risen Lord. He believes for the same reason that Mary Magdalene believes. He believes for the same reason the other disciples believe. And I stand here before you to confess that I believe because I have seen the Risen Lord. I have received his assurance, and I have heard his calling to follow him.

That is why the story from the Desert Fathers is a great answer. It begins with one dog seeing the rabbit. The other dogs heard the testimony of the first dog, and they were excited to be part of the chase, and they joined in. Many of them even go with the first dog long after the chase had become wearisome. At the end, however, only the first dog was left – becausethe first dog was the only one who actually saw the rabbit. Only the first dog had no doubts about seeing the rabbit.

But then we have this seemingly contradictory saying of Jesus:“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” We may not all see Jesus like Thomas saw Jesus, but we can all see Jesus at work in the world. We may not all hear Jesus like Thomas heard Jesus, but we can all hear his voice speaking in our hearts. We may not all be able to touch Jesus like Thomas touched Jesus, but we can all know that Jesus touches our hearts. We can all receive the “strangely-warmed heart” assurance that our sins are forgiven, that God loves us, that Jesus has saved us, and that the Holy Spirit can lead us. We can all still stand in his presence and hear Jesus say to us, “Peace be with you.”

That assurance comes as a gift that we can prepare our hearts to receive, as we humble ourselves and acknowledge our need for the grace of Jesus Christ. That assurance can come when we can hear the voice of Jesus speaking to us in the words of scripture. That assurance can come when we see the Church working together as the Body of Christ in the world working to reveal the victory over sin and death. But we are not likely to receive that assurance simply because our argument for believing is better than another’s argument for doubting.

Being an authentic Christian is more than holding certain ideas, or acting in certain ways, or avoiding certain evils. It is about knowing Jesus Christ personally, actually, really. Part of the genius of the Wesley brothers is that they took the question most churches ask one step further. Instead of simply asking, “Are you saved?” we ask “Are you in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ?”

There is a problem with the Desert Fathers’ story, however. They thought that knowing the Risen Lord was a “reserved grace” for people willing to make the sacrifices necessary to receive it, like they did in the desert–after all, only one dog sees the rabbit. We believe that knowing Jesus as the Risen Lord should be the ordinary expectation of every Christian! Knowing Jesus isn’t just for those who live like monks in the wilderness – it is for people who are raising families and for people with no family. It is for those working jobs and for those otherwise unemployed. It is for those who get along quite nicely in this world and for those who seem to be dealing with problems at every turn. All of us can know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Having a saving relationship doesn’t mean that you have all the answers – but it does mean that you know that Jesus does. Having a saving relationship doesn’t mean that you are always confident about what is the right thing to do – but it does mean that you have confidence in the Holy Spirit to lead you to do the right thing. Having a saving relationship doesn’t mean that you won’t be let down or disappointed by your pastor or your congregation or your other Christian friends – but it does mean that you know you can always depend on God to see you through whatever comes in life.

Last week, churches were overflowing with people coming to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. This week is known as Low Sunday, because it is often the lowest attended Sunday of the year. Why is that? Last week, many came for the barking and the excitement of the chase. Those who returned this week have seen the Risen Lord.

UM Hymnal 316 “He Rose”