Seeing and Believing

Eastertide is a season of celebration and joy as we reflect on God's divine act of forgiveness and liberation; the new life that is offered to us in Jesus' death and resurrection.  All four gospels tell post-resurrection stories, they begin with Mary Magdalene who meets Jesus near the tomb where he was buried.  Last week we heard the story of the travellers on the road to Emmaus, this week we hear the story of his first appearance to the disciples and then to Thomas.  These are important stories - they cause us to wonder about resurrection and what it means; they are instructive - the words of Jesus to Mary, to the disciples, to Thomas and to Peter have much to teach us, and they invite us to tell our own stories of encountering Jesus.

This week our text is from John 20:19-29, in our Sunday School curriculum the text is titled: "Doubting Thomas"- this might be how you know the text as well.  However, when we tell the story with the two words, "Doubting Thomas" it is very easy to hear it in a negative light or to miss the grace and mercy in this story of Christ's appearing.  So perhaps when we might simply call it Seeing and Believing?  I will leave that with you to decide.

Our text today records that the disciples are on lock down. They have heard Mary's report - she has seen the risen Lord, she has heard his voice, wrapped her arms around him.  They gather together disoriented and weighed down; unsure of how to proceed.  They are desperately afraid of the religious authorities who have just crucified Jesus, they are ashamed of how this has all unfolded, how they deserted and denied Jesus.  They might even be afraid to see him, after all what might he say to them?  The doors are locked.  And yet despite this fact, Jesus comes into their midst and he says "Peace be with you." The words echo back from the Last Supper, "My peace I give you, my peace I leave with you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid." But this time the words carry a different weight, Jesus is offering peace as the resurrected one, the one who has suffered and prevailed.  He is in their midst and his first words to them do not express disappointment, his words to do not shame them or make them feel guilty. Instead Jesus offers peace and forgiveness unburdening the disciples; relief and joy washing over them.

The disciples are loved and chosen by God and in the room, with their hands in his, they know who he is - their Saviour.  Maybe the words of Isaiah were running through their minds "He was wounded by our transgressions and by his wounds we are healed." Perhaps they were thinking back to all  the people Jesus healed with his hands, with his breath, with words.  And now Jesus breathes on them, the life giving breath of God, the Holy Spirit.  And Jesus gives them a task: to forgive others as they have been forgiven.  They know the power of forgiveness, they had been locked in a room, afraid and ashamed and now they are sent out into the world - free, to love and forgive as Christ has.  The transformational life of the Spirit is at work in them and in us!  The work of forgiveness is all of ours as followers of Jesus; we pray how Jesus taught us when we say, "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."  Forgiveness is the hard work and the gift that transforms relationships and frees us from fear and sin.

Thomas is the only one not present in the room with them; for some reason, he is absent.  And when the disciples tell him what has happened he cannot simply believe upon their report.  Maybe he too just wants to see Jesus and touch him one more time, to see his resurrection body with his own eyes.  We don't know what his disbelief is all about.  But we can often identify in ourselves a refusal to believe, can't we?  Sometimes it is the refusal to believe that we can be forgiven or loved by God - we can even keep serving God, still not believing that he really loves us.  We easily feel unworthy, shame tells us we do not deserve to be loved, we are not good enough.  Sometimes wrong thinking about God is makes it hard for us to recognize Jesus.  Sometimes we have hard questions that we need to wrestle with  and we need a place where there is room for faith and for our hardest questions.  

Maybe Thomas isn't that different than Mary or the disciples or us.  In our story today, Jesus comes to Thomas, again the disciples are gathered behind closed doors and he offers his peace; he shows Thomas his hands and his sides.  It is an act of mercy, of love.  Thomas recognizes this and exclaims: "My Lord and My God."  The last two verses of this chapter read, "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you might have life in His name." (John 20:30,31)  Belief that brings us into life - this is the good news of Eastertide!

The students might also be curious about the body of the resurrected Christ.  We read that he could pass through doors in this chapter which is very curious.  And yet he was not ghostlike, he could be touched and was recognizable; he ate with the disciples on the beach.  So his body was like ours and yet not like ours.

Here is an image you might want to share with the children:

A blog I like had some great ideas that pick up on the idea of recognizing Jesus, just as Thomas and Mary and the disciples recognized Jesus.  Check out them out over here:

Flame: Creative Children's Ministry

And a poem for you, by Luci Shaw:

Open

John 20:19, 26

Doubt padlocked one door and

Memory put her back to the other.

Still the damp draught seeped in, though

Fear chinked all the cracks and

Blindness boarded up the window,

In the darkness that was left

Defeat crouched in his cold corner.

Then Jesus came

(all doors being shut)

and stood among them.

The Road to Emmaus

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about things that had happened.  While they were talking and discussing Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.  And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?"  They stood still, looking sad.  Then one of them whose name was Cleopas answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things than have taken place there in these days?"  He asked them, "What things?"  They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how are chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.  But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.  Yes and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.  Moreover, some women of our group astounded us.  They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.  Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as they had said; but they did not see him."  Then he said to them, "Oh how foolish you and, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!  Was it not necessary that the messiah should suffer these things and then enter his glory?"  Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.  But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over."  So he went in to stay with them.  When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them.  Then there eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.  They said to each other, "were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scripture to us?"  That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.  They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed and he has appeared to Simon!"  Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Luke 24: 13-35

Our scripture tells the story of two weary, sad and disoriented travellers trying to make sense of a week that has them reeling.  They are on their way home; they have seven miles to talk, or to share silence, to simply put one foot in front of the other.  When they are joined by the third traveller they must have been engaged in conversation as the stranger asks them what they are talking about.  They seem taken aback by the question, is anyone talking about anything else other than the events of the week which culminated in the crucifixion of Jesus?  And now the word from the women that his tomb is empty and he is alive?

The identity of the stranger is unknown to the two travellers.  Jesus, the one whom they are talking about - the prophet mighty in word and deed is in their midst but they are unable to discern his identity.  What was it about about seeing Jesus after the resurrection that made him hard to recognize?  Resurrection challenges everything we believe about life and death and even though these followers of Jesus might have known about resurrection they likely would not have expected it to occur on earth. It was for eternity with God; not for "walking on the same old roads, on the same old ground they had grown up on and talked on and worked on, with the same old people they had grown up with." (Peterson, p.67) Is it also possible that these travellers never imagined Jesus would appear to them?  Could they not recognize Jesus because they were "foolish and slow of heart"? Was it because their hopes were utterly dashed and they were unable to imagine how God could redeem Israel now? Did Jesus want to remain veiled so that he might teach them first and help them see himself and themselves in light of the resurrection?  To see how the resurrection fits into the larger narrative and is the fulfillment of God's plan? Or maybe Jesus was just content to walk and be present and wait with these two travellers until they saw with the eyes of their hearts who he was.

The stranger begins with a question and goes on to engage the travellers; he listens to them, creates space for their questions and for their disappointment.  He speaks directly to them and opens up the word of God; he puts the events of the past week into the much larger story of God beginning with Moses and all the Prophets.  His words are potent, the travellers are cut to the heart. Have you ever walked with a friend through a time in life that was difficult, disorienting, grievous?  A time when you wondered where God was; who he was?  How did you experience the presence of Christ?  Do you have a recollection of someone who reflected Christ to you? Were there words of scripture or words of writers that were dear to you? Did anyone ever open up the Word of God in a way that caused you to see - as if you were seeing for the first time?  Here, Jesus the Word interprets the word and the hearts (minds and feelings) of the travellers burn within them.

The travellers are getting close to Emmaus and though they are tired and hungry they almost wish they had more time on the road together. The sun is falling in the sky so they plead with the stranger to stay for the night.  He agrees, comes to their place and sits down at the table.  It is a simple affair, no one has fussed over a menu or gone to elaborate preparations but the food and wine provide the travellers with sustenance and rest and it is as good for the soul as it is for the body to be together around the table and be nourished.  The guest takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it - he becomes the host. And at in a moment it all becomes clear to the travellers.  He is Jesus!  One can just imagine the exhilaration of the moment of recognition.  And as soon as they realize who he is, Jesus is gone.  The travellers don't just finish their meal, delighted at this time they have spent with Jesus and tuck into the deepest and most peaceful sleep they have had in years.  No! That same night they returned to Jerusalem to tell the others what has happened.  

There is a noted pattern in meals that we read of in scripture, often three to four verbs appear: taken, blessed, broken and given.  You have likely heard it most often, "The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "this is my body that is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me."  Jesus life: taken, blessed, broken and given for the life of the world.  These words: taken, blessed, broken and given are the shape of our liturgy and our lives.

Jesus takes what we bring him, he takes us and gives thanks and blesses what we bring, who we are in our bringing.  He offers it up to God and into the person of the Godhead and the operation of the Trinity.  Jesus breaks what we bring him. We cannot come to the table with pride, with pretense, with hard hearts, with demands - Jesus breaks through this so that we might be open to new life, to new action.  We discover the brokenness of Jesus and our own and we find our healing in his broken body.  "And Jesus gives back what we bring him, who we are. Only it is not what we brought.  Who we are, this self that we offer at the table has been changed into what God gives and what we sing about as amazing grace."  Transformation takes place at the table in the resurrection meal of bread and wine.  "Christ in me." (Peterson, pg. 94)

This story contains themes of journey, friendship, honest conversation that grapples with the biblical narrative and our daily lives, the presence of Christ both hidden and revealed, the practice of hospitality, and the table (communion table and dinner table) as the place around which our lives our formed in Christ, in resurrection wonder. As you reflect on this story and prepare your lessons may the Word cause your hearts burn within you!

The image is inspired by this text and done by the artist He Qi

All Peterson quotes are from, 'Living the Resurrection: The Risen Christ in Everyday Life'