27 Apr Sermon – Sunday, April 27, 2025
In the first reading, through the post-resurrection testimony of Peter and the apostles, captured by Luke in the Book of Acts, we glimpse the current Christian understanding of a triune God. We hear them refer to three distinct beings: God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It appears that God the Father is the one in charge, though each plays their distinct role.
The God “of our ancestors is the one who raised Jesus. God’s the one who exalted Jesus at his right hand to become the Leader and Savior, but Jesus is the one who was raised and exalted so that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Then God is given credit again as the one who gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey God. The plan involves all three persons of God while Peter and the apostles claim to be “witnesses to these things,” along with the Holy Spirit.
According to scholars, Jesus has been dead at least 60 and perhaps as many as 90 years when the Book of Acts is written, so today’s account could hardly be seen as a live streamed episode in the current series. Acts of the Apostles has run for many seasons now over a period of decades and is only coming to us via reruns. The point is the same: shows with memorable characters whose story lines are good and worth introducing to multiple generations are worth their airtime.
But at the end of time, John sets a different scene. He writes of a God worshipped by seven spirits before a throne. This God is the one “who is and was and is to come.” That sounds like God the Father, right? And then John writes about Jesus Christ being the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings of earth.”
Jesus is the one spoken of as “him who loves us in the present and him who in the past freed us from sin by his blood.” Why? “With [one] aim.” That “of creating a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father.” Consistently, Jesus is portrayed as the protagonist, the main character with the lead part, the headliner, so to speak, carrying the majority of the script’s action and dialogue.
To him, that is Jesus Christ, John ascribes glory and dominion forever and ever. He’s the one to direct our attention to, “Look! [Here he is.] He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.”
In summary, John quotes the Lord God, who according to the Torah or Hebrew Bible, is God “the supreme, omnipotent, sovereign creator and sustainer of the universe,” as saying, “I am the Alpha and Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Check out: https://www.theologymatters.com/articles/theology/2022/lord-god-and-lord-jesus-1/
This really is quite the set-up for today’s gospel story. Unlike Thomas, who missed the other initial encounters others were lucky enough to have at either the tomb, in the garden, along the road, or in a house where angels or Jesus visited previously, we are lucky to receive all of this scriptural evidence, this cumulative hindsight and even foresight about who Jesus is.
Jesus has already ascended before a great crowd and we’ve just gotten to hear from apostles who lived during the time Jesus did. We also got to hear about John’s supernatural vision described with great detail in the Book of Revelation dated no less than 70 and no more than 96 years after Jesus’ death. It’s as though we’re in a library full of history books, a newsstand full of newspapers and magazines, holding a remote and looking at the channel guide which offers multiple sources for todays’ entertainment and headline news.
I wonder, “How many people it takes,” or should I say, “Which people’s testimony is credible? Who can convince you that something is absolutely true?” If a talk show host or commentator says it, is that source reliable? If the local news carries it, but not the national news, can it be accurate? If public broadcasting or FOX runs a story that CNN debunks, where can one go to check the facts?
Misperceptions run rampant, even in the presence of eyewitnesses. Perhaps that’s why God gave the Holy Spirit as a witness to the apostles, because as you and I know, people don’t always hear things right the first time. They might think they understand what we’re saying so they stop listening shortly after we begin talking.
Perhaps the witnesses weren’t close enough to see or hear accurately, or they have an ulterior motive for saying what they do, such as wanting to prove some theory correct, or to shortcut justice, or to retaliate for harm done to a person they love. Even the scientific community occasionally commits errors or publishes results from a small sample of research without explaining to the general public that their “conclusions” don’t apply in all cases.
If we can’t believe everything we hear and need to find trusted sources, we can understand why Thomas can’t rely on what amounts to little more than hearsay:information not adequately substantiated, the equivalent of a person’s word, Right? There’s the crux of trust. Can we, should we, believe another person’s word or is our own lived experience the only valid truth?
When the other disciples told Thomas, “We have seen the Lord,” Thomas replied, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Why do we make such a big deal about this? Thomas is taking no fewer precautions than any bank does these days when someone tries to accomplish a major transaction over the telephone. When the stakes are high, we are advised not to take a person’s word anymore, and no one takes our word.
The bank representative says, “I’m going to need your full account number, please.” Then they say, “And can you tell me your full address, including house number, city, state and zip code?” We tell them. “Okay, thank you. What’s the phone number we have on file?” We tell them. “Okay. And before we go any further, I’m going to need your full SSN, not just the last four digits.” We tell them. “Then finally,” they say, “I’m about to text you a code number and I’m going to need you to tell me what they are.” We wait for the text, then read or type in the code numbers. Then with a lilt in their voice, the representative says, “Okay, thank you, Ms. Brody. Now what can I do for you today?”
By this time, after waiting on hold for twenty minutes prior to talking to a real person located in a state far far away, then answering all of their questions and hearing that all of these precautions are necessary for the purpose of keeping my account secure, I’m ready to lose my mind because calling them in the first place was supposed to facilitate my sense of ease and convenience.
By this time, I’m saying, “God, please help me not to lose my patience when dealing with the bank, or the internet provider, the government or local authorities. I mean, wasn’t the point of providing a phone number and saying it was possible to “contact us” for you or I to be able to conduct business over the phone without driving anywhere or going to an office building??? Okay.
So, if this is what the world has come to and we deal with this level of inquiry on a regular basis, can us folks in the twenty-first century finally get over Thomas wanting proof of Jesus’ identity? After all, the precautions Thomas wanted to take were legitimate. They were for everyone’s benefit so that none would be deceived. Let’s see how Jesus attempts to verify himself without the benefit of a SSN, home address, working cell phone, or password reset option.
Jesus comes in the evening on the first day of the week knowing when and where to find them. This alone isn’t too impressive. We could do the same with the folks we know well, too, right? We could show up at a place they might be at a time they might be there. No big deal.
But, what if the doors were locked? Jesus doesn’t have a key or know where a spare key is hidden. He gets in anyway and stands among them without making a sound. That’s a little more impressive. The disciples didn’t hear a thing. No dog started barking. The camera with a microphone installed by the door didn’t activate.
The alarm system failed to detect any movement other than a trace of warm air which amounted to no more than Jesus’ breath as he said, “Peace be with you.” He showed them his hands and side and this was enough for the disciples to rejoice. His presence was undoubtable. He was recognizable on sight without further proof of identification necessary.
But because they were scared, Jesus said, “Peace be with you,” again. Then he assured them that as the Father sent him, he was now sending them. Again, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” There was a trace of warm air they could sense and feel.
We can envision and thereby see what Jesus can do. He is able to breathe out the Holy Spirit so that others may receive it. He is giving the Holy Spirit to those who obey God exactly like God the Father, or God the Father Almighty can do. And here is where what John the Baptist said comes true about Jesus being the one who is able to baptize with the Holy Spirit.
We are witnessing the evidence of a triune God. By Jesus conferring the power to forgive sins to each of his disciples, we experience another huge deal in the doctrine of our faith. Do you understand the significance of Jesus teaching his disciples to pray, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us?”
Whether we forgive or retain the sins of any, they are forgiven or retained. Whether we forgive or not determines whether we are forgiven or not. Jesus places a heavy burden and huge responsibility upon his followers. At the very least, our words must be taken seriously. Thomas wasn’t playing and neither was Jesus. Their causes were legit. Their words were sincere and honest.
And honestly, we don’t know why Thomas, whose Greek name is Didymus which means Twin, wasn’t with the others. Scripture doesn’t specify who his twin was. We only know that Thomas was not with the others when Jesus first came. After being told what he missed and after saying what he did, another week goes by.
In order to put doubts to rest, Jesus shows up again through closed doors, stands among his disciples and says, “Peace be with you.” Without hesitation, he gives permission for Thomas to quell his anxiety by fulfilling his need for proof.
He volunteers proof before asked. How different Jesus is from other human beings. His omniscience is godlike. Though Jesus’ words to Thomas sound judgmental, he’s more likely exasperated by Thomas not believing the word of those closest to him.
Besides, Jesus is really speaking to us who weren’t there to see him in person, living, dead, in his resurrected state, as John saw him in a vision, or otherwise, and yet have come to believe. We are blessed because of this. Let us pray.
We believe what has been written for us so that we may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, [one with God and the Holy Spirit] so that through believing in Him, we may have life in his name. This is enough for us to feel blessed, to want to obey, to want to forgive, to be forgiven, to receive the Holy Spirit and to be at peace. In your holy name we pray, Amen.