Writing Without A License

When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had said this, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. Jesus therefore said to them again, Peace be unto you: as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and see my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and put it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
(John 20:19-29 RV)

Doubting Thomas. Poor guy. He is mentioned in two other stories, both in the Gospel of John, but this is the one for which we all remember him. Do you think John knew that would happen? Maybe John didn’t particularly like Thomas very much. Or maybe he knew that there would be other people, people like me, who would be able to identify with Thomas. Let’s face it, we all have doubts from time to time. I think we need to face them. I believe that we cannot be truly sincere in our faith until we have been honest about our doubts. At least, that has been my experience. True to my own Thomasine nature and rebellious spirit, I explored my own doubts in some rather extreme ways. Then, a few years back, after I had wrestled for some time and after an absence of years, I finally walked back into a church. It was the Second Sunday of Easter. Coincidence? Maybe so, but there I was, sitting in that church, a fallen away Christian back for the first time, listening to a “Doubting Thomas” sermon. I was grinning from ear to ear. The pastor, if he managed to catch a glimpse of me must have thought I was nuts. For the most part, he’d be right, but that’s not why I was grinning. It was because I know Thomas. I am like Thomas. If I can see it and I can touch it, then it is real. But, unlike Thomas, the risen Christ is not standing before me in the flesh. I cannot open my eyes and physically see him. And I cannot reach out my hands and touch him. So, why come back? Because in some inexplicable way, that I will probably never fully understand, Christ sees me. Christ touches me.