A Generous Offer

Text: John 20: 24-29.
You have most probably heard this text of Jesus’ resurrection appearance to Thomas referred to as the story of "Doubting Thomas." But, I am going to ask you today to give this text a fresh hearing.
This account is the third of the three appearances of Jesus after his resurrection that is recorded in the 20th chapter of John’s gospel. Its setting is one week after the resurrection, so we who are gathered here today share a common time frame with our story. One week has now passed for us since we celebrated Easter—one week since we heard the testimony of eyewitnesses that Jesus is risen. So, hear now this reading of events that occurred one week later:
"It happened that one of the Twelve, Thomas (this name means 'Twin'), was absent when Jesus came. So, the other disciples kept telling him: "We’ve seen the Lord!"
But he answered them, "I’ll never believe it without first examining the mark of the nails on his hands, and putting my finger right into the place of the nails, and my hand into his side."
Now, a week later, Jesus’ disciples were once more in the house; this time Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in front of them. "Peace to you," he said.
Then he told Thomas, "Reach out your finger and examine my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not become unbelieving, but believing."
Thomas answered with these words, "Yahweh Elohim—LORD God!"
Jesus told him, 'You have believed because you have seen me. Happy are those also who have not seen and yet have believed.'"
During the winter and early spring months of 1979, my Mother was dying of cancer. In mid-February we brought her home from the hospital for the last time. And I moved into her home to take care of her.
A few days later, I heard a knock at the door and went to answer it. I opened the door to find a woman standing there that I had never seen before. She said she was Emmie Tucker and she had heard that my mother was sick. She went on to say that twenty years before my mother had helped her when her husband had died suddenly and left her with four young children. "My children are grown now and every one of them has gone to college. And now I have come to help your Momma."
She said to me, "You take care of your Mother, and I will take care of the house." This was the most generous offer I had ever received in my life. And that is the way it was. Mrs. Tucker came every other day and cleaned house and washed dishes and did laundry, totally freeing me to give my full attention to the care of my Mother.
On each visit, Mrs. Tucker would spend a few minutes with my Mom; she told her all about her children. And she chatted with my Dad, and she was an ever-present comfort and source of strength and encouragement to me. Working side by side over those next four and a half months, we became very close friends.
No matter how many times my Dad tried to pay Mrs. Tucker for her services, she would never take a penny. She would simply repeat, "Miss Josie helped me when I needed it the most. Now, it is my time to help her." And so to this day, Mrs. Tucker’s offer of herself during that most difficult time in our lives remains the most generous gift I have ever experienced.
Today, as we begin to look at this text, I would like to suggest that at the heart of it we will find the story of a most generous offer. Let’s hear the story again with new ears.
One week earlier Mary Magdalene had returned from the tomb claiming to have seen Jesus risen from the dead. But—remember—the disciples did not believe her.
Later, in the evening of that very same day, Jesus appeared to them. They had come together, and, because they were afraid of the Jewish officials who had put Jesus to death, they had locked the doors of the room where they were. Then, suddenly and amazingly, Jesus is standing in front of them.
The disciples had not believed Mary. They did not believe that the one Mary had seen was Jesus. So, Jesus shows them his hands and his side. He offers them the testimony of his wounds as evidence that Mary’s announcement is true.
And so, in that moment they, too, like Mary, become eyewitnesses of the resurrection. Jesus, then, breathes new life into them through the gift of the Spirit, and commissions them to continue his work.
Unfortunately, Thomas is not with them when all this takes place. He does not see what the others have seen, nor does he hear Jesus’ voice, his greeting or his commission. Neither does Thomas feel the breath of the Spirit that Jesus breathes on them. And so, when his friends tell him about what has happened, he does not believe them, just as they had not believed Mary’s earlier announcement.
It is only when Jesus appears to these disciples and speaks, and shows them his hands and his side do they recognize Jesus and rejoice. Therefore, in rejecting his friends’ witness to the resurrection, Thomas is acting no differently than they.
Thomas, then, demands concrete evidence. In particular, he wants evidence that the one the disciples have seen is indeed the crucified Jesus and not some ghost. And the only way to know this is to see Jesus’ wounds. So, he insists on touching Jesus’ hands where the nails had been driven, and his side where the spear had pierced. But, in essence, the tangible proof Thomas seeks as the condition of his belief is exactly what Jesus himself gave to the disciples when Thomas was not with them. Jesus had shown them his hands and his side to dispel their unbelief.
Eight days pass, and the disciples again come together. And again, the doors are locked. This time, however, Thomas is with them. As before, suddenly, Jesus is standing in front of them. He greets them all, and then turns his attention to Thomas. For it is Jesus’ intention that Thomas now receive what he had missed the week before.
Jesus offers to give Thomas exactly what he has demanded. He invites Thomas to experience for himself what he has said he needs in order to believe. "Reach out your finger and examine my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side," Jesus says to Thomas. Jesus offers Thomas everything he has asked for, so that Thomas can move from unbelief to belief.
Popular interpretation dubs this a story about "Doubting Thomas." But to focus so narrowly and negatively on Thomas’ doubt is to miss the point of the story altogether.
This is not a story about Thomas’ doubt and skepticism, but rather, it is a story about the abundant grace of Jesus who meets Thomas’ demands point for point in order to move him to faith. For Thomas’ faith is more important to Jesus than the grounds of his faith. He gives Thomas a sign and asks him to see and believe. And this gracious offer leads Thomas to a confession of faith. It is not touching Jesus that leads Thomas to this confession of faith, but Jesus’ generous offer of himself. Notice that the text does not say that Thomas actually puts his finder in Jesus’ hands and side. The story moves directly from Jesus’ invitation to Thomas’ confession of faith.
Jesus gives Thomas what he needs for faith. And what a faith that is released! Thomas’ confession, "YWHW, my God!" is a powerful confession of Jesus’ identity. Thomas sees God fully revealed in Jesus. Thomas sees beyond the resurrection appearance itself to what the resurrection means. And that to which the resurrection points is the truth that Jesus is God.
And so, you see, at the heart of this story is Jesus, not Thomas. Jesus’ offer of his wounds to Thomas is another demonstration of Jesus’ care for the sheep. Like the good shepherd that he is, Jesus will not abandon one of his own. He comes back for Thomas so that Thomas will share in the life Jesus has to offer.
What we need to understand from this story is that Jesus comes to bring life and that which Jesus does for Thomas, he also does for us. Thomas’ story tells us that we, too, will experience the grace of God in Jesus. And as bold as Jesus’ offer was to Thomas, Jesus’ care for the faith of those of us who come after Thomas is equally without limit and measure. Jesus will go to any length to bring us also to faith.
Amen.