I.Theme – Joining resurrection faith with experiences of community
"Incredulity of Thomas" – Duccio, di Buoninsegna (1308-1311)
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Acts 5:27-32
Psalm – Psalm 118:19-24 OR Psalm 150
Epistle –Revelation 1:4-8
Gospel – John 20:19-31
Today’s readings celebrate the power of the risen Christ demonstrated in the faith and life of the early Christian community.
As we enter into the season of Easter, we read from the Acts of the Apostles, remembering how the early Christians fared in the days after Jesus’ resurrection. We hear the beginnings of the early church, the house-meetings, the agape love feasts, the witnesses and martyrs, and all of the disciples of Jesus.John, in his Revelation, attests to the love of the triumphant Christ for the faithful. In today’s gospel, Jesus promises greater blessings for those who believe in him though they do not see him.
Divided into two major segments, the Festival Half, and Ordinary Time, the Church Year has now reached the mid-point of the Paschal Cycle in the Festival Half of the year. Eastertide extends from the Great Vigil of Easter to Pentecost, some fifty days later. Eastertide is constructed as a “Great Lord’s Day” with each of seven Sundays named as a “Sunday of Easter”
The first two Sundays emphasize appearance stories Details introduced into appearance stories are generally limited to making one of two essential points. Some stress discontinuity between Jesus’ risen body and his previously imperfect, earthly frame. Other details, emphasize essential continuity of the glorified Lord with the historical Jesus of Nazareth — here, gaping wounds which recall His Passion.
Jesus came not to upbraid us for faithlessness or to condemn but only to bestow "peace," full reconciliation with God that replaces fear of deserved judgment, with eschatological "joy." This is accomplished through an efficacious sign — "breathed upon them" — interpreted by words. The same divine life by which Jesus had been resurrected was not passed on to His disciples, through whom it is further mediated. These represent the Church, the divinely intended means through which Jesus offers forgiveness to all willing to accept it. Thus, the Church’s mission of bringing reconciliation to the world comes to concrete expression through word and sacraments.
Thomas represents all who would demand a personal appearance of the risen Lord in order to ground their own faith commitment. Jesus summoned Thomas — and through him, all succeeding generations — to a mature and well-grounded belief founded on the testimony of reliable eyewitnesses, rather than a personal encounter. Today’s reading makes two foundational statements about the Church. First, it is the official witness to the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection for every generation. Second, the Church alone is empowered to determine the requisite conditions for reconciliation, and even more, the only means to effectively bestow it upon an alienated humankind.
II. Summary
First Reading – Acts 5:27-32
The Acts of the Apostles tries to explain to Gentile converts the Jewish origins of Christianity. One of its themes is how the first Christians imitated Jesus. Meeting in the temple, the apostles work cures and draw large crowds, including some who were hesitant to commit, as did Jesus.
Many of these believers are from outside the Jerusalem area and take their new faith with them when they return to their homes, thus seeding the Christian message throughout the Mediterranean basin. Peter’s healing of the sick demonstrates the fulfillment of the apostolic prayer in Acts 4:30.
This reading is from the so-called “Second Persecution” in which the apostles face the questions and judgment of the Council. The reading illustrates what Luke saw as the divine imperative to spread the Good News, and in his rendering of Peter’s discourse models for us the outline of the Apostolic Kerygma (proclamation).
Acts 5:27-32 contains Peter and the other apostles’ testimony before the Council that God is the one who raised up Jesus.The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” Despite what earthly powers may have done, God has raised Jesus, handed over by this council to Pilate and sentenced to death. Authority and power come from God, not from earthly organizations. Peter declares that they are witnesses of this, and that Jesus was raised so that all might receive forgiveness.
The demand of the Council ("We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name") is met with the determination of the apostles to continue to “fill Jerusalem
Luke has Peter focus on the guilt of the Council as he forms his creed-like answer to their question and demand. Thus the sequence is: Jesus raised up by God, you raised him up on a tree and killed him, and God exalted him. From this formula come the words of Good News, Repentance and Forgiveness. Luke also appropriates a political term and applies it to Jesus: Soter (Savior). With hints of the kingdom (Soter was a term applied to emperors and kings) Jesus now rules over a realm of reconciliation and the Spirit. Peter ends his speech noting the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm – Psalm 118:19-24
Psalm 118 is the final psalm of the “Egyptian Hallel” (Psalms 113–118), a cycle of psalms used during the Passover festival. Part of this Psalm were included in Palm Sunday (Liturgy of the Palms) as well as Easter
The psalm suggests a liturgy of thanksgiving said at the temple gates. Verse 22 is probably a proverbial expression that summarized the deliverance of the king (vv. 5-21). In the New Testament, it was applied to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus’ death is humanity’s “no” to him; Jesus’ resurrection is God’s “yes.”
This psalm celebrates what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will continue to do. God has answered prayers, God has made the unimportant now important, and God has not forgotten those who have been rejected by the world.
This thanksgiving psalm has a keen military context. Thus the scene pivots between notes of “justice” and “victory”, both appropriate for this Second Sunday of Easter. The references in succeeding verses regarding the city gates indicate that the theme of justice can be seen there as well, for the city gates were the place of justice. The Psalter’s notion that only the living can praise God is picked up in verse 17 “I shall not die but live and recount the deeds.” and serves as another appropriate Easter theme.
Psalm 150 is a wonderful song of praise for what God has done, calling for the use of musical instruments in a loud fashion, remembering that we are to proclaim to the world what God has done for all people. “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
As Easter is a celebration of Seven Sundays of Easter, so this psalm is the culmination of six psalms all centered on “Hallelujah” – or praise of God. This particular psalm is sung accompanied by musical instruments, which gives us an idea of how temple worship must have sounded. But it is the human breath, the ru’ah of the Spirit that animates us, that is the ground of such praise. Fingers to pluck and bow, hands to grasp mighty cymbals, feet to move in the dance – these all combine to become a hymn of praise
Epistle – Revelation 1:4-8
The Book of Revelation was written to bolster the perseverance of persecuted Christians, and to settle some doctrinal disputes. It’s told in the form of a vision. Much of the language is symbolic, to hide its meanings from the persecutors.
Revelation 1:4-8 is John’s introduction to his letter to seven churches. John proclaims Jesus as not only the Lord, the firstborn of the dead, the ruler of kings, but also as the one “who loves us and freed us from our sins… and made us to be a kingdom.” It is Jesus who makes us a community of faith, something beyond our church walls but into the whole world. It is Jesus who loves us and was willing to die, and now is resurrected
John is writing to these seven churches in their particular circumstance. . The number seven stands for wholeness, completeness and unity. The seven churches are symbolized by seven golden lampstands, among which Jesus is present at the center.
But what we can learn is this: John is writing a warning to those living in the Roman Empire that we belong to a heavenly kingdom, another realm, and that to become complacent while living in empire fails to live into the promise of God. We must remember that it is to Jesus first that we belong. Throughout Revelation, John declares what happens to those who have become complacent, or indifferent, about the empire around them, for those who do not challenge the status quo: they have failed to live into the promise and challenge of Jesus.
Here we are introduced to the glory, and the completeness of God’s mighty act in Christ Jesus. Scenes that take us back, deep into salvation history, and then to a future seen in the guise of the Divine’s present time, are indeed the alpha and omega, in a sense a composite of what has been and yet will be. The completeness belongs to Christ.
Gospel – John 20:19-31
One of John’s purposes in writing his gospel is to provoke a firm decision for Christ among early converts who were backsliding. John 20:19-31 tells the familiar story of Jesus appearing the disciples after his Resurrection, and how they did not believe until they had seen.
The first appearance of the risen lord to the disciples is described somewhat differently in each gospel.
The scene is quickly set. It is the evening of that first Easter, and the doors "had been shut" by the disciples because of their fear of the Judeans. The fear of the Judeans is not unreasonable, of course, considering that Jesus had just been crushed by Judean forces
Jesus’ resurrection message is peace and empowerment counteracting this fear. In spite of the locked doors, Jesus "came and stood into the middle" and said "peace to you. Previously, Jesus had spoken of "peace" in 14: 27 and 16: 33–both times as an antidote to fear. "My peace I leave with you," Jesus says in 14: 27. Therefore, do not let your hearts be afraid. In 16:33, Jesus says that he has said "these things" to the disciples so that they may have peace. Therefore, "take courage; I have conquered the world."
John stresses Jesus’ fulfillment of the promises made in the great Farewell Discourse. He has returned, bringing peace and joy. He calms their anxious hearts with his loving presence. They are not alone, death has not triumphed, and new life bursts forth in surprising and unexpected ways. He shows his wounds to establish that the crucified Jesus and the risen Christ are one and the same.
Jesus then gives the disciples a commission and breathes the Holy Spirit upon them. This is the “new creation” of humanity and the transmission of Jesus’ divine life to the Church. On the Church then, Jesus bestows the power to mediate divine forgiveness.
Jesus still breathes through us, giving us life, insight, and energy. We are part of a profound divine energy that empowers us to make wise decisions and then act courageously upon them.. In Jesus’ breath, we find the origins of a Pentecostal progressivism – a lively, open-spirited theology, manifested in open and affirming hospitality, and open-hearted and lively spirituality and worship.
Thomas is not unlike his brothers, he just was not present when Jesus showed his scars the first time. Thomas personifies the element of doubt recorded in the other gospel accounts -look at Luke 24:41 and Matthew 28:17, there was more than one disciple who doubted. John just happens to name Thomas.
Thomas eventually seeks refuge with the company of believers—with the family of faith, even with his doubts. He will not accept the word of others but wishes to probe the miraculous. Yet, when Jesus comes near, Thomas forgets his doubts and penetrates the meaning behind the marvel, making the full affirmation of Christian faith by giving Jesus the ultimate title of God.
But Jesus does not rebuke Thomas, nor does Jesus punish Thomas, but just says, “Put your finger here and see my hands… do not doubt but believe.” Jesus further blesses those who have not seen but have “come to believe.” Jesus indicates that this is a progression, a process, of coming to belief. Thomas is a great example and model of our journey of faith—even in times of darkest doubt, we can still cling to hope and hang in there. Faith will see us through.
Perhaps Thomas is like most of us–we want to believe, but there are some things beyond our comprehension, things that blow apart the very understanding of how our world works: Jesus continues to turn the tables on our thinking, even in the resurrection.
Jesus displaying his wounds, now healed and glorified establishes continuity between the historical person Jesus, and the resurrected Jesus. The reference to Jesus’ hands reminds readers that God "had given all things into his hands" (3: 35). The disciples are safe. The reference to his side refers to the spear of the Roman soldier after the death of Jesus, from which had flowed both blood and water. The water reminds us of the "living water" spoken of in the dialog with the Samaritan woman at the well in chapter four. Moreover, "blood and water" are reminiscent of birth. The "blood and water" flowing from the side of Jesus gives birth to the New Community.
Commentary by Bruce Epperly at "Process and Faith"
Early on Easter Day, Mary Magdalene has discovered that Jesus’ body is missing from the tomb; the door is open, so it looks as though someone has stolen it (v. 1). She has seen a man standing near the tomb. When he speaks to her, she recognizes him as Jesus. She has told the disciples: “I have seen the Lord” (v. 18).
Later the same day, Jesus joins the disciples, gathered behind locked doors. He shows them that he is the one who was crucified (v. 20). Jesus confers on “the disciples” (not including Thomas, but perhaps a group larger than the ten) “peace” (vv. 19, 21) and “the Holy Spirit” (v. 22). As God “breathed” life into Adam, the proto-human, so Jesus now breathes the new, spiritual, life of recreated humanity into his followers. Aided by the Spirit, they continue Jesus’ judicial role in the world, forgiving the sins of the faithful and holding others blameworthy (“retain”, v. 23) for their actions. Thomas is expected to believe without having seen, but he demands: show me the evidence! (v. 25) The next Sunday, the community gathers again (v. 26). Upon seeing, Thomas makes the most complete affirmation of faith of anyone in the gospel (v. 29). Henceforth the faith of all Christians in all ages will rest on the testimony of the first believers. Vv. 30-31 tell us John’s purpose in writing the book. His eyewitness account is intended to help us, who were not witnesses of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension to “come to believe” and thus “have life in his name”, eternal life.
This is the story of "Doubting Thomas." David Lose provides 3 reason why this is an unfortunate title:
"First, Thomas is not anywhere in John’s Gospel — the only gospel where he has his own scene, lines, or characterization — described as "the doubter." Rather, he is "the Twin," a name most of us have long forgotten.
Everything we know about Thomas up to this point suggests that he is forthright, genuine, and even courageous. Way back in chapter 11, for instance, Thomas is the one who urged the disciples to go with Jesus to raise Lazarus even thought it might spell their deaths (Jn. 11:16). And in chapter 14, when Thomas doesn’t understand Jesus’ metaphorical speech about the place he is going to, Thomas calls him on it: “Lord, we do not know where you are going, how then can we know the way.”
Thomas is not so much a doubter as he is a realist, and a few days earlier he’d encountered reality like never before as he saw his friend and lord nailed to the cross and die. Now, when his friends tell him that they’ve seen the Lord, he reacts with a realist’s skepticism, kind of like a terminally ill patient who has accepted his fate might react to news of a new "miracle cure."
So when the disciples come saying that they had seen Jesus, Thomas doesn’t merely doubt them. He out and out just plain doesn’t believe. And so I suspect that his demand to see and feel the mark of the nails in Jesus’ hands is less a request for proof than it is mocking the disciple’s claim. He makes that demand, in other words, because he knows it will never happen; it’s a request as absurd, even ridiculous, as what his friends are claiming.
"Second, did you ever notice that what Thomas asked for was exactly what all the other disciples got? When Jesus appeared to the other disciples he showed them his hands and his side and only then, John records, did the disciples rejoice "because they saw the Lord" (20:20). One conclusion we might draw is that, despite his bad rap, Thomas is no worse than the other disciples. More importantly, however, perhaps we’ve actually misunderstood the nature of faith altogether, assuming that the "more" faith we have the fewer questions we’ll ask
"Third, Jesus’ words at the end of this scene aren’t, I think, really about Thomas. After all, who are "those who have believed and not seen"? Well, it starts with the members of the early Christian community to whom John writes…and continues to include all of us. That’s right: Jesus isn’t so much rebuking Thomas as he is blessing us. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."
Lose concludes that doubt is an essential part of faith. "Once he (Thomas) has encountered Jesus, his faith is as realistic as was his skepticism, as he doesn’t merely believe but also makes the chief confession in John’s gospel, acclaiming Jesus not only as "my Lord" — the title reserved for Caesar in the first century — but also "my God," the highest praise of Jesus made in the New Testament and an echo of the opening line of John’s Gospel.
Thomas like all of us have difficulty believing God’s messiah would be crucified and the unheard of plan of salvation from this violence?
The passage reflects the historical times it was written. At the time of this Gospel we know of a drift toward gnosticism, or docetism, the tendency to say that Jesus just seemed to be human. This emphasis on the hands and side is a way of saying that the crucifixion was a real death of a real human being.
III. Articles for this week in WorkingPreacher:
First Reading – Acts 5:27-32
Psalm – Psalm 150
Epistle – 1 John 1:1-2:2
Gospel – Revelation 1:4-8