In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thomas knows and understands that the forgiveness of sins
flows from the wounds of Jesus. He desires to put his fingers in the wounds of
the Risen Jesus and his hand into Christ’s riven side because he knows that
without these wounds, the Resurrection would mean nothing. If Jesus hadn’t died
on the cross, Thomas would still be in his sins and accountable to God. He
would be under the Law and knows that he would face eternal damnation. In this
way, Thomas is a skilled theologian.
But like many skilled theologians, Thomas misses the forest
for the trees. There were many sins committed that first Easter. All the
disciples failed to trust the teachings of Jesus. Our Lord was very clear,
teaching multiple times that He would be betrayed, executed, and then rise
again.[1]
He taught this was necessary for the salvation of the world. He even commanded
the disciples to meet Him in Galilee after He is raised from the dead.[2]
Despite these teachings, the disciples act very confusedly when
the tomb is found to be empty. They gather in the upper room behind locked
doors. They fear the Jewish leadership will come for them next, forgetting that
Jesus promised them that all who believe in Him shall never die, and at the same
time, if the Master is persecuted, so shall the disciples be.[3]
The disciples did not go to Galilee. They did not expect the Word of God to be
fulfilled.
The difference between the high theology of Thomas and the
simple theology of the disciples is the remembrance of another of our Lord’s
teachings. “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst
of them.”[4]
The other disciples continued together. They may not have gone to Galilee, but
they remained united with the Church. Thomas may be looking for the sign of the
atonement, namely the wounds of Jesus, but he has abandoned the church while on
his quest.
It is inevitable that there are fewer people in attendance
today than last week. Thanks be to God so many gathered last week to hear of
the Crucified Lord who has won their victory over sin and death. Where are they
now? Thanks be to God you are here this week. Where will you be next week? It
was not just a coincidence that Thomas missed the appearance of Jesus. He did
not just happen to be on a snack run to the corner store and miss his Lord by a
few minutes. Thomas specifically chose not to gather with the other disciples.
Certainly, the Scriptures contain many commands for those
born again of water and the Spirit – we are to care for the orphaned and the
widowed, submit to our rulers, pray diligently, attend the gathering of the
saints in worship, tell others about Jesus, and so on. But the chief duty of
the Church is the forgiveness of sins. We are the people who are to be abhorred
by our own sins. We are to point out the sins of the world not for the sake of
derision, but so that the world would repent of idolatry, blasphemy, and other
forms of degeneracy. The purpose of God’s commands is always to point us toward
the forgiveness of sins.
When the disciples confronted Thomas about his absence, he made
it clear that if Jesus did not prove His resurrection on Thomas’s terms and
according to Thomas’s timeline, he would never believe. This is a blasphemous
statement. Who is Thomas to give such orders to his Lord and God? Who are you
to demand that God obey your wants and desires, giving Him boundaries in which
to work or else you will not be satisfied? Thomas clearly says that if God
doesn’t do what Thomas demands, he will never believe in the resurrection.
Thomas is tempting God exactly as Satan tempted Jesus in
the wilderness. He is pretending to have the authority that belongs to God alone.
Thomas is tempting God exactly as Satan tempted Adam and Eve. ‘Did God really
show you His wounds? I didn’t see it, so I don’t believe.’ Thomas is tempting
God just as the Jews tempted Jesus on the cross. ‘If He really is the Son of
God, let Him show me by doing as I command.’
The other ten Apostles loved Thomas such that they would
show him his sin. They were worried about his eternal salvation. When he
responded defensively, as one might have expected, they did not give up on him.
They did not exclude him from the gathering of the saints. Instead, they kept a
place at the table for him. Thanks be to God, Thomas returned to the church
with the Apostles, eight days later.
The written word does not always effectively communicate tone.
When Jesus appears in the midst of the Apostles the second time, the tone of
His comments is not recorded. I cannot say with certainty but let me offer a
suggestion.
Perhaps our Lord’s words to Thomas, “Reach your finger here,
and look at My hands; and reach your hand here and put it into My side. Do not
be unbelieving, but believing,” were not as kindly sounding as most of us would
like to think. Perhaps, these words were spoken harshly. Perhaps they are not
an invitation so much as a rebuke.
Therefore, it is not fitting that Jesus would be giving
Thomas exactly what he wanted. In that case, Jesus would be rewarding the
blasphemy of Thomas. Rather, it seems almost like Jesus is intimidating Thomas.
“You think you know how to strengthen faith? You think you know what you need?
I’ll tell you what you need. You need faith. You need to trust Me for I am your
Lord and God!”
It is also for this reason that I don’t think Thomas ever
touches Christ’s wounds. I think the rebuke of our Lord is sufficient to crush
his prideful heart. Thomas wants forgiveness according to his terms and on his
timeline. Jesus rebukes his pride and calls him to repentance. Thanks be to
God, the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God and turns Thomas’s heart. He
immediately falls to his knees and repents. “My Lord and my God!”
The same is true in the Church today. When Jesus instituted
the Office of the Holy Ministry, He did so for the sake of the forgiveness of
sins. The called and ordained ministers of Christ are called chiefly to bear
the keys of the kingdom of God. These two keys, the binding key and the loosing
key, are closely related. They both pertain to the forgiveness of sins.
On the one hand, he who is penitent, recognizes his sin,
knows his sin is worthy of the wrath of God, is disgusted by his own sin, and
desires to be free from it, it is the duty of the called and ordained ministers
of Christ to loose this man from his sins. It is not a judgment to be made by
the Pastor. He does not forgive sins according to his own will or his desires.
He forgives sins according to the Word of God. Just as whosoever’s sins he
forgives on earth are forgiven in heaven, so too is it his duty to forgive
those sins which the Father in heaven would forgive.
On the other hand, he who is impenitent, who refuses to
acknowledge his sin as sin, who denies God’s ability to judge him, or who
recognizes his sin but desires to remain in that sin, it is the solemn duty of
the called and ordained ministers of Christ to bind him in his sin. The gates
to the kingdom of heaven are to be closed to this man. The blood of Christ was
still shed for him and forgiveness flows from this blood, but he has chosen to
ignore this grace and mercy of God. He is bound in his sin not because of the
nature or severity of his sin, but because of impenitence.
Do not overlook that last point. The nature or severity of
sin is not the grounds for excommunication or church discipline. The only
grounds for the use of the binding key is impenitence. One sad example is
those who are impenitent regarding their violation of the Third Commandment, “Remember
the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” Thomas failed to gather with the Apostles on
Easter evening. When our Lord sees him, He commands Thomas to stop unbelieving,
but be believing. This tells us that while he was absent from the gathering of
the Church, Thomas was in a state of unbelief. He was impenitent concerning his
breaking of the Third Commandment.
Those who are physically able to attend the gathering of the
saints but refuse to are breaking the Third Commandment. They might be
otherwise pious people. They might be very kind and loving. They might read
their Bibles every day. They may even send money to the church. But they are
still breaking a commandment of God. What is worse, if the Church is able to
reach out to these people and they still do not return to the gathering of the
saints, they are bearing the fruits of impenitence. If they continue in
impenitence, then it is the duty of the church to excommunicate them.
Do not fear the word, “excommunicate.” The purpose of
excommunication is never punishment. The purpose of excommunication is to show
someone his sin. It is to bring his sin to the forefront of his mind so that he
would know the consequences thereof. If a man does not know that he is sinning
but continues in that sin, he is still liable to judgment. The loving thing to
do is to call his sin to his attention so that he might repent and be welcomed
back into the Church.
Such was the case with Thomas. Had he died during that week
between Easter and the following Sunday, Thomas would certainly have found
himself in hell. He was an unbeliever. Jesus stood before him and showed him
his sin. What’s more, Jesus showed him the consequences of his sin. Jesus also
showed him the God who was willing to take on his sin and die for it. Jesus
showed Thomas His wounds so that Thomas would receive the forgiveness which
flows from them.
Jesus showed Thomas the way of salvation and in so doing,
pronounced a blessing upon you. Jesus said, “Thomas, it took me appearing a
second time and forcing your eyes upon the bloody wounds caused by your sins
for you to repent. Blessed are those who come after you, who receive My Word
upon your lips, because they have not seen and yet have believed.”
Blessed are you today for in hearing the Word of God, you
have received the forgiveness of your sins. Blessed are you who hear the Word
of God, and your heart is turned away from sin and toward the Holy Body and
Precious Blood of Jesus. Blessed are you who hear the Word of God and believe
it without seeing.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
[1]
St. Matthew 16:21-23; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; 26:1-2; St. Mark 8:31-33; 9:30-32;
10:32-34; St. Luke 9:21-22; 9:43-45; 18:31-34. See also the “lifted up”
statements according to St. John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32.
[2]
St. Matthew 26:32.
[3]
St. John 11:26; 15:20.
[4]
St. Matthew 18:20.
[5]
St. John 20:23.
[6]
St. Luke 16:31.
