Introduction

How about a game of free association! I’ll mention the name of a disciple of Jesus, and you say the first word that comes to mind. So, I say the name “Peter”; to which some would associate “rock”, or “impetuous”, or “Keys to the Kingdom.”. Or if I say the name “Judas”; many would associate “betray”, but some might first think “money bag” or “30 pieces of silver” or “suicide.” But what if I were to mention the disciple “Thomas”? There would be no doubt about doubting Thomas; the words “doubt” or “doubting” would no doubt would be the consensus. Indeed, the phrase “doubting Thomas” has entered our culture as a kind of badge of honor. And that’s curious to me; although Thomas challenges the report of his fellow disciples, John’s portrait of him is as a fearless and faithful follower and not finally as a doubter and skeptic. I know that distresses us skeptics who have always found kinship and some comfort in doubting Thomas. In contrast, I believe that Thomas is really a model of a model of a faithful and fearless disciple.

Faithful and Fearless

The first three gospels mention nothing at all about Thomas, except for his name, as one of the disciples. Only in John’s gospel does he emerge as a distinct person and personality. The first mention is in John 11: 16. Jesus is with his disciples when he hears that his friend Lazarus is ill; two days later he hears of his death; whereupon, Jesus tells his disciples that he intends to go to Bethany, in Judea, to see Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. But his disciples quickly remind Jesus that very recently the religious leaders in Judea were threatening to stone and kill him. Jesus nevertheless persists and declares, “Let us go to Lazarus.” All the disciples except Thomas doubt the wisdom of Jesus’ decision to face the threat of death in Judea. Thomas alone is passionate about following Jesus; he alone among them says, “Let us go also that we may die with him.” How ironic: all the disciples counsel against this dangerous journey except “doubting Thomas”; they are all skeptical and hesitant; only Thomas is faithful, fearless, and passionate.

Even when we consider the familiar gospel lesson for today “faithful and fearless” more accurately describes Thomas, it seems to me, than does the word “doubting”. John says that Thomas was not with the other disciples when they encountered the resurrected Jesus the first time. Later when they tell Thomas, “We have seen the Lord”, he responds by candidly challenging their report and witness. “Unless I see and touch him,” he seems to say, “your testimony is suspect.” In saying so, Thomas is not doubting Jesus as his Lord, he is doubting the testimony of witnesses who have not always been reliable. Recall that these are the same disciples whose earlier counsel to Jesus was suspect. Faced with the threat of death in Judea, Thomas alone was bold enough to declare his faithfulness to Jesus.

Perhaps Thomas challenges the testimony of his fellow disciples because he understands better than they do the cost of discipleship, what Jesus requires of them. He knows that if Jesus is resurrected and alive he can never be the same, that he will be forever changed. Already once before, he was willing to face death with Jesus. He knows that if Jesus is resurrected he’s done for; that must give himself to Jesus fiercely and unconditionally, must give up everything: his mind, soul, heart, body, talents, time, energy, gifts, and life itself. He’s that kind of passionate fellow, faithful and fearless.

Shortly thereafter Thomas does see Jesus face to face, and it changed his life. “My Lord, and My God” he declares.

The Rest of The Story

Well, what happened to Thomas? What happened to his “My Lord, and My God?” Tradition has it, and there is good evidence for it, that Thomas lived out his life and dies as a missionary to East Asia. He seems to have made two missionary journeys. The first was to ancient Babylon, near present-day Baghdad, in Iraq; then he traveled to Persia (Iran) and then to northern India, where he helped built a palace for a King who as a result was saved and baptized as a Christian. On his second journey he sailed to the southwest coast of India, where he preached, built churches, and won many converts to Christ. When the Portuguese land in India in the early 1600s, they found Christians there who were members of the Mar Thoma Church. Eventually, Thomas traveled to the east coast of India, preaching and teaching and serving; and was killed near present day Madras. Tradition tells us that he was thrown into a pit and pierced through with a spear. You can still visit churches founded by Thomas.

The traditional sign of St. Thomas is a carpenter’s square and a spear. A carpenter’s square not only because he help build a King’s palace but because wherever he went he built churches, like some of you who build churches in Honduras. And a spear because his life was ended by a spear. After his encounter with Jesus, it’s as if for the rest of his life Thomas lived out loud, faithfully, fearlessly, even fiercely. Most Christians in the USA are not faced with martyrdom. But there s a sense in which we can declare, with Thomas, “Let us also go, that we might die with Christ.” What this means for us today is at least two things.

First, as Christians we can learn to live faithfully and singlemindedly, just like Thomas. Although Thomas challenged the witness of his fellow disciples, he never wavered in his faithfulness to Jesus as his Lord. Today we Christians might well find ourselves, like Thomas, challenging the witness of the church. Sometimes that witness may turn out to be true; too often, however, it has been false. For example, the church’s support of slavery and opposition to abolition; its support of Jim Crowe laws and opposition to civil rights; its careless scramble to sanction and sanctify virtually every war this country decides to fight or every economic policy that promotes unlimited self-interest. Challenging the witness of the Church, does not and should not diminish our passion for faithfully following Christ.

Secondly, Christians can learn from Thomas to live fiercely and fearlessly a new way of life. Once Thomas knew that the witness of the disciples was true, that Jesus had indeed risen, he also knew his life could never be the same. His “My Lord and my God” was not only a recognition but a profession, a commitment. So often our spiritual lives are lived fearfully, hesitantly, and doubtfully, instead of decisively and boldly like Thomas. Too often we are afraid to take spiritual risks, to turn the other cheek, to love enemies and befriend the despised or lonely. The biggest fear of most most Christians today, I think, is fear of the cost of discipleship, fear of actually living as if we really do berlieve in the reality of the resurrection. Last Sunday, Easter Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection and each Sunday we profess our faith in it. How does believing in Jesus’ resurrection change my/your life? How does it change the way you think? And speak? And behave? Especially towards enemies and strangers? We may not be called like Thomas to minister in some foreign land, but we are called to minister in this community. We may not be called like Thomas to build churches in Iran and India, but we are called to help build this church in Staunton; we may not be called to die for Christ at the point of a spear but we are called to die to ourselves and live for Christ in the public square. The story of Thomas calls us to live faithfully and fearlessly for the sake of the risen Christ. That is his challenge to us today.