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Century Christian
Church 1301 Tamarack Road, Owensboro, KY 42301, (270) 684-0286, Pastor: Rev. Jim Westmoreland |
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Life In His Name If history did not tell the story, who would believe that, nearly 2,000 years after an obscure Galilean peasant gained some local notoriety as a wandering preacher and healer, and was executed by the Romans, there would not be a single nation in the world where this obscure peasant was not worshiped and acclaimed as a king, a king whose kingdom shall never end, and who by his power holds the universe together? Fantastic, isn't it! Where in this world can one go and not discover somewhere a group of people who confess Jesus as Lord and King? In countries rich and poor, large and small, with repressive or democratic governments, the church which Christ has gathered into one body, and of which he is the head, is present and growing. In the highlands of the interior of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak on the heavily-forested island of Borneo, there is a small village called Barrio. It is only accessible by small planes capable of landing on the tiny mountain-ringed runway, or by a long journey by canoes up jungle rivers and trekking on foot. And yet, every person in that village confesses the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In southern Zaire (officially Democratic Republic of the Congo), where political turmoil and corrupt government has many people on the brink of starvation, there are small groups of Christians who gather in rural mud-brick churches, sometimes without even a roof, and there each Sunday, they sing the praises of a king whose name is Jesus. Through the long years of repression in the Soviet Union and its satellites, and in China where for so many years public worship was forbidden, we now discover in this era when the walls of repression are falling that the church was not only alive but growing, and is now stronger than it ever was in those lands. Many people in those lands refused to confess Mao Tse-Tung or Stalin or Brezhnev as king, preferring to confess Jesus as king instead, sometimes at great personal cost. Somehow, that historical development -- the universal reign of One who died as a subversive criminal at the town dump of Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago -- must be explained. This is what the writer of John does in our text today. In the context of the disciples' doubts and fears about the death of Jesus and then wondering about the reports of his resurrection, John tells us why the world has been forever changed, and it was not because the disciples and Thomas got to physically see the resurrected Jesus. Look at v. 31, "these things have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." So, as we look back at this story telling us of Jesus appearances to the disciples who were gathered in fear behind locked doors and as we look back at Thomas who was trapped behind the locked door of his questions, let us remember why this unlikely group of followers helped to change the world, because they found life in His name! Our text follows John's account of the empty tomb. This morning was Easter, but now what? They didn't know how their lives would be changed. They were gathered together, most of them. There are always a few off licking their wounds by themselves. They met behind locked doors. They were terrified at the insanity of good, religious people turned insanely fanatical in protecting their religion, as the religious leaders and crowds had done in crucifying Jesus. So, they were meeting in terror, listening fearfully for every footstep when, suddenly they were surprised by someone suddenly appearing in their midst. It was Jesus. Nothing could have been ordinary about what they were feeling and thinking. Into their turmoil and emptiness, Jesus spoke the normal, everyday eastern greeting: Shalom (Peace be unto you). It means far more than "May you be saved from trouble." It also means "May God give you every good thing." To Thomas the Cross was only what he had expected. When Jesus had suggested going to Bethany, after the news of Lazarus' illness, Thomas' response had been, "Let us also go that we may die with Him." In John's gospel, the raising of Lazarus is the beginning of the end for Jesus. Thomas was willing to go and die with Jesus. Thomas never lacked courage, but some have called him a natural pessimist, others see him as an honest analytic who questions and analyzes before he jumps in. I'm glad we have this account of Thomas. There is hope for us who are pessimists. There is hope for us who must ask our questions. But Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to the other disciples. I wonder if the apostle Paul, who wrote that we are to bear one another's burdens might have thought of Thomas, who was MIA (Missing in action) when the disciples had gathered as Jesus had instructed them to do. Jesus had come to give them Peace, God's Shalom, to give them encouragement and to send them out with the power of the Holy Spirit, but Thomas was not there. He chose to be alone rather than together, and he missed the first coming of Jesus. Things can happen to us within the fellowship of the Church which will not happen when we are alone. When sorrow or sadness come, if we shut ourselves up and pull away, we, too, may miss what Christ has to offer us, because it is in the fellowship of Christ's people that we are most likely to meet him face to face. Thomas also had a couple of qualities that I like. He had an uncompromising honesty about him. He didn't deal with his doubts by pretending they did not exist. Rather, he used his questions so that he might more fully believe. So, the flip side of Thomas' doubt was his full and unreserved faith. When Thomas was sure, he went the whole way. In v. 26, after eight days, when Jesus comes again to the disciples, Thomas is with them this time. Jesus addresses Thomas' questions, saying, go ahead and put your finger on my hands and in my side. I'm not sure that Thomas had to touch the wounds. The scripture is not clear that he did. But the scripture is clear about Thomas' response. In v. 28 "Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'" There is no reserve, no half-hearted response here. No, from here Thomas goes the whole way. He had not voiced his doubts because he couldn't make up his mind, but he raised his questions in order to become sure. He didn't sit on the fence or waver back and forth. No, Thomas was forever changed. He had come to understand what the resurrection meant. Christ had conquered death, there was power and a totally new life for those who believed. There is a couple in Arkansas who have given their six-year-old son strict instructions to come home from playing every afternoon no later than 5 p.m. He is allowed to play with his friends, but his parents are quite serious about his curfew. If he is not home by 5 p.m., they begin to worry and call around the neighborhood to find out where he is. The boy knows this, though, and is careful to arrive every day on time. One April Monday, however, the day after Daylight Saving Time went into effect, the boy was late coming home. When he finally arrived, a few minutes before 6 p.m., his mother scolded him for being late. "You know you are to be home by five," she said, "and here it is nearly six." Puzzled, the little boy pointed out the window. "But the light," he protested, "the light; it's the light that tells me when to come home." Realizing what had happened, his mother smiled and gently explained that the day before the time had been changed, that everyone had reset their clocks and, now, the daylight lasted longer. The boy's eyes narrowed. "Does God know about this?" he asked suspiciously. In a childlike way, this little boy shared John's theological vision. Like Lazarus' sister, Martha, and like the disciples and Thomas who huddled in fear, Jesus wants us to know that with God daylight last longer than death. Now, look at the ending of this chapter again, beginning with v. 30, "Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." |
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