Read John 20:24-31. “You’ll never believe who I saw last night!” We say things like this, and we have our friends guessing. We tell them and they say, “No! Really?” But, actually, we expect them to believe us. We’re their friends, and we expect that they’ll trust what we say.
We know that it’s not always like this. Last week, hearing the gospel of Luke, we heard that the disciples didn’t believe the story of the women about the resurrection. They were in grief. They weren’t ready for such ideas. It didn’t sound likely. They thought it was an “idle tale”.
This week, in the gospel of John, most of the disciples see Jesus. After his morning appearance to Mary, that very night, most of the disciples themselves saw Jesus. Only Thomas was missing. So now they told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas didn’t believe. He was in grief. He wasn’t ready for such ideas. It didn’t sound likely.
We all have times of doubt and times when we let the heaviness of life take over. We should not be too hard on Thomas. He is like all of us from time to time. He is like all the disciples who didn’t believe the women.
Thomas was deeply depressed. He was deeply disappointed. He had invested his life in Jesus, and it seemed that it was all wasted. He couldn’t afford to be led to another fantasy. He couldn’t believe without solid proof. That’s where he was.
But there was another special thing about where Thomas was. Yes, spiritually, he was in a dark place. But physically, he was with his friends. He was still meeting with the other disciples. He was still part of the community.
In times of doubt, the worst thing we can do is to remove ourselves from our friends. We need them more than ever. Friends of faith can help us through the tough times. The church can help us stay connected.
Because Thomas stayed with his friends, he was there in the locked room the next week. Jesus appeared again, and Thomas was blessed with the proof he wanted. But Jesus had another word for those of us who will never see him that way. There is a blessing for all of us who dare to believe.
You can’t be forced to belief, but you can be open to it. You are open to it if you stay with Christian friends, come to church, and do works of loving charity with them. If we listen to Jesus’ words today, we are a forgiving people, and this forgiveness has cosmic power. It’s the right place to be if you are in need of more faith.
You can’t be forced to belief, but you can be open to it in other ways, too. Pray, and read your Bible. Read the gospel of John. As he finishes today’s chapter, he makes it as plain as day. That’s the very reason he wrote the book: to help us believe!
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