Vol.5 No.30

Vol.5 No.30

Vol.5 No.39 DoM Gospel Reflection/
Divine Mercy Sunday—John 20:19-31
April 3, 2016
By Lynn D. Clapper

Introduction:
Jesus appears to the disciples who are locked in the upper room for fear of the Jews. Even though Jesus proves who he is by showing the marks in his hands and in his side, the disciples are so confused and frightened by the memory of Jesus’ crucifixion, and his appearance to them, that they do not understand the new life that he offers to those who believe in him. Thomas, who is not present when Jesus first appears, demands that Jesus allow him to touch his wounds before he will believe. We witness a powerful scene of forgiveness, faith, and new life in Jesus.

Imagine. You and a handful of your closest friends are locked in an upper room in a city that is seething with religious turmoil. You are afraid. You are hiding. Your leader, Jesus of Nazareth, the man who called you to follow him, who promised a new way, who had almost convinced you that he was the long awaited Christ, has been brutally executed.

You do not understand how it came to this. For three years, you have traveled with Jesus of Nazareth. He has said, and done, such incredible things. Crowds of people, throngs of people, Jews, Gentiles, the rich and the poor, the weak and the powerful, they have all been among his followers. Just a week ago, he entered Jerusalem to the wildly enthusiastic cries of ‘Hallelujah! Son of David!” Yet, only a few days later, he was arrested, beaten, and crucified. You were so proud to be one of his closest followers. Now, he is gone, and you are not sure what to do. Will they come to crucify you, too?

Even worse…some of the women, and even Peter and John, now tell you that Jesus is no longer in his tomb. Where is he? Surely, the things he told you in the last weeks cannot be true. No one can rise from the dead.

You are not the only one who is afraid. This week has been hard on all of you. Jesus had told you that following him would not be easy, but none of you was prepared for this. Judas, who Jesus had trusted with keeping the money, betrayed Jesus and turned him over for arrest. Peter, your “leader,” denied Jesus three different times while Jesus was standing trial at the high priest’s house. Said he did not even know him. Worse still, you all abandoned Jesus at the cross on the hill, except for John who stayed there with Jesus’ mother, Mary, and the other women. Now, you are all huddled in this room, except for Thomas, and you don’t know where he is.

Then, the unthinkable happens. Jesus, horribly dead on a cross just three days ago, suddenly is standing in this room, in your midst. Is this Jesus? Is this the Lord? You are so afraid, and your sorrow so profound, you wonder if you are seeing things. “Peace be with you,” he says, and then shows you the nail marks in his hands, and the wound in his side. It must be him! He is back!

And, you wonder, what will things be like now? Before any of you can ask this, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” You have heard words like this from Jesus, before. But, this time, he breathes upon you and the others, and says something quite different. “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” The Holy Spirit? Jesus is speaking to you about going out in his name, and forgiving sins? You left him to be crucified, and he is talking to you about peace and forgiveness?
This is too much for you to grasp, and so you do not dwell on his words. You and the others are just overjoyed at seeing Jesus again, and when Thomas returns you tell him you have just seen the Lord! Thomas, though, has heard the rumors that are swirling throughout the city, and cannot believe this is true. He tells you that unless he sees Jesus, himself, and is allowed to touch the wounds in his hands and side, he will not believe.

A week goes by. You have forgotten Jesus’ encouragement to you, to go out in his name, to share in his peace, to forgive sins. You are still afraid of the Jews. In fact, you and the other disciples, and Thomas, spend a lot of time crowded in that upper room with the doors locked. Thomas’ words from last week ring in your ears again and again. Perhaps you, too, need to touch Jesus’ wounds to believe that it was truly him. If he comes to you again, you tell yourself, this time, you will believe.

And then…he is there. Jesus tries to calm your confusion and your fear. He again tells you “Peace be with you”.… and then, turns to Thomas. As you watch in stunned disbelief, Jesus gently invites Thomas to touch the nail marks in his hands, and the gash in his side. “Do not be unbelieving, but believe,” Jesus tells him. In that moment, in that gentle moment of forgiveness, you know it is Jesus. And, so does Thomas. “My Lord and my God!” Thomas cries. The disciple who needed to see Jesus for himself, proclaims the very words you and the others should have cried out a week ago.

My Lord and my God! And while the excitement of Thomas’ words ripple across the room, you think of the words Jesus might have said, but did not. He did not chastise Thomas for needing to see Jesus for himself. He did not chide you and the others for still being locked in that little room. He did not ask why none of you had gone out in his name, in the way his father had sent him. Jesus did not question why his own disciples had not grabbed the power Jesus had breathed on them, and gone out to forgive sins. He did not ask why were you still afraid.

But, wait. You hear Jesus speaking again. While he is directing his words to Thomas, you know that he is speaking to you, as well. “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?” he asks. Well, in fact, yes, you admit to yourself. I did not understand your words from before. I did not know what to think until you appeared in this little room. I am no different from Thomas.

But Jesus’ next words are the words you really take to heart. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” With sudden clarity you recall Jesus’ words from a week ago. The words you dismissed because you were consumed with your own fear, your own sorrow, your own shame. Peace, so I send you, receive the Holy Spirit, forgive sins. As only your Lord and your God could give, Jesus gives you the power to make believers of those who will never see Jesus in the way that you and the other disciples have seen him. He gives you the power to act in his name, to forgive as you have been forgiven, and to receive the Holy Spirit. You know, now, that the time has come for you, and Thomas, and the other disciples, to leave the upper room. Jesus has given you a new life.

As you tell this story to the Daughters of Mary, you have one added note. You tell us that there are many other signs that Jesus did in the presence of you and Thomas and the others. But, you tell us this story, because you realized that day, in that crowded upper room, that Jesus came to Thomas because of his doubt, to erase his doubt, and to forgive his doubt. You learned that day, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God…and that through belief in him, your life is forever changed.

But, there is more to this story that is not written here. A few weeks later, Jesus did ascend into heaven to return to his Father. He no long walked among you. And, so, you remind us of a lasting lesson that you learned in the many days that followed. Jesus may walk among you in ways you do not understand, and in ways you do not recognize. But, he is there. Jesus is in your midst in the parables and the miracles. He is in your midst in your triumphs. He is in your midst when you abandon him. He is in your midst as you are locked away in fear. He is in your midst in your doubts. The words he said that day, you say to us. “Do not be unbelieving, but believe.” And, when you, too, finally see Jesus for who he really is, may you, too, cry out, “My Lord, and my God!”

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