Psalm 118 - Give Thanks To The Lord for He is good!
Last week we accompanied Jesus on his passion. We suffered with him in the garden, at the hands of the temple guards, in front of Pilate, chained to the whipping post, carrying the cross to Golgotha and we died with him on the cross and we were resurrected with him on Easter Sunday!
Jesus returned to the disciples after he was risen and before he ascended to the Father. He brought them the advocate he promised, the Holy Spirit. With the help of the Holy Spirit the disciples are able to continue the work of Jesus, including healing the sick and those who were accosted by evil spirits. More and more men and women came to believe in the Lord! (Acts 5:12-16)
In the Gospel according to John we read about Jesus visiting the disciples and breathing the Holy Spirit into them. Thomas was not present and said he would not believe that Jesus had been there unless he saw the wounds on his hands and feet and touched the wound in his side. Jesus returned and showed to Thomas the wounds and invited him to reel the wound in his side. Jesus admonished Thomas to stop doubting (this is where we get the expression "Doubting Thomas") and believe. Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus replied, "You believe now because you see me. Blessed are people who have not seen me and still believe!"
We are like doubting Thomas, are we not? Our minds and our hearts have difficulty believing what we have not seen with our eyes, felt with our hands. We do not doubt that Abraham Lincoln existed, was President of the United States and abolished slavery in the United States. We say, "That's history! That really happened! It's in the history books!" Well Jesus was a real man, who walked on the face of this earth among people. Jesus had family. Jesus loved people. Jesus worked. Jesus slept, ate and bathed. Jesus celebrated, he had happiness and and he also mourned. Jesus learned. Jesus taught things to people. Jesus healed people. Jesus was crucified, died and was buried. Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day. This, too, is history. It happened and was witnessed by many people. Other religions, though they do not believe Jesus to be the Messiah, do believe he was a prophet and they testify to his teachings and his miracles. Who Jesus was, what he taught and what he did was written down in a history book, the Gospel. Jesus and who he is and what he did is no less real than Abraham Lincoln. BUT, Abraham Lincoln was not God made human; Abraham Lincoln did not cure sick, heal lame, dispel demons and raise the dead. Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed but he did not rise again on the third day to ascend to the Father.
The difference is the mystery of faith. We must transcend our physical senses (like Thomas) and have faith in the mystery that is Christ Jesus. It is this very mystery that is our hope, and our birthright, our inheritance. "How blessed are people who have not seen me and still believe!" (John 20:19:29)