John 20:19-31 Easter 2
Pastor Ron Koehler
Grace—Tucson, AZ
April 7, 2024
There are so many kids books out there. My grandchildren have tons of them, and I’ve been with them on a couple library trips. Those excursions are nothing like any that I had ever been on before! They go all the time and come home with 40 books or more! And they actually read them all—multiple times! There seems to have been an explosion in the number of children’s books in recent years! With so many now, I don’t know how much attention the animals of the 100-Acre Wood get anymore. It’s a little hard for some of us to believe maybe, but it’s been 100 years since Winnie the Pooh stories first began taking up space on bookshelves—Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga and Roo, and of course, Eeyore. You might be wondering where I’m going with this. Here it is: It’s because of Eeyore that I bring any of this up today. If you’re well-acquainted with Jesus’ disciple, Thomas, you may have made the connection already. But it’s entirely possible that you have not. You see, I’ve always thought Thomas to be a bit like Eeyore. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned that before, and today may not be the last time I do. I can’t escape it. To Eeyore, the sky is always falling. I feel for him because he’s always gloomy and pessimistic and negative. It might be a beautiful day, full of sunshine, but he’s the type that is sure there’s a terrifying and destructive storm just out of sight and it will be here any minute. Is this what Thomas was like? I don’t know, tell me what you think. There are three places in the Bible where we hear things Thomas said. They are these: 1. When Jesus got word that his friend Lazarus had died, he told the disciples that they would go to see him. Based on what Jesus had told them about his own impending suffering and death, Thomas clearly feared that in going near Jerusalem, Jesus would be marching to his own death. His comment to the other disciples? “Let’s go too, so that we may die with him (John 11:16).” You might take it as determined devotion to Jesus, but I’m just not sure, given the other things we know. 2. The second time we hear from Thomas, Jesus is telling the Twelve about him going to heaven to prepare a place for them. He said, “You know where I am going, and you know the way (John 14:4).” Thomas’ response? “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way (John 14:4)?” 3. The third is before us this morning—the one that gets him a nickname that is still attached to people today when don’t believe something— “Doubting Thomas.” When we hear about the locked room, it seems that Thomas is the center of attention. We’re told that he is not there the first time…when he comes back, he expresses doubt…the next time he is there…Jesus speaks to him about his doubt…Thomas responds with faith. But is he the center of attention? He’s really not. This is about Jesus. It’s about Jesus coming to fearful friends and giving them proof of his resurrection and peace for their hearts. But important things Jesus says in that room, he says because of Thomas. 1