Healing Doubt with Wounded Hands

Healing Doubt with Wounded Hands

John 20:19-31 T Easter 2

INI

Doubt. It haunts many within the church. It’s a spiritual illness, born from original sin, that makes us cold towards God. At times, we’re certain of the person and work of God through Christ. Other times, doubt lingers in the depth of our souls, and we can’t shake it. It causes intrusive thoughts to creep in, like ‘what if all this is untrue?’

 Doubt can creep in unexpectedly, sparked by many different things – A culture of scientism that challenges God’s role in the creation of the cosmos. Self-centeredness that encourages you to follow YOUR heart, instead of the heart and will of God. An uncertainty about Jesus’ resurrection, asking– ‘did Jesus really rise?’ Or perhaps it’s a tension you feel between God’s loving nature, and God’s holy nature, which includes the pouring out of His wrath on sin. You might ask – how can He be gracious if His judgement feels so harsh? Maybe there’s doubt whether or not God is FOR YOU as you experience various trials and hardships in your life – doubting that God’s really hearing your prayers as you pour yourself out to Him.

With the recent passing of Pope Francis, I’m sure you’ve heard about the 2024 movie called ‘Conclave’ because the plot of the movie is in effect taking place right now as a new pope will need to replace Francis. In the movie, the Roman Catholic Cardinals gather to form a Conclave – hence the movie title – to elect a new pope. The main character is Cardinal Lawrence. Every cardinal has a flaw that would discourage them from becoming Pope. Lawrence’s is that he struggles with doubt. As a result, his prayers falter. Before the elections take place, Lawrence gives a homily to the collection of cardinals and has this memorable quote: “Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand-in-hand with doubt. If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery. And therefore, no need for faith. Let us pray that God will grant us a Pope who doubts. And let him grant us a Pope who sins and asks for forgiveness and who carries on.”

While certainty doesn’t exclude faith, but as I would argue, confirms it – the quote highlights something very real as we live the Christian life. We live in a constant tension between faith and doubt. Due to our sinful nature, we can’t ever completely rid ourselves of the afflictions of the evil one, which may cause doubt. Luther himself struggled with doubt and spiritual despair. He wouldn’t say that faith is the absence of doubt, but He would say that faith clings on to God’s promises in spite of doubt.

Thanks be to God that our faith doesn’t depend on the absence of doubts, or on our feelings of certainty – it rests on the promises of God alone. Today’s Gospel shows us just that. We’re familiar with ‘doubting Thomas’. Though, it’s unfair to label Thomas as some sort of materialist, which many people do. Thomas wasn’t with the disciples when the risen Jesus appeared. He didn’t get the benefit of being in the presence of the crucified Christ becoming the risen Christ who bore the marks of his trials and suffering. He hadn’t yet received the gift of the Holy Spirit like the others did at Jesus’ resurrection appearance, which was given to carry out Christ’s work of forgiveness. So, how could we expect Thomas to believe if he, one, hadn’t encountered Christ, and two, hadn’t received the Holy Spirit from Christ?

But this is one of the miracles of the resurrection. Yes, Christ has redeemed humanity from the grips of sin, death, and hell through the power of His own vicarious resurrection. Christ miraculously rose from the dead, using Satan’s own weapon to defeat him, much like David used Goliath’s sword to behead him. That’s the miracle we celebrate on Easter. But today, we celebrate another resurrection miracle: Christ didn’t just rise FOR the Church – He rose to GIVE the Church. His living body creates the living body of Christ here.

And that body lives and breathes through the gifts He gives – beginning with the promise he gave to His disciples: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.” Through this gift, Christ established the public office of the Holy Ministry, entrusting men with the “office of the keys”, as Luther teaches in his Small Catechism.

         This office is of great comfort for the Christian. Because through it, we have the assurance that when we confess our sins and hear the word of absolution from the pastor’s lips, our forgiveness is not in doubt. If our spoken confession is joined with true humility of the heart, then we can be certain that our sins are truly forgiven – not just on earth, but in heaven.

         This is what makes the encounter between Jesus and Thomas so beautiful. Jesus doesn’t dismiss Thomas’s doubts. He doesn’t say – “I’ll only come to you when YOU get things straightened out.” Rather, Jesus meets Thomas. He stands in His presence, not to shame him, but to lead him and give peace through His wounds. Jesus invites Thomas – “Put your finger here… See my hands… place your hand in my side.” And then Jesus’ final invitation – “Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

         Then Thomas who once said “Unless I see, I will never believe” cries out in faith “My Lord and my God!” Jesus met Thomas’ doubt with Himself – His peace, His presence, His wounds.

         And so it is for you. Jesus doesn’t wait for you to overcome doubts. He shows you His wounds in the preaching of His Word. He extends His pierced hands through the Pastor’s word “I forgive you all your sins.” He feeds you with His risen body and blood in the Sacrament of the altar saying – “This is my body, This is my blood, given and shed FOR YOU.” He pours water over you – adopting you into His holy family, giving you, His name.

         Jesus works this way through His church. These aren’t just abstract ideas or niceties – this is the resurrected Jesus’ response to doubt. You may not see Him like Thomas did, but you do hear Him and receive Him. And that’s not any less real. In fact, Jesus says YOU are blessed for encountering Jesus’ wounds in such a way. He says, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.”

         We live in tension between doubt and faith. But Jesus walks through the door of uncertainty to speak His Word to you. He answers your doubts with “Peace be with you”. Not just once – but He does it every Sunday. Every time you receive His body and blood. Each day when you encounter Him in His Word. When you pray. When hear the words “I forgive you”. Every time you remember your baptism. He comes through various means to give His grace and peace to you.

         So even though you don’t have His bodily wounds to place your finger in, you still receive the one who bears them for the sake of giving you peace. You may struggle with doubt, but Christ never struggles to hold you. Your faith clings to Him – but even better – He clings to you. He really means it when He promised – “I will never leave you; never will I forsake you (Deut 31:6).”

         Like Thomas, we’re brought to our knees – not in despair over our doubts, but in the Spirit-led confession of faith: “My Lord and my God!” For the risen Christ doesn’t wait for our doubts to disappear before He comes. He comes in the midst of them, and by the work of the Holy Spirit, He turns uncertainty into confidence, and fear into peace. By His grace, we are given the certainty that before the Father in heaven, we’re forgiven. He comes now to stretch out His scarred hands to absolve you, bless you, and grant you peace.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston