Let’s Have a Show of Hands

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’²⁷Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’²⁸Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’  -  John 20:26-28

I recently received a phone call from my daughter-in-law.  She was asked to preach in the church where she and her family are members.  The text she wanted me to reflect upon with her was from John 20 – “doubting” Thomas.  She has a her own dark time of doubt having miraculously fought back from a life-threatening lymphoma.  Wouldn’t anyone have their doubts when God seems to have abandoned them?

In the church calendar Thomas appears on the scene in Lent or just after Easter.  Yet, Thomas is truly a “saint for all seasons.”  He is our kind of person.  He is a realist.  He wants empirical proof.  “Yes, I believe, but could you give me some hard facts.”  For some reason Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus made his first post-resurrection appearance to the rest of the disciples.  Maybe he was out on an errand or just was doing some good deed or just needed some space from the tension and confusing that came with the trial and crucifixion of the One he called Teacher and Lord?  We are told that Thomas didn’t believe the disciples’ account of Jesus coming to them.  He tells his comrades in following:  ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’  Jesus is always accommodating to the requests of the trusting and the doubting, so he makes a return engagement with the primary intention of getting the realist Thomas on board.  John tells it this way. ‘Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you. ’²⁷Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ ²⁸Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’

“Show me your hands!”  Several years ago I lay in a hospital bed fighting for my own life.  I will spare you the gory details.  I have to be honest when I say that in my occasional moments of lucidity I had my doubts about this loving God that I proclaimed week after week from the pulpit.  But amid my doubts nurses came and used their hands to make me comfortable and clean up my weak and tube laden body.  Family came and gently touched me reminding me that I was loved and not alone.  Faithful souls came to my room and met in small groups and put their hands together in prayer or used their hands to write encouraging letters, notes, and cards.  Amid my doubts, it was their hands that gave me the strength to believe.

Thomas reminds us that doubt will always be a part of a dynamic faith journey.  The second post-resurrection visit of Jesus challenges us to remember that our hands used with the compassion of Christ in our hearts, can help the doubting to believe again.  Look at your hands – they are instruments of healing that can help others to overcome their doubt.  We are called in all seasons to be Jesus’ hands, so now let’s have a show of hands.

Ever present God, even though we don’t always believe help us through our doubts to grow in our faith and call us to use our hands in simple service in your Name.  Amen.