Scripture John 20:24-31
Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the
disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the
nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand
into his side, I will not believe it."
26 A week later
his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the
doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your
hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
29 Then Jesus told
him, "Because you have seen me, you
have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
30 Jesus did many
other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded
in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that by believing you may have life in his name.
TOUCH IN CHURCH
What is all this touching in church?
It used to be a person could come to church and sit in the
pew and not be bothered by all this friendliness and certainly not by touching.
I used to come to church and leave untouched.
Now I have to be nervous about what’s expected of me.
I have to worry about responding to the person sitting next
to me.
Oh, I wish it could be the way it used to be; I could just
ask the person next to me: How are you?
And the person could answer: Oh, just fine,
And we’d both go home … strangers who have known each other
for twenty years.
But now the minister asks us to look at each other.
I’m worried about that hurt look I saw in that woman’s eyes.
Now I’m concerned, because when the minister asks us to pass
the peace,
The man next to me held my hand so tightly I wondered if he
had been touched in years.
Now I’m upset because the lady next to me cried and then
apologized.
And said it was because I was so kind and that she needed A
friend right now.
Now I have to get involved. Now I have to suffer when this
community suffers.
Now I have to be more than a person coming to observe a
service.
The man last week told me I’d never know how much I’d
touched his life.
All I did was smile and tell him I understood what it was to
be lonely.
Lord, I’m not big enough to touch and be touched!
The stretching scares me.
What if I disappoint somebody? What if I’m too pushy?
What if I cling too much?
What if somebody ignores me?
“Pass the peace.” “The peace of God be with you.” “And also with
you.” And mean it.
Lord, I can’t resist meaning it! I’m touched by it, I’m enveloped by it!
I find I do care about that person next to me! I find I am
involved!
And I’m scared.
O Lord, be here beside me.
You touch me, Lord, so that I can touch and be touched!
So that I can care and be cared for!
So that I can share my life with all those others that
belong to you!
All this touching in church – Lord, it’s changing me!
TOUCH ME NOT WORLD
We now live in a land of “touch me not”.
There are several reasons for that. For many years now we have been cautioned
about perception - particularly between males and females in the workplace. It
has become a best practice to not hug a fellow worker or to ride together even
if you are going to the same place.
In the past couple years we have had the
rise of the “Me Too” movement in response to the proliferation of, mostly men,
who have gone beyond inappropriate or unwelcome touching.
Also, we have become an online society
where we can sit in our room and never see anyone in person and yet have a
relationship with other people. Social Media by its nature removes actual
physical touch from society.
The human touch: a
neglected feeling
When we are born, the first one of our senses available to us
is the sense of touch. Even before we open our eyes, we can already feel a
touch and physical contact. Experiencing physical contact plays a vital role in
our physical and psychological health.
There are many means to support our human senses - a pair of
glasses if our eyes are struggling, hearing aid devices for a bad sense of
hearing. We couldn't survive without our senses, which is why these means of
support are extremely useful to us.
The
emotional importance of our sense of touch
Hearing, seeing, smelling - these are the senses we think of
in the context of our own survival. Rarely would we add our sense of touch to that
list. Strangely enough - if you think about how useful its function actually
is: holding a knife, for example, typing an email on our smartphone, or
noticing the heat of a stoveplate when we put our hand on it. Our sense of
touch is just as important for our survival. But apart from these useful
functions, it is responsible for our well being. Holding a hand, a kiss, a hug
are beneficial to our physical and psychological well-being.
This has to do with the fact that when we hug someone, a hormone
called Oxytocin is released in our body, which effectively reduces our stress
levels. Additionally, our blood pressure sinks and we experience less anxiety
during a hug.
Another study conducted at the Carnegie Mellon University
in 2014, is particularly useful for the cold winter season: this study showed
that hugs can help us brave the chilly months and not suffer from colds as
much. The 404 participants of the study were first asked how often they hug
someone. Then, they were brought into contact with a common cold virus. In the
quarantine that followed, it was observed how many of them were showing cold
symptoms. The findings revealed that participants who received hugs on a
regular basis, experienced far less cold symptoms than participants who did not
get as many hugs. This shows that regular hugs lower stress levels in our body
and therefore the vulnerability to catch a cold.
Touch in the Bible:
OLD TESTAMENT
If you touch the fruit of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil you will die.
Issac said to Jacob, Come closer so I
may touch you and see if you are my son.
Strike the rock, and the water will
come.
Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms so
they could defeat the Amalakites.
NEW TESTAMENT
Simeon took Jesus in his arms saying I
have seen the salvation of the Lord.
Likewize, Jesus took little children in
his arms and blessed them.
Jesus touched the blind, the lame, the
deaf, and they were healed.
A woman bleeding for 12 years touched
the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed.
Jesus bent down and washed the disciples
feet.
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
Luke 24:36-39 Jesus
himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace
be with you." They
were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them,
"Why are you troubled, and
why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself!
Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
Why
was Thomas not with the other 10? See, they were already down one man because
of Judas; so where was Thomas?
Who was Thomas?
The disciple Thomas is most well known as…? “Doubting Thomas.” That description comes from our text
today, but that is not all there is to Thomas. (Like…I’m not just “That Poison
Ivy guy”)
There’s a good chance that Thomas was a twin. John tells us that Thomas
was known as “Didymus” the Greek & Aramaic word for twin.
Although all of the Gospels mention Thomas, it’s only the Gospel of
John that records any of Thomas’ words. With so little said about Thomas,
the one who had to TOUCH JESUS to believe, there are some other things we can
know about him:
1. Humans are emotionally complex
When Jesus told the disciples that He was heading back to Judea to see
Lazarus, the disciples fearfully reminded Him that the Jews there had just
tried to stone Him (John 11:8). It’s Thomas who pipes up, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (11:16). Not doubting Thomas, rather
“Thomas the Brave”
Not long after this Jesus is crucified and resurrected, though Thomas
has not yet seen or touched him. Maybe he was depressed and didn’t want to be
around the others. Maybe he was out getting food. Maybe…maybe…maybe. We can’t
know why Thomas was not there. Or, maybe
we can. Just maybe that was Jesus’ plan to show up when Thomas was missing.
Certainly the risen son of God could have waited till the remaining 11
disciples were together, but he chose to show up while Thomas was missing. He
was missing due to the providential plan of God, regardless of what the natural
reasons were.
One thing we learn is that Thomas away from Jesus, decreased his faith
(I don’t believe he is risen) and being near Jesus, increased his faith (My
Lord and My God). We are emotionally and spiritually complex beings - not just
one thing.
2. Jesus cares about our sincere questions
At one point Jesus tells the disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God;
believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so,
would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me
that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am
going.” (John 14:1–4)
Naturally, the disciples don’t necessarily understand what He’s talking
about. And it’s Thomas that asks Him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going,
so how can we know the way” (John 14:5, NIV)?
Because of Thomas’ question, Jesus says one of the most profound things
written in John’s Gospel: Jesus
answered, “I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now
on, you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:6–7, NIV). Jesus cares about
our questions.
3. Community matters—a lot
When Jesus appears to the disciples, Thomas was not practicing “40 Days
of Worship”; he skipped out and look what he missed. When we miss worship we
run the chance of missing Jesus when he shows up. After seeing the Lord, the
others run to tell Thomas, but he doesn’t believe them.
It isn’t Jesus’ intention that we follow Him in isolation from one
another. It’s incredibly important for us to be connected to and regularly
gathering with other Christians.
4. Jesus is God
A week later, Jesus appears to the disciples again—and this time Thomas
is with them: (He learned his lesson) John
20:26–27
“A week later his disciples were in the
house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came
and stood among them and said, ‘Peace
be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand
and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe”
It’s probably
important to recognize the gentleness that Jesus expresses here. He doesn’t
chastise Thomas for his lack of faith. Instead, He addresses Thomas in a way
that allows him to believe. In an instant, Thomas goes from not believing that
Jesus has risen to recognizing that he is God. 28 Thomas said to
him, "My Lord and my God!"
5. Jesus has a message for us
Thomas walked beside Jesus for 3 years. He heard Christ’s teachings and
saw Him perform many miracles, but he still struggled to believe Jesus had
risen from the grave. After he touched Christ’s wounds and
responded with the words “My Lord and my God,” Jesus makes an
important comment: “Because you have seen me, you have believed;
blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29, NIV).
Jesus is talking about you and me! We didn’t have the luxury of walking
with Jesus or touching His scars. We live thousands of years removed from the
events recorded in the Gospels, and Jesus recognizes the faith that it takes
for us to believe. That’s why He pronounces a special blessing on us for
trusting Him!
We are more blessed than
Thomas who could physically touch Jesus. How are we able to touch Jesus? The
answer is simple and right in front of you and memorized in your brain…WORSHIP
- offering your bodies (touch) as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -
this is your spiritual act of worship.
How are you touched by
Jesus? One of the best ways is also in the context of worship - more
specifically the communion service. The one thing that will keep us from
touching or being touched by Jesus is our sin. The best physical metaphor for
sin is leprosy - open sores all over the body that make a person unclean - in
our case leprosy of our heart. Here is how Jesus heals us of our leprous
sin. Luke 5:12-13
While Jesus was in one of the towns, a
man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with
his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and
touched the man. Jesus said, "I am willing, be
clean!" And
immediately the leprosy left him.
COMMUNION /
Blest Be the tie that Binds
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