EASTER
2
April11-13,
2015
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text:
John 20:24-31
“YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED!”
John 20:24-31 (NIV1984) “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." 28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and
my God!" 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.”
For the record I do not recommend
getting your theology from Rolling Stones lyrics. However even a blind squirrel
finds a nut once in a while. It was hard not to notice all the buzz and hype,
billboard hints and news coverage about this old rock band coming to Summerfest.
Not really a fan. Don’t know many of their songs. But there is that one that
keeps repeating this truth: You get what you need. I don’t know where their
songwriters got that from, if it was a bit of the natural knowledge of God
poking through because that statement is true. God gives us what we need in so
many different ways and certainly when it comes to the faith we need to serve
as seen in the always reliable word of God before us today.
Now I don’t know how you feel but I
kind of think Jesus’ disciple Thomas kind of gets a bum rap. What’s he known
as? Doubting Thomas, right? Because of what he did here. Yet when Jesus went to
raise Lazarus from the dead and was warned that that would put Him right back
with the folks who had tried to stone Him, Thomas is the one who said to the
rest of the disciples, “Let us also go that we may die with him.” Think of some
of the other disciples. We don’t call Peter, Denying Peter, or the brothers,
Selfish James and John! Perhaps there is something else here that should grab
our attention instead of Thomas’ doubt. Let’s find out.
In the Gospel lesson you heard about
the first time Jesus appeared to the disciples. It was the evening of Easter.
The disciples were scared. Thomas was not there. Jesus appeared! Jesus showed
those 10 disciples the proof that He was not a ghost or their imagination but
Jesus Himself. He showed them his hands that had been pierced with nails, His
side that had been pierced by a spear. They got what they needed. They were
overjoyed. Of course they would share that news. “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!" We don’t know exactly when this
news was shared with Thomas but can you imagine being him? With every fiber of
your being you would want this news to be true but it can’t possibly be true.
In fact isn’t it true that every one of the people from the Emmaus disciples to
Mary Magdalene at first doubted they were really seeing Jesus alive? And isn’t
it also true that when you and I hear something that sounds too good to be true
we greet it with a healthy dose of skepticism? I think Thomas’ reaction is kind
of normal.” 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."
That sets the stage for Jesus’ second
visit. 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." I would have loved to have seen
the faces of the disciples and especially Thomas. The exact words that Thomas
had used, the exact proof the Thomas had asked for he got. You get what you
need. Thomas said to him, "My Lord
and my God!" Thomas confessed his faith beautifully. Jesus is Lord.
Jesus is God. Confessing Thomas! Then Thomas also lived his faith beautifully.
All of these 11 disciples went on to serve Jesus by telling others and serving
as founders of the Christian church. While we are not told in the Bible what Thomas did or where he went,
according to tradition, Thomas travelled all the way to India to proclaim Jesus
as Savior to people who had not heard. That’s a long way to go when travel was
not easy like it is now. Maybe he should be known as Missionary Thomas.
According to tradition India was where Thomas died as a martyr. Faithful
Thomas. Why was he able to do all of this? The Lord gave him what he needed,
the very proof he had demanded. It’s
true. You get what you need.
It’s true for us too. Jesus went on to
say, "Because you have seen me, you have
believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Have you ever found yourself wishing you could have been one of those men or
women who was alive when Jesus walked the earth? Have you thought about how
neat it would have been to see Him do miracles and all the rest? Have you ever
in some dilemma prayed, “Lord, just give me a sign. Let me see!” Do you want to
rethink that? Listen again to what Jesus said. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
He’s talking to us. He’s telling us
that you are more blessed when you believe without seeing. That’s the Bible’s
definition of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of
things not seen. But Jesus doesn’t demand faith without providing. You get what
you need! 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.” You get what you
need. As Jesus provided Thomas what he needed to serve He has done the same for
you and me. We have His word or rather His words. John the Gospel writer
reminds us that Jesus did many miracles that are not recorded in the Bible.
While our curiosity might wonder what they were we don’t need to know them.
What we need to know is written down so that we can believe without seeing. And
through this belief, this faith in Jesus we have life. Yes, we will have life
eternal but we have life now too. Lives where we can serve.
You get what you need. The Lord may
not be planning for you to become a world missionary but for you younger
brothers and sisters that may happen in many different ways but what about that
family member? What about the guy across the street? The lost soul misfit at
work.? Like with Thomas our good old skepticism can set in there. Why bother
telling him why I have hope. It won’t do any good any way. Stop doubting and
believe. You get what you need. I don’t have the right words to say. I tried
before but nothing has happened. Stop doubting and believe. You get what you
need. The Lord has equipped you by making you, you! Be yourself. Perhaps
telling someone else about your hope in Jesus is the last thing on your mind
right now. Your life is a mess. You are just trying to hold on. You are at the
“Lord I can’t take any more of this” point. You get what you need. It may not
feel like it at times but Jesus is with you. He is in control. He will keep the
promise to work all things for good. You can believe this without seeing the
end just yet. You will be blessed through that believe. Jesus says so and you
get what you need!
While I can’t recommend getting your
theology, your beliefs from Rolling Stones song lyrics I can whole heartedly
recommend getting them from the Bible, God’s true and holy word. This word of
God is not about a doubting Thomas but a providing Jesus. Jesus asked Thomas and the other disciples to
do a lot, all except John dying the martyr’s death. He gave them what they
needed to do that. Of this you can be sure, whatever Jesus asks you to do or go
through for Him, He will provide. So while you can’t always get what you want
with Jesus you’ll find you get what you need! Amen.
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