Text: John 20:19-31

“The Strange Case of Doubting Thomas” John 20:19-31

If we approach this familiar Gospel reading like Sherlock Holmes (err, umm, the Sherlock Holmes of the books not the recent movie—that is, the Sherlock Holmes who solves cases with his brain more than his fists) we would call this “The Strange Case of Doubting Thomas”. And the strangeness of it would fascinate Holmes as I think it does most of us…

Holmes’ dictum which guides all his detective work is that “when you eliminate the impossible, Watson, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” Of course, when you’re dealing with the God who does the impossible, who delights in getting camels through needle’s eyes and declares the worst of sinners perfect saints, who conquers death by dying Himself, well.. there may be some reason to ask whether eliminating the impossible is ever really possible with Him. Certainly what remains is likely to be most improbable. Holmes, to his credit, would say that no matter how much reason rebels at this, you need to run with the improbable when it’s all you’ve got left.

Which is where we’re at from start to finish in “The Strange Case of Doubting Thomas”. So get out your pipe and your deerstalker cap. This will be a strange ride.

While Thomas is often cast as a Holmes type rational skeptic, a high priest of reason, I think Holmes would have much to quibble with Thomas’ case solving tactics. First off, Watson, think on this: is it possible a single individual could hallucinate or be fooled by some trick that would make them think Jesus had risen from the dead when in fact, He had not? That is possible. Especially if the character of the witness is not known.

But is it possible that 10 men who were rather given to doubt and skepticism by nature, who were very well known to Thomas, could all be deceived at once? Certainly not by some sort of mass hallucination. That just doesn’t happen. Besides, reports of the resurrection had already reached them from several independent eyewitnesses and they had dismissed all those accounts as idle tales. They were not gullible types these 10 men. Skeptics all, not only Thomas.

So when they tell Thomas that they had all seen the Lord appear to them, passing through a locked door, very much alive, flesh and blood, even eating some fish and honeycomb as Luke recounts, and talking with them, proving this is Jesus, by the nail holes and spear wound which were quite visible in his flesh, is it really credible that they were all wrong? That no such thing had happened? Even Thomas knows this is simply not possible. Something in the flesh, that looked like Jesus, and had His highly distinctive wounds appeared to them. There just isn’t any other explanation for why 10 doubters like these would be convinced Jesus was risen and alive unless Someone appeared to them.

The one strange element in the case though is the difficulty in recognizing Jesus. Everyone involved had this trouble, and it is a puzzling element of the case, Watson. All of the people who saw Him after the resurrection were people who had known Him very well before the cross business, who would recognize Him at once. And yet every single one of them had some difficulty in recognizing the risen Lord, which all the Gospel writers report to us. In fact, this is the most puzzling element of the case: doubt is a major factor in the resurrection appearances for all the disciples in all four Gospels!

Matthew says when Jesus appeared the final time to the eleven on the mountain in Galilee they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Mark says the apostles doubted the accounts of every eyewitness who told them they’d seen Jesus risen. Luke reports that Jesus asks them why doubts arise in their hearts when they see Him, and John reports how Mary Magdalene did not recognize the risen Lord at first but thought He was the gardener. Very strange, Watson, don’t you think?

You would think that His friends would recognize Jesus at once, or recognize it was some sort of illusion or imposter. Yet neither happens. They recognize Him as Jesus Himself, but not easily and not at once. Doubt is a difficulty for all of them.

Thomas apparently seizes on this difficulty and latches on to the nail and spear wounds as the clincher. If He has those, it must be Jesus risen from the dead. Which seems like sharp thinking—at first. Something had to be appearing to these different people, a physical form that looked much like Jesus. Since we can eliminate mass hallucination as impossible, what are we left with? Really only two possibilities: one, that it is Jesus Himself risen from the dead or two, that it is some kind of demonic deception.

Let’s consider then the possibility of demonic deception. Could the devil conjure up some apparently physical form that looked like Jesus but wasn’t? Well, kinda… maybe. The witch at Endor raised up something that looked like Samuel’s spirit. But even gullible old Saul only thought it was a spirit. The devil doesn’t do physical see? God has the sole franchise on bodies.

Then there’s the even larger problem of motive. Why would the devil pull such a deception? The only explanation would be that Jesus was a deceiver from the start in league with the devil to lead us all down a cosmic blind alley. And while a few Pharisees entertained that very possibility, Jesus Himself decisively dismissed the possibility: if Satan is casting out his own demons and freeing his own captives as Jesus did, then his kingdom is divided and can’t stand for long. Jesus is clearly liberating Satan’s prisoners. So it makes no sense at all that Satan would be behind this, but if he is, it’s still good news for us, because we are being set free!

So we can eliminate demonic deception as an impossible explanation for the Risen Christ. So why did they doubt it was Him? Luke says it, Watson: they doubted because of joy. Because it’s too good to be true! That’s why: it’s too much for skeptics like us to take in. They couldn’t recognize Jesus at first because our brain says nothing that good could ever be true. That eternal life comes out of this One Man’s death? Come on! Everything else in our world has some strings attached, some catch. To have death conquered by Jesus’ death, to have forgiveness, life, and salvation not just for some people but for all, for absolutely everyone, doubters, believers, sinners, saints, all by Jesus’ free gift, no strings attached, seems the very impossibility Holmes and Watson would eliminate!

So Thomas figured if he could see this Person for himself, see the nail wounds, it would convince him—if it was all true. But instead, Thomas apparently doesn’t even examine the wounds. It is the VOICE the voice that called him three years before that says “come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest…” that convinced him. Here is the distinctive, personal element no one can fake…

Which is the strangest part of the case. Doubt will always be there for every disciple, for Thomas, for you, for me. Because it is too good to be true. It is impossible on the face of it, not just improbable. So how can we believe? By running into the Word incarnate yourself, by hearing that unique, distinctive Voice, by the same Gospel Word as came to doubting Thomas, the same Supper and Baptism that sustained him.

This is always the way—Jesus’ strange, left-handed way of saving: by mystery not might, by weakness not strength, by doubt not proof, by sacraments not swords. And when you die with Him yourself, like Thomas, then you will finally see, know that He, the Crucified and Risen One is true, and all is yours in Him. For Christ is risen… indeed, Amen.

 Pastor Kevin W. Martin