October 3, 2023 — What IF…?

What if Thomas Had No Doubts?

“But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “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.” 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.” Then 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.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” John 20:24-29

I have preached and preached on the idea of Thomas’ questioning of the events in the Upper Room on the day of the resurrection of Jesus. For whatever reason, Thomas was not with the other disciples. He obviously had another place to be – or he was so afraid that he just could not join the other disciples when they gathered that evening. But his absence puts the church on the path that I would say today has had a significant impact on the church. Our churches today are split on many issues: Baptism, Holy Communion, Biblical interpretation, revelation, and practice of worship to name just a few. One of the more difficult splits, even within my own congregation, is the split between what I call the “Black and White” believers, and the “Grey” believers. The “Black and White” believers are the ones who believe everything they read in the bible because, well, it is in the bible. They do not want statistics and interpretations from archeology, carbon dating, and the like – the bible is the truth directly recorded from the hand of G-d – and there is no room for doubt. The “Black and White” believers stand with the ten disciples in the Upper Room who saw Jesus and celebrated. The “Grey” believers are the ones who read the bible, see the discrepancies that exist, listen to other voices and interpretations, give some space for the advancement of understanding of and in the world around us, and are seeking for more information, because, well they have some doubts. The “Grey” believers stand with Thomas in the Upper Room and say “I want to put my fingers in the nail marks”. What if Thomas didn’t doubt the other ten – believed them when they said they had seen the “Risen Lord”?

Well, if Thomas did not doubt their witness, he may not have been there the next Sunday as well. He may have simply believed their description and moved on with his life. If that were the case, we would not have that wonderful exchange between Thomas and Jesus – where Jesus says “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe”. For you see, Jesus blesses both kinds of believers. He blesses the faith of Thomas who needed more proof, and he blesses those who do not need more information. But the questions of Thomas give the “Grey” believers hope and encouragement that questioning, seeking and doubting are OK. Actually, it has been my experience that having questions and doubts leads people to a deeper faith.

I envy those who simply believe because it is in the book. Jesus blesses those who have not seen, or needed proof, and believe. But my faith journey has been more substantial because my mind does not work that way – like Thomas, I need more. And I feel blessed by the journey and the process.

Pastor Dave

October 4, 2023 — What IF…?

What if Zacchaeus Was Afraid of Heights?

“He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” Luke 19:1-10

“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.”

I hope you recognize the children’s Sunday school song. Many of our children have learned the same song. Songs like these are educational and influential because it allows our children to learn scripture without them needing to memorize lines of text. But the song leaves out some really important details – details like Zacchaeus was a chief of the tax collectors, and as such was a wealthy man. And Zacchaeus must have been a spiritual man because he went to great lengths just to “see” Jesus. And, being a short man, Zacchaeus comes to the attention of Jesus – who sees past his disability (we can only assume that his stature is mentioned in the bible because it was debilitating to him) and sees his faith. But, besides the children’s song and the things we read between the lines, what if Zacchaeus was not only short in stature, but Acrophobic as well? In other words, what if Zacchaeus was afraid of heights?

So much about this encounter with Jesus depends on Zacchaeus scurrying up a Sycamore tree so he can see Jesus. I often wonder if people who are “short of stature” are also afraid of heights – that their short stature makes them more secure being closer to the ground. I have no idea if this is true, it is just one of the many thoughts running through my mind as I think of Zacchaeus. If he was Acrophobic, he would have had to find another way to see Jesus, and possibly may have never had the chance. But it wasn’t just seeing Jesus that changed his life, it was the fact that Jesus did not just see a short man in a tree, he saw a man of strong faith. And when he saw him, he said “Today I am coming to your house, Zacchaeus.”

Imagine Jesus coming down the road and saying to you, “Today, I am coming to your house”. It would be like the Pope riding by in his Pope Mobile and stopping in front of your house and saying to you “Can I come in and sit and talk?” It is no wonder that Zacchaeus is profoundly changed by his encounter. But Jesus can have that effect on you and me as well – if we welcome him into our lives through scripture, through involvement in a church community, and through prayer.

Pastor Dave