Sermon - Quasimodo Geniti 2021 - John 20:19-31

"The Incredulity of Saint Thomas" - Caravagio, 1601

 Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Last Sunday we celebrated Easter, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Having risen from the dead, Christ made it abundantly obvious that He has overcome the world, namely He’s overcome the devil, sin, and death. Since Jesus, who is our brother, has overcome the world, we too overcome the world with Him. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

What does it mean to overcome the world? It means to resist wicked passions and desires. “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” We must overcome the world, because the world and its desires are passing away, and if we belong to the world then we too will pass away. So St. John says “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

So we’re one week into this Easter season, last week was Easter Sunday; how are you doing at overcoming the world? In truth, we’ve had much longer than a week, we’ve had our entire lives since becoming Christians to overcome the world. So how’s that going? Do we look like Easter Christians who have risen from the grave with Christ and are living anew? Or do we look nearly identical to the world, indistinguishable from non-Christians other than just the one hour a week we spend in church?

Do we have Christian goals with our eyes fixed on Jesus, looking ahead to the world to come? Or do we have worldly goals, with our eyes fixed on this life? Do we dress like Christians or like unbelievers? Do we order our days and deeds with God at the center, or with the world at the center? What fills and entertains our minds? What does our heart most long for and desire? What and whom do we fear more than anything else? Are we overcoming the world with Christ or are we subject to the world and set against Christ?

After some honest self-reflection, it’s painful to come to the conclusion that we’re not doing so hot; we’re not overcoming the world with Christ as well as we should. The change necessary isn’t an easy, or even possible, one for us to make. Simply changing our lifestyle is insufficient, although this is necessary, too. The way that we overcome the world is by faith: “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

This isn’t just belief in facts, like the devil and any atheist can have. This belief must live and dwell in the heart. It’s a fact that God is real, Jesus is God’s Son, Jesus died, rose, and ascended. Those are simple historical facts, no faith necessary to believe them. Faith on the other hand grasps those facts and applies them to oneself. God is real, and He created and loves me. Jesus is God’s Son, and my brother. Jesus died to forgive my sins. Jesus rose so that I may rise with Him. Jesus ascended to heaven, and I will ascend to heaven on the last day too.

Faith is more than simple knowledge; it’s a belief that God’s promises are true and that they’re for me. Because faith is more than knowledge, this means that we cannot believe by our own power. Rather, faith is a gift given by the Holy Spirit who works through the Word. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Thus, the fact that we are doing such a poor job at overcoming the world comes down to our lack of faith. Yeah, it’s a harsh judgement, but our worldly lives are the result of our weak faith. We are worldly people, with worldly passions and desires, because we lack faith. It wasn’t just to the two disciples Jesus spoke, but to us as well: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”

It’s a harsh and stern judgement, but God doesn’t snuff out the smoldering wick nor break the bruised reed. Instead, Jesus visits us and builds up our faith in Him. “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”” When the disciples were sorely lacking faith, hiding from the Jews because they were afraid of dying (which fear of death comes from a weak faith), and hiding from God because they had just abandoned Him at His death (again, showing their weak faith), Jesus came to them. 

He didn’t wait to be invited inside, He didn’t even wait for the door to be unlocked, He just went in to them and said “Peace be with you.” When He gives them peace, He’s saying to them: “By my death I have forgiven your sins. Though you’re a sinful lot, pathetic and quick to flee, I forgive you. Because I forgive you, I take away your death. You will no longer die. By taking away your sin and death, I give you peace.” Upon seeing and hearing their Lord Jesus, they were glad and at peace, because they were filled with faith.

Jesus does this with Thomas too. Thomas previously had been very strong in faith. Earlier in Jesus’ ministry, when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick and said that they’ll go back to Judea, the other apostles said that it would be too dangerous since the Jews tried to stone Him last time. But Thomas piped up: “Let us go with Him, that we may die with Him.” Not long before Thomas was willing to die with Christ! Now, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Thomas’ faith was weak, dim and bruised, not much unlike our own weak faith. Jesus didn’t come and condemn Thomas for his unbelief, but did just as He had before. “Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Jesus told Thomas to touch and see His wounds, “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” To which Thomas exclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas saw Jesus and heard His voice and so believed.

We may not be able to touch and see Jesus, but Jesus still gives us faithless sinners faith by speaking to us. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus still comes to us. The words of scripture are written so that we may believe and overcome the world. “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

He enters into the locked doors of our hearts, where we sit overcome by the world, and He speaks to us: peace. When He gives us peace, He’s saying to us: “By my death I have forgiven your sins. Though you’re a sinful lot, worldly and fickle, I forgive you. Because I forgive you, I take away your death. You will no longer die. By taking away your sin and death, I give you peace.”

Dear Christian friends, Christ has entered into your hearts, through His word, this very day. Believing in His name, you shall overcome the world with Christ and you will therefore not pass away with this world. Don’t ignore God’s grace which has been given to you, rather rejoice in it and live according to it! Find your joy not in the passions and desires of this world, but in the testimony of Jesus Christ. “This is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!