Acts 5:27-32 Revelation 1:4-8 John 20:19-31 Psalm 150

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

The April 14 account of the 5-year-old being thrown from the third floor of the Mall of the Americas in Minneapolis, falling 39 feet to the first floor, struck a note of horror in all of us.  Questions abound.  Did they say “thrown” from the third floor?  Who would do such a thing?  Maybe a seriously overwrought parent?  Could the child possibly have survived?  None could imagine such an intentional act of evil.  We are drawn to seek more information.

As it turns out, it was a young man with a troubled history at that mall from which he had been banned.  He had come there, perhaps seeking vindication, with the specific intention of killing someone, preferably an adult; the small child happened to be easy prey.  As the preschooler stepped close to the rail of the balcony, the young man approached and pushed or hurled him over the rail.  The perpetrator was arrested and is being held under a $2 million bail.

That the small boy could have survived seemed impossible.  Isn’t that too good to be true?    Maybe it really wasn’t the third floor from which he fell; maybe he fell onto something below that cushioned his fall.  How could anyone survive a 39-foot fall onto stone flooring?  A bystander had said the child was not breathing when first responders arrived.  We crave further information.

Days later, I was again shocked by a report confirming that the child had survived and stating further that, though he had numerous broken bones, he had no internal injuries or head trauma.  In a statement, the attorney for the boy’s family quoted them as saying, “All praise, glory and honor to Jesus!  He saved our son’s life and is healing him in the most miraculous ways.  Our son is now alert and conscious and is no longer in critical condition.”  The spokesman indicated that the child will need multiple surgeries and, without doubt, a lengthy unpredictable recovery period.  No other information has been made available, however, and, it is notable that no official statement of his condition has been released.  Is this positive news too good to be true?

Do you have doubts?  If you are human, you are curious, skeptical at best, not yet ready to believe as these parents profess to believe that Jesus has saved their son from an unimaginable dance with death.  Yes, we want and pray for this child to survive and grow into adulthood free from crippling physical and mental debility. But, can we really count on such a miraculous outcome.  Do we believe?  Do we walk by faith and not by sight?  Can we believe without having seen?  Or, do we seek more information to counter our doubts?

Never do we mention doubt without thinking of Thomas, the Apostle, known as Doubting Thomas.  The Apostle Thomas is the focus of this second Sunday of Easter year after year.  Our Gospel lesson for this Sunday after Easter Day is always the same.  Thomas was not present with the other apostles when the resurrected Jesus appeared first to them.  Later, when told of Jesus’ appearance, Thomas doubted their story. The unjust and unflattering moniker of “Doubting Thomas” stuck.

But, Thomas was not the first of them to doubt and question.  All but John had fled from the crucifixion; in fear, the others had doubted Jesus’ words of comfort and assurance that he had shared with them during their years of ministry together.  Specifically, in their last days together, Jesus had tried urgently to prepare them for his death and his return on the third day.  Yet, they had fled in fear.

And, as we recall the Easter Day accounts of the apostles when summoned to the empty tomb, and when they return to tell the others, we find much doubt and skepticism.  Luke tells us that when Mary Magdalen and the other women came to report the news given to them by the two men in dazzling white who stood by them at the empty tomb, the eleven apostles considered their words an “idle tale.”  Even as the apostles began to recount Jesus’ words of assurance that he would overcome death and the grave, they just couldn’t believe that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.  Surely, they wanted to believe; was it too good to be true?  Just what were the yet-to-be-disclosed details?  They wanted to know more, and yet they were afraid of the unknown.

In this account of Jesus appearing to Thomas, Jesus reveals to Thomas the hands that had been penetrated by the nails of crucifixion and places Thomas’ hands into the sword-pierced wounds on his side.  It’s a little humorous to imagine the other ten apostles puffed-up with pride as Thomas takes the “hit” for all the doubters.

Because Thomas doubted, he searched; he came back for more information; he dug deeper and more diligently for the truth.  Confronted by the risen Christ, Thomas embraced that truth of our redemption by the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior.  Rising from doubt to the most profound understanding and belief, he responded, “My Lord and my God!”

Thomas and the other apostles called by Jesus to follow him were human as we are human; they doubted as we doubt.  They were not extraordinary humans, they were humans called to do extraordinary things – as each of us is called to do extraordinary things in the name of Jesus Christ.  When we doubt as Thomas doubted, we struggle and search more diligently for the truth – good news beyond our comprehension.  When we encounter others who doubt, we are better equipped to guide them through their own paths of doubt.  Confronting the profound truth of our salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, with renewed certainty, we affirm Thomas’ acclamation, “My Lord and my God!”

Alleluia! Christ is risen!  The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Is that too good to be true??  Or, do you truly believe that Christ overcame sin and death, and rose from the grave? Jesus’ words to Thomas are words to us. No, we were not among those who had seen the earthly Jesus.  Yet, in seeking, especially in overcoming doubt, we come to believe.

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”