Today's Scripture Reading (January 6, 2023): 1 Kings 17
I have always liked the story
of Thomas. I have always thought that I was a bit of Peter, and like Peter, too
often, it seems that my mouth is in gear while my brain is still in neutral,
but I think that there is a bit of Thomas in me too. Part of what I like about
Thomas is that he was a very practical disciple as well as a man of great
faith. In John 11, when Jesus decided to go back to Jerusalem because Lazarus
had died, Thomas encouraged the disciples' next action, "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (John 11:16). It
was a practical extension of everything that Thomas understood. Jerusalem was a
place of danger for them. But if Jesus insisted on going back into this den of
religious lions, Thomas would not let him go alone.
Of course, Thomas was right, at least
about Jesus. Jesus was walking toward his death, and it was a bit of a miracle
that none of Jesus's disciples died on the same day their Rabbi was executed.
In the end, the fear of the disciples was too much for them to resist. The
guilt laid on every one of them must have been almost unbearable in the
aftermath of Jesus's crucifixion. And even with the best intentions of walking
into this valley of the shadow of death with Jesus, the disciples ultimately
decided to hide and hope that they would be left alone while Jesus walked the
end of his road alone.
But then the rumors started to
circulate that Jesus wasn't dead. He had appeared to Mary and then to Peter and
John. Then there were reports that Jesus had appeared to a married couple while
they walked on the road from Jerusalem toward Emmaus. Finally, Jesus appeared
to the disciples while they were meeting in a closed room. Thomas wasn't part
of that meeting, and as the practical disciple, he wasn't sure that any of
these sightings could be trusted. Maybe these "walks with the resurrected Jesus"
were just figments of the people's imaginations; they saw Jesus because they
were suffering with guilt and wanted to see him. After all, people didn't rise
from the dead. When the disciples met with Thomas to tell him about meeting
Jesus, his response was to the point. "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" (John 20:25). It was a practical answer.
Thomas was present the next time
Jesus met with the disciples. And Thomas believed. But then Jesus made this
comment. "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).
Elijah has done miracles in the
presence of the widow at Zarephath. When he first met her, she had a little
flour and oil, enough for one more meal for her and her son. Elijah tells her
that if she made a little bread for him as well, the oil and flour would never
run out. And it didn't. The widow had enough faith that even as she is about to
give her son the last of what she has, she is willing to share it with Elijah.
It was an incredible act of faith.
But it isn't until this moment, as
Elijah brings her son back to life, that she decides she is willing to declare
unconditionally that Elijah is a man of God and that the word of God is in his
mouth. And the words that I hear God whisper to her are the same words Jesus
spoke to the very practical Thomas. "Because you have seen me, you have
believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed"
(John 20:29).
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 18
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