DOUBTING THOMAS. Message by Ralph Smith St. John s United Church Sunday, August 21, 2011

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1 DOUBTING THOMAS Message by Ralph Smith St. John s United Church Sunday, August 21, 2011 A "Doubting Thomas" When Aaron called and asked if I would fill in for him today, I was very doubtful I could get anything ready in time. Then I thought about Thomas in the Bible. He doubted practically everything too. The true story comes out in John 20: When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. But Thomas, 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.

2 There are many, many phrases used in conversations every day, like, "being a doubting Thomas," and we don't realize, or don't know, that they come directly from the Bible. People quote a lot more of the Bible than they realize. Demand for a Sign Matthew 16:1-4 The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus * they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, When it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. Then he left them and went away. In this instance they didn't realize what was being said. Jesus was indicating the Messiah had arrived and the end was near. But we still say, Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Originating in the Bible, and so often, when there is no obvious answer, we often hear said, "It may be a sign of the times." Wash Your Hands of It Leading up to the crucifixion, Roman law was rather murky, and it was apparent that nobody read a prisoner his rights. It appeared a prisoner was guilty until proven innocent. The Roman ruler, "Pontius Pilate" was entangled in the situation of the time, but it was not he, but the chief of priests and elders of Jerusalem who wanted Jesus executed. 2

3 Pilate said to the gathered crowd, "Which of these two will I release unto you?" The answer, as we know was from Barabbas. What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called the Christ? Let him be crucified. Pilate saw he could do nothing about this situation, so he took water, washed his hands before the tumult and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person, but see ye to it." The people answered, His blood be on us, and on our children. To this day, if we don't get our own way, or we can see problems ahead and we want to absolve ourselves completely, we say, I wash my hands of this whole situation. Fly in the Ointment There s a fly in the ointment. Does this come from the Bible? Sure does; from Ecclesiastes 10. "Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour, and a little stupidity can cancel out the greatest wisdom and honour. It is natural for the wise to the right thing, and for fool to do the wrong thing." Verse 5 tells us there is an injustice in the world. Stupid people are given positions of authority, while others are ignored; slaves on horseback while noblemen go on foot like slaves. The better or greater something is, the smaller the flaw needs to be to spoil it. Today, "a fly in the ointment" generally refers to less consequential disappointments. One sour note or one bad joke can have serious results. 3

4 Drop in the Bucket Compared to what Aaron gives us to think about on a Sunday morning, what I have given you to think about brings this saying to mind: It is only a drop in the bucket.". "A drop in the bucket?" Sounds familiar? It should. It's from the Bible, Isaiah 40: The Good News Bible says, Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls or measure the sky with his hands? Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup or weigh the mountains and hills on scales? Can anyone tell the Lord what to do? Who can teach him or give him advice? With whom does God consult in order to know and understand, and to learn how things should be done? To the Lord, the nations are nothing, no more than a drop of water; the distant islands are as light as dust. All the animals in the forest of Lebanon are not enough for a sacrifice to our God and its trees are too few to kindle the fire. And, from the King James Version of the Bible: The nations are as a drop in the bucket. Shortening Sermons Sermons are like biscuits they improve with shortening. One last quote: The Blind Leading the Blind The Gospels would be a lot shorter if it weren't for people like the scribes and Pharisees. By constantly accusing Jesus of heresy, these self-important upholders of traditional Judaism provide continued opportunities for him to engage in lengthy discourses. 4

5 In this case, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for insisting on various purity regulations, while ignoring more essential laws, such as "Honour thy father and mother" (Matthew 15:4). The Pharisees take offense, but Jesus couldn't care less. As he tells his disciples, God will take care of them in the end, and for now you should ignore them, for they are "blind leaders of the blind" who lead themselves and their followers into moral ditches. Ever since, "the blind leading the blind" has been used to scorn leaders as being unenlightened as their followers, but who pretend to be smarter. There are ever so many quotations from the Bible, and they are all very interesting to read. My short period of research has been very revealing and encouraging. To find their origin is worthwhile reading. A few other, of which there are hundreds are: The patience of Job. The four corner of the earth. Twinkling of an eye. Spirit is willing, but flesh is weak. Salt of the earth. Skin of your teeth. Shibboleth and Sibboleth. 5