A reflection on the Lectionary readings for the second Sunday of Easter.
How do you read the story of Thomas encountering the Risen Jesus? Do you read Jesus’ lines out loud with a tone of accusation or contempt? Or do you hear compassion in Jesus’ voice, understanding with an invitation to come near and hear what is to come?
I say this every year as we read this story on the second Sunday of Easter: “Thomas gets a bad rap.” He wasn’t asking to experience anything more than the other disciples did. And with full disclosure, none of the disciples believed Mary or the other women when they said Jesus had risen, so really, why do we label Thomas ‘doubting’ and not all the men? Yes, Jesus had spoken of his resurrection prior to his crucifixion, and yes, they had witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, and the widow’s son but rising from the dead is a hard one to wrap one’s head around.
Let’s learn to hear Jesus’ voice in a way that coincides with his claim that he didn’t come to condemn but to save. What if we hear Jesus speak to Thomas more along the lines of ‘don’t let a competitive mindset lead you to cynicism’.
What if we understand Jesus’ words “blessed are they that have not seen me and still believed” not as a ranking system but more along the lines of leveling the field. Jesus doesn’t say the disciples are NOT blessed because they saw and believed. He’s letting everyone know that the disciples and all who would believe and follow Jesus’ teachings are blessed because by doing so, whether Jesus is physically present or not, we all live the life we are made for.
We are so inundated with competition that we don’t even know how it impacts the way we see and receive each other. We spend precious energy trying to have more than those around us – be it money, love, experience, knowledge, influence, what have you. We measure success by what we have and how many people we are ‘over’ and how busy we are getting these things. In order to love myself I have to prove to the world I’m better than or have more than others.
On the day of the Resurrection, the women proclaim the Risen Jesus and the men can’t be generous enough to believe them. Peter and others have to run to the tomb themselves. Thomas can’t receive what the others proclaim, he has to see it for himself, ‘take it’ for himself, if you will.
We see this same scarcity mindset in the earliest of our faith origin stories. Adam and Eve weren’t satisfied with all that God provided and had to have the one thing God said would not be good for them. Abraham and Sarah weren’t satisfied with God’s promise and timing and made their own plan to continue their lineage. The Israelites weren’t satisfied with the Mana God provided and whined for more. The tribes of Israel weren’t satisfied with God as their King and insisted on being like the nations around them. King David wasn’t satisfied with his wives and took another woman by force. The disciples weren’t satisfied following Jesus and squabbled regularly about who was the greatest. Peter and the other disciples weren’t satisfied with what the woman said and had to see for themselves. Thomas wasn’t satisfied with what the other disciples said and demanded he get what they got.
How often are we not satisfied with God and following Jesus so that we take matters into our own hands to get more – more power, more control, more certainty, more money, more. A scarcity mindset says what I have isn’t enough and I have to take from others because I have to have more and if someone has more than me I can’t have enough.
A Kingdom-on-earth-as-in-heaven mindset says we are all equal in God’s plan; if I have more than I need I look around to see who doesn’t have enough; everyone’s value comes from the image of God within. Life in God’s Kingdom isn’t about winning but about thriving in relationship with God and each other. Life in God’s Kingdom is living into Psalm 16: “protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord, my good above all other.’”
The disciples who were with Jesus and every human who has chosen to follow Jesus since are blessed when we live the life we are made for – a life of companionship not competition, a life built with relationships not transactions, a life that bears the fruit of God’s Kingdom even as we inhabit the kingdoms of this world.
The NRSV version that the lectionary uses has Jesus saying, “do not doubt but believe.” Other translations render the Greek ‘do not be unbelieving but be believing.’ Be believing. Live what Jesus has shown in flesh and blood. Be what Jesus has lived and died and rose again for. Trust in God’s plan. Trust that Love is the most powerful force ever. Be who and Whose we are created to be. Doubt isn’t the danger; doubt leads us to the questions that enable us to grow deeper in the wisdom of God’s Kingdom.
The danger lies in the self-centered way of thinking that says I can live my way and still say I believe in God. The danger lies in wanting ‘more’ – or, really, something other – than the life God has promised us. The danger to our souls is the competitive greed that the world says is the way to live. We are saved when we are satisfied with God and following Jesus. By following Jesus we are saved from the scarcity mindset that causes grave harm to our souls and leads us to harm others.
The stories of our faith ancestors not only tell us that living in a competitive mindset is nothing new but also that God is always willing to continue in relationship with us even when we tell God “I’ve got this.” God is always waiting to receive us when we turn toward God proclaiming, “my Lord and my God.” Jesus is always waiting to offer us an invitation to follow him into the Kingdom-on-earth-as-in-heaven.
We live a Resurrection life as we learn from Jesus how to build each other up not tear each other down. We are Easter People, God’s beloved. Be Believing.
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