The Incredulity of Saint Thomas

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas is a famous oil painting by Caravaggio in 1601-1602.

"Incredulity" is a fancy term for doubt, skepticism, and disbelief. Incredulity is an inability or unwillingness to believe. I want you to closely examine the artwork on the sanctuary screen. I'm going to be asking you questions about the painting. This part of the sermon is interactive.

Caravaggio is depicting the drama of the resurrected Jesus appearing in the locked upper room with his disciples a week after Easter. Jesus had appeared to ten of his shocked disciples on Easter evening. Thomas wasn't there. So, later when Thomas arrived, the other disciples kept telling him, "We have seen the Lord" (John 20:25)!

John, who was one of the disciples there that Easter evening, records Thomas' words, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe" (John 20:25).

There were eleven disciples in the room when the resurrected Jesus appears to them a second time. Here's the first question. What do you notice about the number of disciples in the painting? ... Caravaggio focuses our attention only on Jesus, Thomas, and two other disciples -- possibly Peter and John.

Caravaggio doesn't paint any background or anything in the room. Caravaggio was a master of light and shadow. He paints a simple dark background with a light coming from over Jesus' right shoulder. Why do you think he uses the light and dark like this? ... Caravaggio is using the light to focus attention on the wounds of Christ and the expressions of the disciples. The three disciples don't question Christ's identity. The wounds are all that are needed to identify that this is Jesus standing in front of them. They are rightly fascinated by his wounds.

Last question, what do you notice about Thomas's finger and Jesus' wound created by the soldier's spear? ... We don't like someone touching our paper cut or hangnail. Yet, Thomas has his index finger digging into Jesus' wound up to his first knuckle.

Even more striking are Jesus' hands. With his right hand, Jesus is pulling aside his cloak to display his wounded side. With his left hand, Jesus is pulling Thomas' hand into his side.

With one image, Caravaggio is portraying Jesus' words to Thomas, "Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue to doubt, but believe" (John 20:27).

Thomas had earlier doubted the disciples' pronouncement that they had seen Jesus alive. For that very human response, he has a painting of that incident that's been around for five centuries. Because of one moment of weakness, Thomas is continually known by the title, "Doubting Thomas."

Personally, I think that's unfair! Peter isn't forever known as "Denying Peter." Jesus gave the nickname of "Sons of Thunder" to James and John. But they're not called "Judgmental James" or "Jerk John." It's only Thomas who is defined by his lack of faith.

Unfairly so. When Jesus learned that his good friend, Lazarus, was deathly ill, Jesus discussed with his disciples going to see him. The disciples knew that Lazarus' home in Bethany was only two miles from Jerusalem. Jesus' religious enemies resided in Jerusalem. They wanted Jesus dead. Jesus and his disciples were hanging out in the north in Galilee. But Jesus said, "Let's go back to Judea." The disciples were reluctant. They said, "Rabbi, recently the Jews were trying to stone you. And you are going back there again?" Thomas was the only one who spoke in favor of going to Bethany. He said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go too, so that we may die with him" (John 11:7,8,16).

But Thomas isn't remembered for that instant of great faith! He's not known as "Fearless Thomas" or "Gutsy Thomas" or "Intrepid Thomas." No! He's known as "Doubting Thomas."

Thomas is a wonderful, real-life example for all of us as modern-day disciples. There are times when we have a great, active faith in our God. But we must admit, there are other times when we become incredulous. We doubt God, his goodness, and his overall plan for our lives. We often waver between the two -- fearless and incredulous.

A young family is at the hospital with their deathly ill little girl. They don't know what's making her sick. They know that God loves the little children. But in the dark recesses of their hearts, they wonder why God isn't showing that love right now to their daughter. The doubts of their fear threaten to overcome their faith.

A family is blessed that their mom is able to be a stay-at-home mom for their little children. Money is tight. But they're making it work. Now, dad is home, too, after he's been laid off from work. They trust that God works everything out for their good. Yet, they don't know what good will come from not knowing where their next paycheck is coming from. The doubts of their worry threaten to overcome their faith.

A wife admitted to her husband that she had an affair. She knows she is forgiven by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. But she wonders if her husband can forgive her, too. The doubts from her guilt threaten to overcome her faith.

A family calls the pastor at 2 a.m. to ask him to come to the emergency room. Their dad just had a massive heart attack and isn't expected to survive. Their dad had been in good health. They expected him to be around to walk his daughters down the aisle. But now that family reunion will have to wait until heaven. The doubts from their shock and sorrow threaten to overcome their faith.

You've been in similar situations. You have a fearless, trusting, confident faith in the Lord. Yet when illness, debt, guilt, and death intrude on your life, these difficulties threaten to overwhelm your faith in the Lord.

Jesus does the same thing for us he did for Thomas. Jesus held Thomas' finger in his side and said, "Don't continue to doubt, but believe." Thomas believed and said, "My Lord, and my God" (John 20:28). Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed" (John 20:29). Then, Jesus talks about us when he says, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).

What haven't we seen and yet believed? We haven't seen the empty tomb or the angel sitting on the stone or the burial cloth neatly folded in place. We haven't directly heard the testimony from the angels or the women walking away from the tomb or the Emmaus disciples. We haven't put our fingers into the wounds of Christ. Yet, by the grace of God, we have heard and seen and touched, and so we believe.

Picture Jesus doing for you that he did for his doubting disciple in The Incredulity of Saint Thomas.

Jesus takes his hands and places them onto the ears of the young family with their little girl in the hospital. They hear Jesus' words of "Peace be with you" that he spoke to his disciples on Easter evening (John 20:21). They know that in life and in death, Jesus promises and provides a peace that the world cannot give. A peace that is beyond human understanding. This peace they hear overcomes their fears.

Jesus takes his hands and places them onto the mouths of the parents and their young children. Every night they pray the Lord's Prayer before the children are tucked in bed. The family focuses especially on the Address and two petitions of the Lord's Prayer -- "Our Father, who art in heaven ... thy will be done ... give us this day our daily bread." They trust that their heavenly Father will give them daily bread according to his will. This trust they speak overcomes their worry.

Jesus takes his hands and places them onto the hands of the husband and wife. He pulls them in close so they can feel his deep wounds of love. The wife knows that Jesus paid for her adultery on the cross. He has also removed her guilt. The husband knows that Jesus was able to forgive those who denied, betrayed, and mocked him. Jesus' forgiveness gives him the ability to forgive his wife. This love and forgiveness they feel in Jesus' wounds overcomes their guilt and lack of love.

Jesus takes his hands and places them onto the eyes of the family who lost their dad to death. He focuses their attention on the open grave. Because Jesus had power over his grave, he will demonstrate his power over the graves of all people on the Last Day. They look forward to their family reunion around Jesus' throne. This resurrection they see with the eyes of faith overcomes their shock and sorrow.

The trouble Thomas had is the trouble that followers of the Lord have had since Easter Sunday. It's hard to just believe and trust. It's easy to be incredulous and disbelieving. There's something way down deep inside us that urges us to seek proof and to believe only what makes sense to our minds. The Lord has told us repeatedly not to worry ... but we do. He tells us not to be afraid because he is always with us ... but what scares you right now? The Lord tells us not to doubt or question his ways, but every time a senseless act of evil or sudden hardship happens in our lives, we wonder, "What good can God create out of this?"

Like Thomas, you need an encounter with the Living Lord! Do you need evidence that your sins are forgiven? Do you want assurance that God still loves you? Do you need proof that God's promises are true for you?

Every day, approach Jesus who daily says, "Peace be with you!" Put your hand over his pierced side. Feel his hands and his feet. Taste and see that the Lord is alive and good, powerful to save, and abundant in love and mercy. He asks us to believe without seeing the future and to trust his plan for our life.

Jesus held Thomas' finger in his side so that Thomas could feel Christ's wounds. Jesus holds your head at the baptismal font so you can feel those cleansing waters washing over you, making you a sanctified child of God.

He holds your eyes to the pages of Scriptures so you can read for yourself God's love letter to you in those beautiful words.

He holds your ear close to the mouth of the pastor so you can hear the precious words that absolve you from every deliberate and accidental and inborn sin.

He holds his body and blood up to your lips so that you can taste his forgiveness and drink his strengthening of your faith.

Jesus holds us close to his Word and Sacraments. It is here where we see Jesus' love, hear his forgiveness, taste his sacrifice, and feel his strength. It is at the empty cross, open tomb, and the upper room where God restores our confidence and courage. It is in the wounds of Christ where our incredulity is replaced with fearlessness. Just like Intrepid Thomas. Amen.