The Unauthorized Homily

By Bill Dunn

A commentary on the Scripture readings from the Sunday Lectionary

(Scripture readings for Sunday, April 15th: Acts 5:12-16; Revelation 1:9-11, 12-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31)

OH BROTHER, SEEING IS BELIEVING

It was late on Sunday night. The weekend had been one of the wildest the old city of Jerusalem had ever seen. A man named Thomas, who for three years had traveled with a charismatic rabbi named Jesus, arrived at the home of his twin brother Leonard.

“Do you know what time it is?” Leonard muttered while cracking open the front door to see who was there. “You’ve got some nerve— Tommy? Is that you? Come in! Are you in danger? I heard about what happened to your friend Jesus. Are the authorities after you, too?”

“No,” Thomas replied. “I, I don’t think so. They just wanted Jesus…I think. But maybe I should lay low for a while.”

“What a shame,” Leonard said as he led Thomas into the kitchen. “I can’t believe our own religious leaders convinced the Romans to crucify him. He seemed like such a nice guy. A little weird, maybe, but he wasn’t hurting anybody. This must be a real shock to you, Tommy.”

“Well, you know, Lenny, Jesus told us many times that he was going to die in Jerusalem. And you shoulda heard what he said during the Passover meal about his body and his blood. So, I guess I’m not that shocked.”

“Uh, whatever…” Leonard shrugged.

“But you know what IS a shock, Lenny?” Thomas asked. “The other guys. They’ve all gone off their rockers! I found them earlier this evening and they were laughing and singing like a bunch of little kids. I said to them, ‘What’s your problem, man?! Jesus is dead! It’s over! Three years of hard work down the drain!’

“So guess what they said?” Thomas continued, “They told me, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ Do you understand what I’m saying, Lenny? The other guys told me that Jesus is alive!”

“You mean the same Jesus who was nailed to that cross a few days ago?” Leonard asked.

“Yeah, can you believe it? They’re nuts! And then they told me Jesus had breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ and instantly they were filled with a new sensation of power and wisdom and joy.”

“Tommy, I love you—you’re my brother,” Leonard said softly. “But I’ve been trying to tell you for a long time that this Jesus thing is kinda screwy.”

“Yeah, I guess you were right, Lenny. It was foolish to hang out with a bunch of fruitcakes. But I told them tonight, boy. I shook my fist at them and I shouted, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands…and put my hand in his side, I will NOT believe!’”

Thomas took deep breath and cover his face with his hands. “But there’s one thing that’s bugging me,” he whispered.

“What?” Leonard asked.

“Their faces,” Thomas said. “They all had this, this smile…and a twinkle in their eyes. Definitely not the look of a fruitcake. The only person I’ve ever seen with that kind of serenity and joy on his face was…was Jesus.”

“It’s late,” Leonard said. “You’re exhausted. C’mon, let’s get some sleep. You can stay here as long as you want, Tommy.”

Thomas spent the next week at Leonard’s home. Whenever he tried to sleep, he kept seeing the faces of the other disciples, radiant and joyful. When the next Sunday came, he left the house to find them again.

Late that evening, Thomas returned. “Did you find your nutty pals?” Leonard asked. “Hey, Tommy, what’s up? Your…your face looks different. What’s going—”

“It’s true, Lenny! It’s true!” Thomas interrupted. “Jesus is alive! I saw him!”

“What?!”

“I talked with him. I put my finger in the nail holes. He breathed on me and I was suddenly filled with joy! Lenny, it all makes sense now. Jesus really is who he said he was. He is our Lord and our God! He sacrificed his life to pay for the sins of the whole world! Then he rose from the dead just like he predicted. Isn’t it wonderful?!”

“Whoa, Tommy. Not you too? You’re way too rational and level-headed to fall for fairy tales!”

“You’re exactly right, Lenny. I’m just like you. I won’t believe nuthin’ unless I see it with my own eyes. Jesus even gave me a little zinger about that. He said, ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen me?’ and I immediately nodded yes, proud of the fact that I always insist on absolute proof. Then he said, ‘Blessed are those who have NOT seen and have believed.’ You know who I thought of when he said that, Lenny? You.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I don’t know if you’ll get a chance to see Jesus with your own eyes. I don’t know if he plans to hang around Jerusalem or not. And certainly, most of the other people in the world won’t see him face-to-face. The key is faith, Lenny. You must believe by faith rather than by sight.”

“Lemme…lemme think about it, Tommy, OK?”

“Sure. Think about it. But also PRAY about it. This is the most important decision you’ll ever make. If you can take that leap of faith, Lenny—the leap I was too proud or too chicken to take myself—you’ll receive the gift of eternal life. Please, Lenny, you must believe me. You must believe in him!”

©2007