Think of everything the disciples had seen in the last 72 hours. They saw Jesus betrayed by his friend and led away in chains. They saw Jesus falsely accused and spit on by the religious leaders. They saw Jesus flogged and beaten by soldiers. They saw a crown of thorns forced onto his head and the beam of a cross placed on his back. They saw him nailed to a cross, struggle to breathe and die an agonizing death. And then probably from a safe distance away they saw Jesus dead body taken off the cross and laid in a tomb and in that moment they were certain, 100% certain, that Jesus was dead. What they had seen with their own eyes was powerful and their vision shaped what they believed. Jesus was dead and the testimony of one woman wasn’t going to change that, even seeing empty grave clothes and an empty tomb wasn’t going to change that. There was only one thing that was going to change their belief and that was seeing Jesus alive. They needed a vision of the risen Jesus to replace the vision of the crucified and dead Jesus, and a vision of the risen Jesus is exactly what they got.
When Jesus finally appeared among the disciples on the evening of that resurrection day and showed himself to be alive, the vision of the risen Jesus changed everything. They no longer doubted Jesus was dead, they believed and knew he was indeed alive, but the vision of a risen Jesus changed so much more. The vision of Jesus alive meant for Peter that he no longer had to live with the pain of sin and failure – there was now hope that Jesus would forgive him for his denial. For John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the vision of a living Jesus meant that a friendship and relationship of love and loyalty could continue. This vision of ongoing love was profound for John, it shaped the rest of his life and we know this because when we read the letters he wrote we see that that their main focus is love – the love of God seen in Jesus and the power of love we can now share with one another. A risen Jesus meant love could continue and be shared and that vision shaped the rest of John’s life, the vision of Jesus alive shaped the life of the disciples.
But one disciple wasn’t there when Jesus first appeared and that was Thomas. We don’t know where Thomas was that day, but because he wasn’t there his only vision was of Jesus chained, flogged and crucified. The vision that continued to dominate Thomas’ heart and mind and therefore shaped his beliefs was of a Jesus beaten, bloodied and buried. The only thing Thomas knew for certain was that Jesus died and he knew that because it is what he had seen with his own eyes and there is power in vision. In fact that vision was so strong that it could not be wiped away by the testimony of his friends no matter how passionate and heartfelt that testimony was. What Thomas shows us here is that there is power in vision and that all of our lives are driven by some kind of vision.
There are certain things that we have seen or ways that we see the world or our lives that shape what we believe and that vision is powerful and determines how we live. One of the places we see this clearly is in the world of politics. I am always amazed how there can be passionate people on both sides of political issues who invest their entire lives in a certain vision of how society should be structured. For example, there are those who believe strongly that government should do more and take a more active role in the world to help make things better and they fight for and give themselves completely to that vision and on the other side there are those who believe just as passionately that if we want a better society government should do less. They each have a vision of how things should work and their vision is powerful and that vision drives their lives.
Each of us has a vision that drives our lives and it is a vision of who we are and how we see the world. Our self image and the understanding of our own self worth and our place in the world determines much of our lives. For example if we are see ourselves as smart and capable we might try to achieve more in life, but if our self image is that we can’t do anything and we aren’t smart enough to achieve great things – we might not try to do anything at all. How we see the world around us and how we see ourselves shapes our hearts and minds and it shapes our attitudes, beliefs and actions and so an important question to ask ourselves is what is the vision that shapes our life?
Is our vision only shaped by what we can see with our eyes?
Is our vision only shaped by what we think is true about ourselves?
Is our vision shaped by God?
If we limit our vision to only what we have seen and what we think is true about ourselves and our world, then like Thomas we run the risk of missing out on what God wants to do in us and through us, but if we allow the fullness of God to shape our vision we begin to open ourselves up to the abundant victorious life God has for us. Now the good news we see from the story of Thomas is that God never wants to leaves us in a place of narrow vision. God understands the power vision so he works to expand the vision of our lives by helping us see the fullness of Jesus. It was finally being able to see Jesus that changed everything for Thomas.
As we heard from John’s gospel, it was a week later when the disciples were again gathered in the upper room but this time Thomas was there. For a week Peter, Andrew, James, John and the rest of the disciples had been trying to convince Thomas that Jesus was alive, but Thomas simply could not believe and the more they talked the more Thomas dug in his heels, to the point where Thomas finally said, look, unless I put my hands in the mark of the nails and reach out my hand and place it in the wound in Jesus side made by the spear, I won’t believe that Jesus is alive.
What is so wonderful about this story is that Jesus heard Thomas’ words and instead of allowing Thomas to remain in a place of narrow vision and weak faith, in love and grace Jesus appears and gave Thomas exactly what he needed to believe. Jesus gave Thomas the vision he needed to see life a different way and while God may not give us that same vision, God does give us a vision of himself that can shape our lives and like Thomas, the vision God gives us is personal, it is powerful and it fills us with purpose.
When Jesus appeared to Thomas the first thing we see is that this was a personal vision. Jesus came in this moment specifically for Thomas. After greeting everyone Jesus immediately goes to Thomas and gives him what he said he needed to believe. Put your finger here, Thomas, see my hands and the mark of the nails. Reach out your hand and place it in my side. Jesus gives Thomas exactly what he said he needed, it was a personal vision, a personal encounter for Thomas.
We all need a personal vision from God if we are going to have a God given vision for our lives. In other words, we need to have our own encounter with Jesus Christ or our own personal relationship with God. What Thomas shows us is that we can’t build our faith on the experience or vision of other people. The testimony and experiences of others can help us and encourage us and even open us up to God, but at some point we all need a personal vision from God, a personal experience of the risen Jesus. It’s not enough to depend upon the faith of our parents or grandparents or friends, if we are going to have a God given vision that shapes our lives then we need to have a personal vision of Jesus, a personal encounter with the living God.
While Jesus will come and reveal himself to us, it will not be the way he did with Thomas. Jesus will not physically stand in front of us with arms open wide – but I do believe that God will reveal himself to us in very personal ways. Throughout the Bible God revealed himself to people in a variety of ways; for some it was through clouds and lightening while for others it was silence. For some it was through the words of the prophets and for others it was through the silent direction of the Holy Spirit. God revealed himself in different ways, but each way was personal and spoke to the unique needs of the individual. God knows what will speak to each and every heart and mind here and what this story of Thomas shows us is that God is willing to step into our lives and give us the personal vision that we need.
A friend of mine started seminary a few weeks ago and she has been having a difficult time transitioning to the new location and a new routine. I encouraged her to find some support at a specific church and she told me later that day that after an appointment she had she looked up and across the street was that very church. In many ways that was the personal experience of the risen Jesus she needed and it reminded her that God was with her and that He would give her the strength she needed to make it through. God knows what we need and he works to give us that personal vision
God gave Thomas that personal vision and that vision was powerful. The risen Jesus with hands stretched out was a powerful vision that wiped away any lingering vision Thomas had of Jesus crucified, dead or buried. It was such a powerful vision that Thomas cried out “my Lord and my God” which is the first time anyone had called Jesus God – but Thomas did because the vision of the risen Savior was so powerful that he suddenly knew exactly who Jesus was. The vision for Thomas is so powerful that he also didn’t even need to touch Jesus’ hands or side in order to believe, did you notice that. While Thomas said he would have to actually touch Jesus in order to believe, the vision God gave was so powerful that he didn’t need to do that in order to believe
What we see here is that any vision God gives will be filled with power and that makes sense because God himself is powerful. Any time God moves there is power. Any time God speaks there is power. Any time God reveals himself there is power and that power brings healing, grace, forgiveness, courage, strength and assurance. The vision of a risen Jesus was powerful enough to bring hope, forgiveness, faith and strength to the disciples 2000 years ago and it still brings hope , forgiveness, faith and strength to disciples, to us, today.
The vision of Jesus alive also gave Thomas purpose. As a tax collector, Thomas had left everything when he turned to follow Jesus and when Jesus died I’m sure Thomas felt like his life was over. Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen so they could go home and pick up their nets and get back into their boats, but Thomas had no future. He couldn’t become a tax collector again so in many ways the death of Jesus meant his life had no direction, but the vision of a risen Jesus began to give his life direction and then when Jesus said to Thomas and the rest of the disciples, go into all the world and make disciples, Thomas knew his life’s purpose.
Tradition tells us that Thomas travelled to what today we know as India and spent the rest of his life telling people what he had seen – a risen Savior. What Thomas had seen in Jesus life, death and resurrection he shared with people who placed their faith and trust in Christ and become followers of Jesus themselves. We believe this is what Thomas did because centuries later Christian missionaries from England went to India and they didn’t expect to find any Christian presence in that region at all but what they did find were churches and followers of Jesus who didn’t know anything about Peter or Paul and they didn’t have the writings of the New Testament, but they knew about Jesus and they knew about a disciple named Thomas. Thomas’ vision of Jesus alive didn’t just give shape to Thomas’ faith it gave purpose and direction to his life.
When God reveals himself to us, that vision is also filled with purpose and like Thomas that purpose always has to involve reaching out beyond ourselves. As followers of Jesus, the vision God gives us for our lives always includes loving and serving others in some way. God’s vision for our lives has to include working to bring people to Jesus and working to bring the kingdom of Jesus into our world. God’s vision for our lives is always filled with purpose because God has a purpose for our lives. Through the prophet Jeremiah God says, I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future. (Jeremiah 29:11).
What is the vision that shapes your life? What is the God given vision that defines who you are and drives you in faith and life? If we struggle to see that vision today then we can find encouragement from Thomas, because his life story teaches us that God is always willing to reveal himself to us in ways that are personal, powerful and in time will fill us with purpose. May a vision of the living God and the risen savior give shape, power and purpose to our lives today and every day.
Next Steps:
What VISION shapes your life?
1. How has God revealed himself to you personally?
This week? This month? This year? During your life?
If you can’t identify a personal encounter you have had with the living God (or the risen Jesus), ask God to reveal Himself to you and then every day pray for eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to receive God’s vision.
2. How has God’s vision filled you with power?
power to love – power to forgive – power to dream
power to believe – power to step out in faith
3. What purpose (shape or direction) has God’s vision given to your life? It may not be something big like becoming a missionary to India, but remember it will always include loving and serving others.
If you struggle to see God’s purpose for your life, read Jeremiah 29:11-14 and ask God to reveal his purpose to you and then trust that in time He will.
4. Share God’s personal, powerful and purposeful vision with someone this week.
