Unrecognizable.

What if it IS True? Blog

Discovering, wrestling with, and trying like crazy to live Gospel virtue.

04/27/14

John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
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.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to 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 into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name

The story of the doubting Thomas. Undoubtedly the most misunderstood individual in the history of salvation. It's easy to doubt when you see no change in those who claim to have seen Christ. And this, I believe, is the real lesson here. It's imperative to demand to see Christ. It's what the world is clamoring to see at this very moment. It's why Gandhi supposedly said the now famous, “Christ I like, It's his Christians I can do without”.

No obvious transformation, no witness. No witness, no evangelization. No evangelization, no Christianity. It all begins with personal transformation. And, it should look like something. It's like Pope Francis recently talking about sourpuss Christians. This is what Thomas basically walked back into. He left to run his errand and in the time he was out nothing had changed. Their story may have been different but that was it. They were still locked away in fear. It's a question we have to ask ourselves. Are we obviously transformed by this Christian thing or are we not?

I've been privileged with back handed compliments that made me feel at least like I was on the right track. Many years ago in the early blush of my embracing my faith a friend of mine who I used to go out for beers with often noticed that I wasn't participating with the typical bar room humor that was once well within my lexicon. In frustration, he said to me, “Leo, you're not the guy you used to be”. I took it as flattery even though that wasn't the intent. Another time recently I responded to a post on Facebook that was viewed by an old college friend who asked, “Is this the same guy I knew in college?” To which I replied, “NO!” That's the beauty of transformation.

So now it's your turn. Can you get some comments of that nature yourself? Can you become unrecognizable by your own friends? That's what we see in the risen Christ. Not that he needed transformation, but he was literally unrecognizable after his resurrection. It starts with the willingness to accept the gift of faith that God wants to give is. If that means demanding to touch his wounds then pray that prayer like Thomas. However, be prepared for what you'll experience. Christ will gladly prove himself. He just may not look recognizable at first.

Good luck and God bless,

Leo Brown