4th Sunday in Advent The Saints of Advent: #4 “St. Thomas”
December 22, 2024 John 11:1-16; 14:1-7
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Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ
This is the last Sunday in Advent, and the last in our theme of ‘Advent Saints,’ where we have focused on 4 believers in history, who have their own assigned ‘minor festival’ in the calendar of the church year. We’ve learned about Andrew, Nicholas, & Lucia. The day assigned for the Apostle Thomas is December 21st. And our reading of focus is from the Gospel of John. John 11:1-16 (NIV, condensed)
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. … 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” … 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” 9 Jesus answered, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly,
“Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
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So, we’re almost there; just a few days away from the annual celebration of the birth of Mary’s Son, God’s only-begotten Son, & the world’s Savior. We use the carols & traditions to add to the anticipation & joy. Even after all these centuries, & all our years, we still marvel at the whole story; & we should. That’s because it’s NOT just a historical event; it’s ‘thee’ event which is meant to redefines history & purpose for each individual soul. You & I are not just a unnoticeable ‘speck’ in the universe that’s here today & gone tomorrow. This event shows that the Almighty =the One who gave us life= knows us, and is mercifully granting us repentance for faith – on our way to heavenly life because of Jesus.
Well, imagine if the birth of Christ had an additional surprise. What if Jesus had a twin? Twins are not often a surprise in our day; prenatal examinations almost always detect a second baby in the womb.
The sound of two heartbeats & ultrasound images alert parents to get a second outfit ready, two car seats, & a second crib. But in the old days, once a mother had delivered that little bundle of joy, it might come as a complete surprise when the midwife said, ‘Oop! There’s one more.’ Now, we know Mary didn’t birth twins; so why bring it up?
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Most of us know the Disciple Thomas as ‘doubting Thomas,’ the one who wouldn’t believe the other disciples when they told him that Jesus was risen from the dead. He said the only way he would believe was if he actually touched the nail marks in Jesus’ hands, and put his hand into Jesus’ side, where the spear had pierced him. I guess he decided he wasn’t going to be bamboozled with false hope, after he had seen his Rabbi brutally crucified to death.
In his heartache, a ‘resurrection’ sounded like a desperate fairytale. To refer to a ‘doubtingThomas’ is to say that a person is a skeptic, a cynic, one who refuses to believe.
But a reoccurring lesson in the Bible is to teach us that one time of weakness should not define a person & their whole life, or their faith; we wouldn’t want that for ourselves. So, we should remember that it’s also true about Thomas that he showed great loyalty & devotion. That’s what heard in our reading. News had just come to Jesus that His friend Lazarus was deathly ill in Bethany. Jesus told His disciples that they were going to Bethany to see Lazarus.
But the disciples flinched at this idea. Bethany was in Judea, and just a few days earlier the religious leaders actually picked up stones to kill Jesus. That was because Jesus had told them that He had existed before Abraham. Not only that, Jesus proclaimed himself to be the ‘Lord God’, the great I AM. That was God’s Hebrew name revealed to Moses ~ Yahweh.
The Jews saw this as blasphemy, deserving the OT punishment of stoning to death.
But, in the crowd, Jesus slipped away. And so, to go back to Judea would be to risk life & limb, both for Jesus and for His disciples; & Thomas knew it.
It was after their discussion that Thomas said these words, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (Jn.11) Despite the risk, Thomas was willing to go with Jesus. Even in the face of death, Thomas did not want to leave Jesus’ side. Even tho, like the rest of the disciples, Thomas would not be so bold later on, his courage & loyalty is recorded for us to remember, that we would imitate it == we should be Thomas’ ‘twin.’
The Aramaic name Tomas means ‘twin’. And three times he was called didymus, which is the Greek word for twin. We don’t know who his actual physical twin was, but that’s okay. In a faith-way, it was Jesus! And ‘twin’ becomes a fitting description of ALL who would be loyal disciples of Jesus, who would say ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’ Let us do what He does, and be treated as He is, and share in His kingdom.
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This IS what Jesus calls us to do; to have lives that look just like His; dying with Him to sinful & disobedient ways, in order that we may live with Him, as holy children of God. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mt.16) When people see you & me as Christians, they are to be reminded of Jesus; that’s what twins do.
So, ask yourself: as a Christian, are you being Christ’s look-a-like? To ‘carry your cross’ is to bear the burden of your old nature without allowing it to carry or control your living.
To be crucified with Him means to trust that -in your baptism- your old nature was drowned in His name, and His Spirit was poured-out on you so that you will turn away from disobedience to walk in God’s right ways. And as Jesus served us in His work, so we are called to imitate Him and give of ourselves to help & serve others. All the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ in … , peace, patience, kindness, gentleness … all benefit those around us. We are our ‘brothers’ keeper.’
We are called to be Christ’s twin, not only in His death to sin, but also in His resurrection to new life. This is part of the language of Scripture that talks of the benefits of being baptized in His name. He washes each of us into a rebirth to a new life; to be children of God in the same sense that Jesus lived among us as the Son of God. This gift of a new life is already ours in this faith: a death to sin and a resurrection.
In John 11, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” St.Paul calls Jesus the ‘firstborn’ from the dead; He is the firstborn twin, who leads the way for you & for all who are second-born twins – out of the womb of death, and into new & everlasting life.
In John 14, when Jesus talked about going to prepare a place in the Father house for us, it was Thomas who asked, ‘but how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except thru me.”
Thomas, and us, are assured that =by the cross & empty tomb= Jesus has prepared a place for us in the Father’s house; He is the open door for all. This is why we keep our annual celebration of His Nativity: the world’s Savior arrived to redeem us from death to life.
Not everyone who celebrates ‘christmas’ takes to heart this good news; but you do, and God does have a desire that -in the Christmas story- that others will hear of their Savior.
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History records that Thomas did participate fully in following Jesus, as he was once willing to do to Bethany. According to tradition, Thomas went on a missionary journey to preach the Gospel in India, and there are a number of churches that trace their origin back to the first believers who heard & believed in the Lord Jesus by the preaching of Thomas.
Tradition also states that Thomas was speared to death for what he preached.
And that’s what’s called ‘ironic,’ since it was Thomas who said he wouldn’t believe in a Living Savior until he had touched the spear mark in Jesus’ side. Even as Jesus was pierced, so it was for one His twins. And all who follow the Christ into death have the promise of being resurrected to eternal life.
Like Thomas, you have been marked as Christ’s twin by water & the Spirit. Not that you were born on that first Christmas night, or laid next to Him in the manger = not that kind of twin. But in faith & Baptism, you were reborn with Him into new life as a child of the Father, like Him. And as Jesus has claimed you as his brother or sister in His family, so now follow Him & imitate Him; with the Gospel of forgiveness & hope as your new daily life.
Your loyalty to Christ will benefit those around you.
Amen