Gospel Reading: John 20:19–31
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then 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.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told 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 in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are living in a remarkable time — some might even call it a strange time. The entire world is in turmoil.
Amid all this, the entire world practically came to a standstill yesterday for the funeral of Pope Francis. The leader of the world’s largest church and, in many ways, the most significant — or at least the most visible — figure of the Christian faith concluded his life’s work in a visible way. As members of other Christian churches, we can be grateful for his faithfulness in proclaiming the boundless love of the Triune God for all people.
As Pope Francis often emphasized: every human being is equal. That is why he made special efforts to highlight the situation of the poor, the marginalized, those living on the fringes of society, and immigrants. “Build bridges between people, not walls,” he urged.
I have always been touched by a habit Pope Francis began already during his time in Argentina: personally, calling people on the phone. The Pope receives a great deal of mail. A few years ago, one of the letter writers was a teenage boy from Milan. The Pope did not reveal what the boy had written in his letter, but he did share that he had called him. “Hello Giacomo, this is Pope Francis. How are you?”
Today’s Gospel reading again tells of a surprising encounter that one of Jesus’ disciples found hard to believe. Was it truly possible that the Jesus who had been crucified and died had risen from the dead? He wanted visible proof — and he received it. As further confirmation, the Gospel recounts that the disciples encountered the risen Jesus in other situations as well, where he performed miracles.
According to the Christian faith, this was not a metaphor added to religious thinking but a real encounter with the risen Christ. In the same way, we must say that Christian faith rests firmly on belief in the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection, not merely on emotional experience. With God, all things are possible — something that, in our human frailty, we can never fully understand or even accept.
And precisely for this reason, Christian faith is founded on belief in the Resurrection. Without it, there would be no Church. Without the Resurrection, everything would have ended in defeat and the grave. But God’s plan was different. Humanity has experienced — and continues to experience — divine intervention.
It was evening. The first day of the week. The day the disciples had heard rumours — wild, impossible rumours — that Jesus was alive. But the disciples were not celebrating. They were hiding.
The doors were locked. Not just closed — locked. They were afraid. Their leader had been crucified, and they feared they might be next. We may recognize something about locked rooms — places you retreat to when you are overwhelmed, afraid, ashamed, or uncertain.
This passage begins in a locked room. But it does not end there.
“Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’”
Jesus does not knock. He does not wait for the fear to pass. He does not rebuke them for hiding. He enters the room — through the barriers of fear, grief, and disbelief. And the first word he speaks is peace.
Jesus brings peace before the disciples even understand what is happening. He meets them in their confusion, in their hiding. Would we call that grace? The peace of Christ does not wait for the door to be opened. It comes through the walls we build.
“He showed them his hands and his side.”
The risen Christ still bears the marks of crucifixion. He does not hide the wounds — he reveals them. He leads with them. Because his wounds are not signs of defeat — they are signs of love, of victory, of identification with our pain.
According to our Christian faith, Christ knows human pain, anguish, and suffering. He himself has gone through it. It is no small thing that God became human and was like us — yet without sin. Jesus is our brother, and with him, we are all equally valuable and equal. Everyone is welcome to him. Jesus does not divide people based on their backgrounds or inclinations. We are the ones who do that.
Sometimes we think resurrection means pretending the pain never happened. But Jesus shows us that resurrection includes the wounds. He is risen — but scarred.
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you… Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus does not just comfort the disciples — he commissions them. Resurrection is not only for celebration; it is for mission. The Spirit he breathes is the same Spirit that empowered his own ministry. And it is given not to the perfect or the fearless — but to the fearful, the flawed, the hiding ones.
For us, the message is clear:
You may feel inadequate. But God sends the broken to heal the broken. The wounded to preach resurrection. The doubtful to proclaim faith.
What can we say about Thomas, the disciple who doubted? We may call him “Doubting Thomas,” but that label is unfair. He was simply honest. He wanted what the others had received — an encounter. Not second-hand faith, but first-hand experience. And Jesus does not shame him. He meets him.
Jesus says, “Put your finger here.” He invites Thomas into belief through the very thing Thomas thought would disqualify him — his doubt. And what does Thomas say? “My Lord and my God.” One of the most powerful confessions in all of Scripture. Sometimes, the deepest faith comes through the deepest questions.
Jesus gives an assurance: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” That is us.
We have not seen with our eyes the risen Lord. But we have heard the stories. We have felt his Spirit. We have seen his grace in the lives around us. And Jesus says: you are blessed.
So where does that leave us?
· The doors were locked. But Jesus came in anyway.
· The disciples were afraid. But Jesus brought peace.
· Thomas was doubtful. But Jesus met him with compassion.
You might be in a locked room today — physically, emotionally, spiritually.
But the Risen Christ still enters those places.
– Still says, “Peace be with you.”
– Still shows his scars.
– Still breathes the Spirit.
– Still calls you to life.
So do not be afraid. Do not be ashamed of your doubt. Christ is risen. And he is not waiting on the other side of the door. He is already in the room.
Peace be with you.
Amen.