My Name is Thomas; John 20:24-29

Mom had a cute little nickname for all of us when we were growing up, including Dad (maybe especially Dad). She liked to call us “hard-headed Hammonds.” Apparently, the ability to stick to your convictions despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary was not a quality Mom valued as much as the rest of us. But, of course, she was likely the one who had to clean up the messes that resulted from our hard-headedness, so she had her reasons.

Maybe my reputation as a hard-headed Hammond is what impresses me so much about Thomas in the Easter story. Jesus is resurrected, but Thomas isn’t there to see him. Then, for a solid week, he hears Mary tell him about seeing Jesus in the garden. How many times did Peter and John tell him about the empty tomb (with John mentioning how he won the foot race)? Finally, Cleopas and his friend run back from Emmaus and tell him about encountering Jesus on the road. But still, hard-headed Thomas stands by his convictions for eight days. “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).

That’s some Shorty Hammond-level hard-headedness right there!

But despite doubts and hard-headedness, Jesus shows up alive and shows himself to Thomas. I take comfort in knowing that the truth of the resurrection is greater than my doubts. And in Jesus’ correction to “doubting Thomas,” I hear a blessing for you and me; for all of us hard-headed ones.

In this message, we hear from Thomas himself.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!