Dear Christian friends:

Many years ago a railroad decided to stop service on a spur line into a small town. The law required that a public hearing be held before the railroad could stop service. During the hearing a farmer stood up and said that he was against the railroad's stopping service. The representative of the railroad asked the farmer how often he shipped his crops on the railroad. The farmer said that he could not remember ever shipping anything on the railroad. Then the railroad representative asked the farmer how often he rode on the train. The farmer said that he could remember only one time about, ten or fifteen years ago. Finally, the railroad lawyer asked him why he wanted the service to continue on the spur line. The farmer replied, "Well, gee wiz, I walk down from my house to the tracks almost every evening to watch the train go by."

Some people we know are a lot like that farmer. They seldom use the services of our church here. Perhaps they come to church on Easter Sunday and on the Sunday before Christmas. But they don't want to be involved with our church. They give little or nothing to support our church. But they don't want to see our church closed, stop services. They would complain a lot if we decided to close our church and stop the services here. We call these people fence-sitters, fence-sitter Christians.


In our text for today we have heard again about Thomas, one of Jesus' twelve disciples. We can call Thomas a fence-sitter disciple. It seems that Thomas often did not come to the meetings of the 12 disciples. He was absent when Jesus appeared to His disciples on Easter evening and showed them that He had really risen from death. We don't know why Thomas was absent, but he missed a most important church meeting. When the other disciples told Thomas that they had seen and talked with the risen and living Lord, he refused to believe them.

People often call Thomas DOUBTING THOMAS. We look down on Thomas as a person who failed Jesus. We also often look down on fence-sitter Christians today. We think they are not as good as we are. We leave them and forget about them. We think that they are not worth our time and a visit. We think they are not true Christians.

We easily think these things of the fence-sitter Christians. We compare ourselves with them and it makes us feel so good and strong Christians, so much better than the fence-sitters. And while we are praising ourselves about how good we are, what is Jesus thinking? Does Jesus agree with our thinking?

In our text we read that eight days later Jesus' disciples again were gathered in the house, and now Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!" Then Jesus said to Thomas, "Your finger touch My hand and see, and touch My side. Don't doubt, but believe!" (verses 26-27)

Jesus did not give up on Thomas. Jesus did not leave Thomas sitting on the fence. Jesus came to him and preached to him. And now Thomas got off the fence and became involved with Jesus and His disciples. And Thomas responded to Jesus' love and attention. He said to Jesus, "My Lord and my God!" Thomas gave a clear, strong confession of his faith. Later he was the first missionary to India.

Today we have many church members the same as Thomas, sitting on the fence. We should love these weak members and feel responsible for them, the same as Jesus did with Thomas. We must not leave them and forget them. We must visit them and remind them the same as Jesus did with Thomas.

We must tell them that Jesus has risen and our sins are really forgiven! We must remind them about the resurrection and the life everlasting in glory. We must tell them that death is not the end, but the real beginning for those who believe in Jesus.

A certain church was planning to do that. The pastor and the evangelism committee had made a list of fence-sitters in their town. The committee asked for volunteers to go out one Sunday afternoon and visit the fence-sitters. One volunteer was a gentleman named Fred. Fred was a good Christian, but he had one problem. He stuttered. Now the time came for the visiting and the volunteer visitors drew names from a bowl to see who they would visit that afternoon. Fred and his wife drew a certain judge's name. The judge was a rich, respected man, but he did not come to church anymore. The pastor felt a little worried to send Fred to visit the judge since Fred stuttered. When Fred and his wife returned from visiting the judge, they reported that their visit did not seem to be successful.

But the next Sunday the judge and his family came to church. The pastor was astonished. After church the pastor was talking with the judge and the judge told the pastor about Fred's visit. The judge said that Fred asked him if he was worried about his soul, about going to heaven or not. The judge told Fred that he had not thought much about his soul. Then Fred said to the judge. "T-T-T-T-Then, s-s-s-s-sir, you are g-g-g-g-going to Hell!" The judge said to the pastor, "Fred is the first person from the church who showed personal interest in me and my family! That's why we are here today."

The fence-sitter Christians need our love and attention. They do not need our hate and neglect and stuck-up noses. We need to pray for them and visit them, same as Fred visited the judge, same as Jesus visited Thomas.

On this Sunday after Easter we are gathered here to celebrate the Good News of our Savior. The Good News that Jesus has risen from death. The Good News that He comes to us and stands here among us and says to us, as He said to the disciples and Thomas, "Peace to you!"

Without Jesus' love and attention to us, we would all be fence-sitters and left-out of Jesus' kingdom. As Jesus did not forget Thomas, same He does not forget us. He comes to us again and again through His Word which our pastor and others speak to us. Although we have not seen Jesus we believe in Him and love Him. Let us daily praise Jesus for His fantastic love to us. And let us show our praise by loving and visiting other fence-sitters.

Amen.