Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anger
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Introduction
We all need hope—a hope that brings assurance, confidence, encouragement, trust.
Without hope, life gets stuck.
Doubt, fear, and disappointment—emotions that often rule our lives—and rob us from experiencing hope.
Thomas followed Jesus for about three years—he experienced Jesus’ teaching, miracles, and healing power.
However, when Thomas saw Jesus arrested and executed, the hope that once sustained him vanished.
Misplaced hope will lead to disappointment and discouragement, which will lead to a crisis of faith.
Even when his friends told him that they has seen the risen Lord, he refused to believe.
Thomas’ refusal to believe is expressed using the double negative (ou mē), showing he was adamant about this matter.
A crisis of faith is not the end of the story.
Quite some time elapsed before Thomas’ doubt were dealt with.
Since the door was locked, it appears that this Gospel indicates that all the disciples were afraid.
It is in this setting that Jesus miraculously appears and declares to his fearful disciples: “Peace be with you.”
Jesus brings peace to our crisis of faith.
This peace is loaded with meaning—peace with God and peace with fellow believers.
It is the peace you have because of your sins are forgiven.
It is the peace you have because God has invited you to be part of His family.
It is the peace you have because you are no longer alone.
It is the peace you have because you belong to His church (His Body).
Jesus knows what we need to move from doubt to hope.
It is not good to demand proofs from the Lord before one will believe, but the one ‘who knew what was in a person’ met Thomas where he was, inviting him to touch the nail prints in his hands and the spear wound in his side.
Jesus does not reward faithlessness, but with His grace, leads you to faith.
“Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
For Thomas, the effect of Jesus’ words was immediate:
Thomas’ confession is the climactic confession of this Gospel.
He confessed Jesus not only as his Lord, but his God.
This is a strong declaration of the divinity of Jesus Christ.
And, it brings full circle to what John wrote at the very beginning of this Gospel:
Believing in Christ invites blessing and restoration of hope.
Thomas came to believe because he saw the risen Lord, but Jesus did not praise Thomas’ pathway to faith; rather, he pronounced a blessing upon those who have not seen the risen Jesus yet have believed in him nevertheless.
These are those who hear or read the witness to Jesus borne by the disciples and confirmed by the Spirit.
The purpose of the Gospel (which is a blessing from God)
Conclusion
Hope is received and sustained by faith, a faith the responds to the Gospel.
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