The Da Vinci Code, The Judas Gospels, whatever you may think is the current conspiracy theory or best-selling novel, they are not it. I cannot tell you where the Holy Grail is, nor how friendly Judas Iscariot was with Mary Magdalene, but I have discovered the new and latest answer to the oldest of riddles.

At one glance, we can know the truth. The ancient seal of the Knights Templar shows two knights riding one horse. Everybody has missed the crucial clue. Why does this image of one soldier rescuing another on his charger seem so familiar?

[Then I remembered the words of the song:] “Did you think I would leave you dying when there’s room on my horse for two?” That multi-talented artist, that 20th century Renaissance man, that reincarnation of Leonardo da Vinci, right down to the beard.

Well, to borrow one of his catchphrases: “Can you tell what it is yet?” Yes, we have the Rolf Harris Code – a worthy successor to the Da Vinci Code. And our man has friends in high places: think of the portrait of her Majesty, the Queen.

And let us ask the question: why did he undertake a giant recreation of the Mona Lisa in Edinburgh last year, and that recreation is but a few miles from the Rosslyn Chapel, the setting for the denouement of the Da Vinci Code?

And let us ask another question: why does this man regularly go to the Glastonbury Festival unless to return year after year to the one place thought to have been the final resting place of the Holy Grail? And is it a coincidence that ‘O did God rise’ is an anagram of ‘didgeridoos’?

And what about Jake the Peg (with the extra leg)? Could this be one secret reference to Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, who hobbled to his execution using a stick after torturers maimed his feet? Is Rolf Harris the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion?

I have uncovered the Rolf Harris code, backed up with evidence gleaned in the time-honoured conspiracy theorist’s tradition of typing various words into Google and seeing what come up. And now I want answers, preferably written out with a giant marker pen. (Thanks to Tom Leonard of Daily Telegraph – 18th April, 2006 for above ideas)

Oh, come off it. You must be joking. I think those sentiments might sum up Thomas’ feelings towards his friends, Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John; Philip, Bartholomew; Matthew; James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus; and Simon the Zealot. Sure you have, come on stop fooling around.

Don’t you think that Thomas felt he must have been the victim of the first conspiracy theory about Jesus’ death and resurrection? Because it was unbelievable. If you had seen your friend die and seen or been told he was buried, you would not expect to see him again living, breathing, talking just a couple of days later.

Of course Thomas said, “I will not believe.” (v.25). In fact, he made his belief subject to the strongest of demands for factual truth: he wanted to see, touch and experience for himself this living, breathing, talking Jesus. And as everyone knows, these are the things that dead people cannot do. Frankly, Thomas is normal, his reaction is normal and his demands are normal.

Let’s have step back for a moment and remind ourselves where we are in the story. The Apostle John, who wrote this Gospel, records in Chapter 20 three resurrection appearances by Jesus: firstly to Mary Magdalene (20:16) on that first Easter morning, secondly to ten of the disciples (20:19) on that first Easter evening and thirdly to Thomas (20:27) a week later.

Just as a brief digression but to fill in the picture, Luke in his Gospel also records the experience of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus which occurred on that first Easter afternoon (Luke 24:13-35).

We don’t know why Thomas was missing that first Easter evening. Perhaps the overwhelming sense of failure that the death of Jesus on a cross brought to him was such that he needed time and space on his own, away from his friends, just to get to terms with it all. But his missing from the action meant that he was even more out of the picture, and that for a whole week!

And then, a week later, all eleven disciples are gathered and Jesus appears once more among them and says, “Shalom” – peace, in all its richest dimensions is theirs beyond the experience of any others before them.

Then Jesus turns to Thomas and tells him to fulfil his requirements. Isn’t it amazing that this Jesus is truly raised from the dead – the week before is not a one off – and that he presents himself specifically to Thomas, as if he had all along heard and known Thomas’ doubts and demands.

Well, whether Thomas acted on Jesus’ offer or not, we don’t know. I would hazard not for it would seem such a crass action when you’re confronted with the living, breathing, talking Jesus. In fact all he can do is worship, “My Lord and my God” (v.28) – such a personal confession of faith “My Lord and my God”.

The disciples saw and believed. That happened that first Easter day – they saw and believed (John 20:8 [John], 20:18 [Mary Magdalene], 20:20 [10 disciples]) and now Thomas sees and believes (cp. 20:29a).

The disciples did doubt the resurrection. They didn’t believe it easily. It needed sure proof for them. They were not gullible individuals, easily taken in. I’m reminded of that famous exchange in a court of law between a leading counsel and a doctor:-

B: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?

D: No.

B: Did you check for blood pressure?

D: No.

B: Did you check for breathing?

D: No.

B: So then, is it possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?

D: No.

B: How can you be so sure, Doctor?

D: Because his brain was sitting in a jar on my desk.

B: But could the patient still have been alive nevertheless?

D: Well, I suppose it is possible he was alive and practising law somewhere.

When you see it for yourself and experience it yourself you know it is true, whatever anyone else tries to claim. Thomas was exhibiting what most of us do at some stage in our Christian journey – often early on but can be repeated: a battle between belief and unbelief – a repeating of that cry of the father, whose daughter is dying, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

That’s why John rounds off this section of the resurrection stories with the promise of Jesus – v.29b. Thomas may have seen to believe, but greater blessing is on those who believe and have not seen him personally. What I find, and I suspect your own experience bears this out, is that when people step out in faith to believe, without yet seeing or experiencing Jesus, Jesus meets them then and there powerfully and beautifully.

In that faith, we are blessed and that word blessed means more than just being happy, but it’s also about being accepted by God and that loving acceptance is what so fills our hearts and minds as we believe and so heals our hurts and wrongs as well.

And John points out the relevance of the facts as the basis for that step of faith. He records these truths not for their intrinsic merit or scholarly interest, but that you might believe and have life in Jesus’ name (v.31).

And what prevented Thomas’ belief was not being there on the first occasion. He had isolated himself from the group and lost out because of that. Cutting ourselves off from our fellow believers is not helpful. As the Victorian Bishop, J C Ryle, put it:

“… Christians … lose out by not regularly attending gatherings of God’s people … The very sermon that we needlessly miss may contain the message our souls need. The very assembly for praise and prayer from which we stayed away may be the very gathering that would have cheered, established and uplifted our hearts.”

There’s no conspiracy here. Thomas doubted until he had first-hand experience as a personal eye-witness of the resurrection. From that he was given an invitation to believe.

We too stand today with an invitation to believe. We have the eye-witness testimony written out for us, hotly debated, dissected over 2000 years, but still standing as truth worth believing. It has withstood every attack made upon it, because the truth is seen and known in the experience of millions of Christians over 2000 years and right upto today.

Just as a court of law cannot see the actual event under judgement, so we cannot re-create or replicate the original resurrection. But we have the testimony of those who were witnesses to that resurrection and the testimony of those who in their hearts and minds are witnesses today of the risen Lord in their life.

Demands for proof are answered in the Bible and in our lives. Doubts are removed when we take the step of faith and proclaim to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” We can dance around such testimony, almost playing with it. We can ignore its claims, but it still stands there asking faith from us.

Will you take that step of faith, not knowing everything about Jesus and the Christian faith, but (just as we trust electricity without fully knowing how it works) acknowledge Jesus as your Lord and God?

Then you will blessed by him, you will experience his resurrection life in your heart and mind, just as those first disciples did, as Christians down the centuries have, as ordinary men and women do today. Take the step of faith, just as Indiana Jones had to in this film clip – seeking the Holy Grail, he comes to an impassable chasm. How does he get over?

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – DVD clip 1:42:43 to 1:44:27

It’s not “seeing is believing”, but “believing is seeing”. That is the step of faith.

Hear then the words of Jesus today, “Stop your doubting and believe.”

Prayer of commitment