The individual faith journey of the writers, the original hearers, and finally us as we travel
this life as Christians trying to make application of these stories clearly shape the way we interpret the actions
and teaching of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels. This week, we see Thomas and realize that doubt, fear, and skepticism
were part of that original experience and the point of their inclusion in the Gospel may be just to say they are
a part of being human.
Throughout John's gospel many of the individuals we have encountered during the Lenten lections can be seen as
representing "types" of people or whole groups - for example, the woman at the well, the blind man given
sight, even Lazarus all represent much more than just one everyday person who met Jesus. The same can be said of
Thomas, who is not just one of the 11 disciples, but represents something far more.
The fact that Thomas was absent for the initial appearance of the risen Jesus, a story included only in John's
account, makes him just like everyone else who came in on the "story" after the first witnesses. He is
not one of the inside group who shared this first experience, and one cannot help but feel a little sad for him
because of that. Many attempts have been made to explain his absence as perhaps feeling no longer a part of that
fellowship. Perhaps as one who because of his own disappointment with the way things had turned out was now striking
out on his own and attempting to see "faith" as a solitary experience. If such a position is held then
the conclusion is drawn that divine revelation comes for the good of the whole and not the individual; that much
is
missed when we pull away from the congregation. Thomas' absence from the group clearly did have an effect on his
faith. After all, it's not as if a bunch of Christians get together and make the church; it's the other way around.
The Church makes us Christians.
The real revelation, whether one believes that or not, is that Jesus is not content to leave him out. Jesus will
come again for all of his sheep, because each one is uniquely important to him. And that's what is really important!
Judaisim, as you know if you have already read your current Outlook, had not only excluded those who supported
the "cult" of Jesus of Nazareth, but were actively persecuting them. Think of what you know of Paul when
he first began. He was actively persecuting this new "church" and was on his was to Damascus to round
up the believers there when Jesus came for him.
To be fair, Thomas has gotten a very bad rap over the years as a "non-believer" or "doubter."
He was not disbelieving the stories he was hearing about Jesus coming back from the dead, so much as he himself
had not experienced it, and therefore it was not "real" to him.
A special education teacher was reviewing the IEPs (individual education programs) of her students. On one form,
she muttered over and over again, "that is not a goal." Her husband took a peek at what was drawing her
concern. There were goals along the lines of "not talking in class out of turn," "not touching other
students," etc. When he asked what was wrong with those goals, she replied, "The Dead Man Rule."
His puzzled look led her to continue -- "You should never have as a goal something a dead man could do. A
dead man never talks in class out of turn. A dead man never touches other students." It doesn't require any
skill to do those things. It doesn't require anything that someone without basic capabilities could not do.
Everyone has standards by which they measure the value of an experience. The bottom line however is that the experience
must have personal value to be valued.
To his credit, I think Thomas deserves our admiration for standing up and actually saying what bothered him. I
think it took courage. It also gave Jesus the opportunity to relate to him in a way that reached him as an individual.
This was a personal encounter for Thomas that he might not have had had he been shy about voicing his true frustrations
and concerns. Thomas knew that Jesus had died on the cross, and wishful thinking wasn't going to change that reality,
or minimize the real sacrifice that Jesus had made. So talk of Jesus being alive needed proof of more than just
"warm fuzzy feelings that others were experiencing." If Thomas was to have a living faith in a living
Lord, that Lord had to be alive to him personally as well.
There are many things in life which must be done without prior knowledge or proof. They involve great risk and
offer great rewards… the most significant things in life are invisible and require no proof, no argument, no defense.
The ability to give one's heart, the belief in another's inherent goodness, the commitment to ideals that are contrary
to those held by one's peers or even the rest of society.
Somewhere along the way, a lot of people learn to fear asking questions or expressing doubt. We get the idea that
we should just accept what we're taught, but asking questions, pondering, and yes, even doubting, help us to learn,
understand, and even come to terms with our reality.
Bible study should always inspire people to ask questions. It causes the text to come alive as we look at things
from different directions or stop to look up a saying or a word. Discussions become lively - even though there
are often not easy answers and they sometimes produce many more mysteries. It causes us to travel through the Bible
much more slowly than we used to, but it is a faith- deepening journey.
Traditions says that Thomas went on to India. In Foxe's Book of Martyrs it records that Thomas, "Called Didymus,
preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was martyred by being
thrust through with a spear." The traditional site of his tomb is near Madras in India. While some of these
traditions may themselves be open to question, isn't it interesting that the "so-called doubter" ended
up going to the land of Hindus, a very difficult mission field even in our day.
Much emphasis has also been placed on the reality of the scars still present on the risen Jesus. Perhaps that is
because scars are places of truth and transformation. They tell a story about where we've been and what we have
survived.
William Blake in his poem entitled "Pentecost" writes:
"Unless the eye catch fire, God will not bee seen.
Unless the ear catch fire, God will not be heard.
Unless the tongue catch fire, God will not be named.
Unless the heart catch fire, God will not be loved.
Unless the mind catch fire, God will not be known."
Fire leaves undeniable scars.
Sometimes the circumstances of our lives have rendered us particularly inclined to hesitate along our way, and
that kind of caution can make us miss opportunities of a lifetime which must be seized to be appreciated. Asking
questions, and having a degree of skepticism is not an impediment however. It can actually be a gift of God. Even
when we have determined that this particular item has not basis of physical proof, and if grasped must be grasped
by faith alone…it can be enough, and all the more powerful because of it.
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