To The Doubting Thomases

John 20:25-29 (NRSV): The Doubter Within

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Skepticism and inquiry are human attributes associated with our intellect. When presented with something new, we are compelled to Google it. It is the way of our information-driven world. Faith and trust, however, do not come easily when Google is in the palm of our hands. Gone are the days when a person informs us of an idea and, through trust and faith, we take it as truth. We live in a culture of argumentative overload.

Enter St. Thomas. On the day that Jesus enters the upper room and reveals himself to apostles, Thomas is not there. Keep in mind, this is a time of fear and chaos. Jesus was handed over by the religious leaders and brutally executed by the Romans. The apostles, then, are scared for their lives, huddled together behind locked doors not knowing their next move. Why was Thomas absent? Scripture does not contain an answer. Thomas returns, however, and doubts his closest friends’ testimony about the risen Lord: Thomas states, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Thomas requires evidence, for he must experience the risen Jesus through his senses. And he does.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” And the lesson is simple: Faith is a blessing. It is a grace that God gives us even in our darkest moments of doubt. There comes a time in all of our lives when we doubt what we have been taught about God. Even the most dedicated servants of Christ experience this “dark night of the soul,” as John of the Cross puts it. Mother Teresa (now a canonized saint), for instance, went fifty years without feeling God’s presence in her life. Doubt is nothing of which to be ashamed, however. It is how we deal with our doubt that matters. Thomas, in touching the wounded hands and side of the risen Christ cries out, “My Lord and my God!” His reaction is one of affirmation. Do we live with our minds, hearts, and senses open to Christ’s presence? And what will our reaction be?

Loving God, please open our eyes in faith so that we can see and affirm your presence all around us. Heal our weaknesses and strengthen us in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Stan