Thursday 9th September 2010
John 11:16 Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Thomas sometimes gets a bad rap. Mention his name and people immediately think of the scene in the upper room where he resolutely states his disbelief concerning the resurrection of Jesus. Yet, at an earlier time, Thomas showed a different side of his character. Jesus was preparing to return to the region near Jerusalem to raise Lazarus and there was a significant threat that He would, once more, be subject to violence. Thomas fearlessly addresses the disciples and exhorts them to deal with their fears and go with Jesus – even if it means death.
So what happened to Thomas between this event and the Upper Room? Simple, he became totally overwhelmed by the circumstances. Even the strongest can falter when things go wrong, or things don’t turn out the way you planned. Thomas was devastated by the events in the Garden, and by Jesus’ subsequent torture and death. I am sure that he was numbed by it all. Thomas became numb and then he became angry. Angry that he had failed to defend Jesus, angry at his own weakness, angry that the future now lay in ruins, angry that hope was gone.
It’s easy to become angry and despondent when things don’t go well. The shock of failure can anesthetize us and leave us vulnerable to negativity. As we continue to meditate on what went wrong, we quickly become overwhelmed, like a boat taking on water, it’s not long until we capsize and lose our perspective altogether. Struggling to keep our head above water, we enter into the realm of considering our failure and “what could have been”. Angry at ourselves and maybe others we end up consumed with failure and can see no way out.
Thomas felt alone, he couldn’t see beyond the circumstances of the last few days, the numbness remained and hope was gone. In the days following, when the disciples told him of the appearance of Jesus to them in a locked room it was too much for poor Thomas to take. He erupted in an angry outburst. “I don’t believe it; I don’t believe a word of it. Jesus is dead.” The disciples pleaded with him. “Thomas, we all saw Him, and he was as real as you are!” Thomas is cold, and with a low, emotionally charged growl responds. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
A week later Thomas is eating with his fellow disciples in the same locked room. Suddenly, Jesus stands among them once again and speaks – “Shalom, peace be with you.” The blood drains from Thomas’ face. Jesus turns to him and speaks plainly, without any hint of rancor or sarcasm, “Look at my hands Thomas, place your finger right here.” Jesus holds out his scarred hands for him to examine. Thomas recoils. Not out of fear, but out of shock. Jesus begins to open his outer garment and says, “Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Hot tears begin to flow down Thomas’ face and his breath catches in his chest. Jesus reaches out and puts His hand on his arm. Thomas falls to his knees and sobs, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus replies, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
In one moment of revelation, Jesus opened Thomas’ eyes to see beyond the circumstances, to see beyond the failure. He lifts him out of the raging sea of despondency and plants him firmly on resurrection ground. Hope is restored and peace comes flooding in.
What all of us need, particularly if we have experienced failure or loss, is a fresh revelation of Jesus. We need to see Him as Thomas saw Him, as John later saw Him, as the one who is the supreme overcomer, as the Lord of Life who has risen from the dead, as the one who holds the keys to the future. We need Him to deliver us from the pain of the past, and grant us a Divinely inspired vision of what is to come.
What happens to Thomas after the resurrection? Church tradition tells us that he left Jerusalem and preached the Gospel in ancient Babylon, near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the area covered by modern day Iraq, and later continued on to Persia (modern day Iran).
Thomas then left Persia and sailed south to Malabar on the west coast of India in 52 AD. He preaches, establishes churches, and wins to Christ numerous people, including a number of prominent Hindu leaders and teachers. (1500 hundred years later, when the Portuguese landed in India they found a group of Christians there – the Mar Thoma Church established through Thomas’ preaching).
Finally, Thomas traveled across India to the east coast. He was finally martyred near Mylapore around 72 AD, (near the modern day city of Madras). Tradition tells us that he is thrown into a pit, then pierced through with a spear thrown by a Hindu leader.
All in all, doubting Thomas accomplished quite a bit!
Thomas speaks to doubters today, to those of us who have seen our hopes and dreams destroyed. Doubting Thomas would tell us of his fears and his doubts. And then, with a radiant, joyful face, St. Thomas, Apostle to India, would recount the time when Jesus delivered Him from the depths of despair and set him ablaze to preach the Good News of the Gospel to the Nations. He would say to us, forget the circumstances, and leave behind the questions. Focus your eyes upon Jesus. He is the resurrection and the Life; He will deliver you from your fears and give you a future and a hope. Look to Him – you will not be disappointed.
