So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
But Thomas said to them,
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Saint John's Gospel begins with an amusing story of Jesus at the Wedding Feast of Cana. When his mother told him, "They have no wine." the Lord miraculously transformed thirty gallons of water into excellent wine. The headwaiter was astonished and blamed the bridegroom for serving the cheap wine first. "You numskull!" he might have said to a young fellow who had no idea what he was talking about. However, the servants knew and pretty soon everyone was laughing about the joke.
The Fourth Gospel ends with a similar prank, and this time Saint Thomas is the goat. We can imagine the rest saying, "I told you so!" to the red-faced disciple.
Jesus's final word echoes a theme of all the gospels, "Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed." Salvation is freely given to those who believe in Jesus; that is, to those whose every thought, word, and deed are oriented by the "true pole" which is God's word.
Thomas suffered a rebuke for not believing the disciples but, I would argue, he was not compromised by his doubt. The opposite of faith is not doubt; the opposite of faith is betrayal. Or, to put it differently, the opposite of fidelity is infidelity.
As the story is told, "Thomas was not with them when Jesus came." The author doesn't condemn him for his absence. His doubt was problematic for him and those who might have been influenced by him. But he was with them when Jesus reappeared. He had not left the group; he did not betray the Lord.
When Zechariah was told that his wife Elizabeth would have a son he wondered how that happen. He was given a sign, which certainly sounds like a punishment but it was a convincing sign nonetheless. He was mute until the boy was born. Mary also questioned Gabriel, "How could this be, since I do not know man?" She was given the sign of Elizabeth's pregnancy, which was in its sixth month.
Both may have had momentary doubts which were erased by immediate, undeniable signs, but neither Zechariah nor Mary was unfaithful. They had questions.
There's not a soul alive who has not wondered, "How could this be?" upon hearing the Word of God. We walk by faith and not by sight, and we often suffer fear and doubt as we come to believe. But doubt is not a sin unless one's stubborn refusal to believe becomes betrayal. Some people have questions but they do no seek answers. Some people prefer their questions to answers; they see them as treasures. They're like maps of a treasure island in some remote part of the earth. But the treasure remains hidden because they do not search.
Thomas was with the disciples when the Lord reappeared. Had he abandoned the fellowship of the disciples after the Crucifixion; that would be betrayal. Had he continued to refuse to return to the Church his sin would have been that of Judas.
Saint Thomas was embarrassed by his premature response to the Gospel. But he suffered the discomfort and returned. He would take the Gospel to India and there die a martyr's death. He neither betrayed the Lord nor abandoned his faith. His doubt only opened his heart and mind to deeper faith and more intense love of God.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.