Jesus Challenges Thomas And Us On His Resurrection
By Fr. Dexter Brereton
The challenge given to Thomas on the Resurrection of Jesus is our challenge too . . . .
[simpleazon-image align=”left” asin=”1612788351″ locale=”us” height=”375″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yLQoRsqsL.jpg” width=”316″]In the canonical gospels, the news of the resurrection is carried by different kinds of material, or different kinds of ‘traditions. Among these are the stories of the empty tomb, also there are the stories of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. A striking feature of the second kind of material, the post-resurrection appearances, is that Jesus is not immediately recognized, not until the disciples make a journey of faith. In this Sunday’s Gospel story, Thomas, not unreasonably finds the news of the resurrection of Jesus a bit too much to take. He prefers the more reliable evidence of his own eyes and hands. The risen Jesus however, challenges him to move beyond trusting his own sight, his own vision and instinct and to trust him, to trust the risen Lord in a much deeper way, a way that does not depend upon physical sight.
“Unless I can see…I refuse to believe”. These words spoken here in this Gospel reading by Thomas, have been spoken by all of us at some time or the other, especially when we become impatient in the midst of suffering and difficulty. We come to think that somehow we are in a position to bargain with God.
Many years ago, while I was trying to make up my mind on whether I should enter the seminary, at one stage I became so exasperated with my own lack of clarity, my see-sawing emotions, that I gave God an ultimatum…either I hear some guiding word from you soon, or I give up the whole idea and I will no longer speak with you. Really it was not much different from what Thomas said to the disciples which is really a challenge to the Lord himself: Unless I can see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.” Needless to say, my prayer – or rather my demand was not answered and I found that I could not sustain the position of not speaking to God, not praying.
In the Gospel story, Jesus, instead of scolding Thomas for his skepticism, issues a challenge to Thomas’ faith. Thomas was challenged to grow in the quality of his faith as the Lord said to him:
“You believe because you can see me, happy are those who have not seen, yet believe.” A very similar thing happened to me as I was working out my vocation. There too, I was like Thomas depending on a different kind of ‘seeing.’ For me ‘seeing’ meant immediate results, with relatively little waiting or doubting. But Jesus was challenging me to a deeper kind of “seeing”, a seeing marked by a deep sense of trust. In its original context the expression You believe because you can see me, happy are those who have not seen, yet believe was a teaching by the writer of John’s gospel that the faith of later Christians without physical sight of Jesus was at the end of the day, no different from that of the first Christians who knew him and talked with him. In both cases, “seeing,” true sight, is not through touch but through placing one’s trust in the risen Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Lord, many times I say to you “Unless I see the holes that the nails made in your hands and can put my finger into your side I refuse to believe.” In the midst of trial, I grow impatient and I demand immediate results, quick fixes. Help me to truly ‘see’, the kind of seeing that comes through trust in you. Amen.
