Thomas, seeing is believing ?

The sincere melancholic. Thomas is recorded in the first three gospels as being chosen by Jesus to be one of the disciples. It is however John’s one that gives us also four incidents about Thomas illustrating his character and so what we might learn from his behaviour. Maybe that was because John, the academic, had sympathy for Thomas, the despondent pessimist. The first record is just before the crucifixion when Jesus and the group had left Jerusalem and went and hid in the countryside when they realised that the then church leaders were so jealous that they determined to do away with Jesus. The group was safe for the moment, but then Jesus tells them that he is going back. Thomas resignedly says “Let us also go that we may die with him”. Is this bravery or suicidal? This is just after Lazarus had died and dramatically come alive out of a sealed tomb. So Thomas must have been feeling confused. The fact that Lazarus is brought to life again and they all say they had seen him does not seem to cheer Thomas as it did the others.

Muddled Not long after this the group did set out to go back to Jerusalem for the Passover feast where rumours that Jesus was on his way caused quite a crowd of people to gather to welcome him. The crowd were excited about Lazarus and really thought Jesus must be the promised one. They sang praises. But the church leaders were resentful saying “This is getting us nowhere, look how the whole world has gone after him”. That too must have made Thomas even more confused. Were the church leaders wrong? Then comes the last supper and Jesus talks about going away to prepare a place for them. Dear Thomas blurts out “Lord, we do not know where you are going so how can we know the way?” This prompts Jesus to give a straight answer when he says “I am the way the truth and the life”. The word he uses for “way” (odos) has two meanings which may not be obvious in English. They are “the entrance” and “the journey”. This must have muddled poor Thomas even more after the celebrations of the crowds, the threats of the church leaders and the secret venue for their meal. Entrance yes, but a journey can go on for a long time perhaps, he thinks.

Proof needed Now to add to Thomas’ confusion Jesus has just said he is the journey and gets killed most unpleasantly. We do not know if Thomas witnessed the death, but he had no doubts at all that it was final. His melancholia returns and, although he had seen Lazarus come back to life after four days, he feels he cannot share the rest of the group’s excitement when they say they have “seen the Lord”. He wants visual proofs of scars. “Unless I have touched him and seen his hands, I cannot believe”. John, who records this in his gospel, is also keen on proofs as he says in his epistle ”things we have heard and seen with our eyes and touched we declare unto you”. John has gone from belief to knowing. He had no doubts. A week later Jesus appears again, exactly knows Thomas’ doubts and in an act of sympathy and love tells Thomas to put his finger on the nail holes in his hands and shows him his side where the spear went. I can imagine the grin on Jesus’ face as he said that. Jesus knew. Thomas does not put out his finger but obeys Jesus’ command “stop doubting and believe”. His reaction was immediate “My Lord and my God”. Not “you are God”, it was “my God”. Jesus then comes out with that wonderful promise “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”.

Proof got At Jesus’ first meeting with the group they thought they had seen a ghost. Jesus actually says “touch me and see, a ghost does not have flesh and bones”. He asks for something to eat and has some broiled fish. Ghosts don’t eat food. A week or so later, just to confirm that he was not an apparition, Jesus is recorded as showing himself to Thomas and the rest of the group who had got depressed again. They had decided to go fishing and saw someone on the shore cooking who asked whether they had caught anything and got that silly advice to try the other side of the boat where there probably was not the equipment for lifting a net. “We always put the net out on this side”. You can imagine the exclamations when they had counted one hundred and fifty three fish. They all breakfasted on fish and bread. Then the ascension and “a cloud took him out of their sight”.

Contemporary records tell us that the group of disciples, faced with the impending persecution of Christians and destruction of most of Jerusalem, divided up the known world between them. Thomas was allocated the East to India. The records tell us that he was captured and sold as a slave to a merchant going to India. That got him there for free where he started telling people about Jesus and then founded the Syrian Christian community for which there is still some evidence.

Questions. Why is all this recorded for us in the Bible? What can we learn from it? Sometimes it cannot be wrong to admit to doubts or lacks of understanding. Jesus himself prayed “Why have you forsaken me?”. Any man born blind who is told about the difference between red and blue cannot understand. He has to accept and trust. Jesus knew about Thomas’ doubts without being told. Thomas needed tactile evidence. Even then he was not ashamed to ask “show me the way”. Is that a fair prayer for us? What evidence should we need to convince other people? Thomas needed several thumps before he said “My God”.

References: Greek lexicon, English NIV. Commentaries. Google Josephus .

Bob