Third Sunday of Easter, 2024 - Thomas

It seems to me that Thomas has gotten a bad rap.

According to the gospel of John, Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them on the evening of resurrection Sunday. When they told him they had seen Jesus, he responded, “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” (John 20:25). All he asked was to have the same experience the others had. “He (Jesus) showed them his hands and his side” (John 20:20).

Because of his response, Thomas has been viewed as a doubter. He is commonly called Doubting Thomas.

I believe a better descriptor for Thomas would be realist. Thomas was a realist, not a doubter.

This character trait is readily seen in an event found in John 11. Jesus had been summoned to Bethany by Mary and Martha because their brother Lazarus was sick. Rather than responding immediately, Jesus remained in Galilee for two days. When he told the disciples they were going back to Judea, they were hesitant, resistant to the idea. “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” (John 11:8). When Jesus told them he was going because Lazarus had died, Thomas said to the others, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16).

Thomas assessed the situation. The Jews were seeking to kill Jesus. Going back to Judea would expose Jesus to that threat. Thomas dealt realistically with the situation, recognizing the danger and the possibility. He was a realist. In spite of the danger and the risk involved, he was willing to go with Jesus, even if it meant death for them all. He was deeply committed to Jesus. He was willing to die with him. In addition, he encouraged the others to move beyond their fear and hesitancy. He called them to act in spite of the danger. Could we say he challenged them to have faith, the very thing we accuse him of not having regarding the resurrection?

Thomas’s reaction on the evening of resurrection Sunday reflected that same kind of realism. He had seen Jesus crucified on the cross. He had seen the spikes in his hands, the spear thrust in his side. He had seen Jesus die. That was the reality he knew. In order to believe Jesus was alive, Thomas needed an experience that would offset that reality. He needed more than the word of the other disciples. He wanted to see the wounds just as the other disciples had.

When Jesus appeared a week later, he offered Thomas what he needed. “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side” (John 20:27). Thomas’s response was immediate. He proclaimed his faith. “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Interestingly, his response was without touching Jesus’s hands or side. Seeing Jesus alive was the experience he needed to offset the reality he had known. He now had a new reality with which to deal. Jesus had indeed been raised from the dead. That reality would now shape his life.

What about today’s Thomases—those realists who assess the situation and deal realistically with it? They do not have the opportunity that Thomas and the other disciples had—to see the wounds of Jesus, to see Jesus alive. What might today’s Thomases experience that would stir their response of faith?

Indulge me as I answer my own question. Faith is spawned when today’s Thomases see the impact of the resurrection in the lives of others. Transformed lives are as convincing as Jesus’s wounds.

The resurrection becomes a reality today’s Thomases can accept when they see people they know set free from guilt and shame, living with freedom and joy and peace . . . when they see people they know moving beyond the self-serving, what’s-in-it-for-me spirit to live out of a servant spirit that seeks the good of others . . . when they see people they know facing life-threatening illnesses and the threat of death with faith, not fear . . . when they see people they know accept and embrace those who are different from themselves, treating them with dignity and respect rather than viewing them as a threat or as undeserving . . . when they see people they know give freely and generously of their time and material wealth to make a difference in the life of another . . . when they see people they know live with openness and authenticity rather than projecting a pretentious persona created to gain attention and social standing. The resurrection becomes a reality today’s Thomases can accept when they see the followers of Jesus living the ways of God that Jesus taught.

Notice that I said nothing about beliefs or church involvement or morals. These things do not point to the reality of the resurrection as does living the ways of God Jesus taught. Sadly, church people too often substitute beliefs and church involvement and moral living for living the ways of God Jesus taught. Even more sad is the reality that beliefs and church involvement and moral living do not require us to live the ways of God that Jesus taught. They often become barriers to doing so.

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:29). Blessed are those who embrace the resurrection as a reality, giving themselves to learning and living the ways of God Jesus taught. Blessed indeed!