Thomas is permanently labeled a "doubter" by two millennia of history books, sermons, cartoons and theological treatises in the Christian tradition. A cartoon by Joshua Harris has Thomas crying out, "All I'm saying is we don't call Peter 'Denying Peter.'"
Thomas is not to blame for this label. He made a reasonable statement in an unreasonable, once-in-a-lifetime resurrection situation. What's fascinating is how comfortable we are in letting Thomas be so trapped. We might need his doubt to make sense of our own. But when we let the story end with a label as easy as, "Doubting Thomas," we let ourselves reside in disbelief as well.
Recently, David Brooks of the New York Times criticized YouTube phenomenon Jefferson Bethke for just this. In a public display of doubt over institutionalized religion, Bethke's rebellion resonated with more than 20 million viewers who watched his lyrical lament, "Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus." With statements like, "The church should not be a museum for the good, but a hospital for the broken," his message is balm to a century disheartened by the institutional church.
WATCH Jefferson Bethke on Loving Jesus but Doubting Religion:
While his poetic rant is filled with a plethora of one-liners, the message lacks a vision beyond lament. Brooks names a singular criticism of Bethke: "Rebellion without a rigorous alternative vision is just a feeble spasm." In his article, "How to Fight the Man," Brooks challenges Bethke to move beyond rebellion. Brooks believes Bethke must turn his "passion into change."
Today's lectionary text, the story of Doubting Thomas, speaks to rebellion, passion and change. While it would be easy to paint Jefferson Bethke as a contemporary Doubting Thomas, that comparison fails both Bethke and Thomas. Bethke is far beyond doubt. His love for Jesus shapes his logo, "Jesus>Religion." But for as much as Bethke believes, he needs the next step. Thomas, surprisingly, provides that momentum.
From Rebellion to Revelation
One word marks the rebellious nature of Thomas. "Unless," Thomas says, "Unless I see ... I will not believe."
This comes as a surprise, throughout John; Thomas perceived Christ's calling clearly. As Jesus headed to the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus spoke cryptically of death. Understanding what was to come, Thomas called the other disciples to perish with him (John 11:16). Later in the Gospel, Thomas asks Jesus, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (John 14:6). Jesus responds, "I am the way and the truth and the life."
By John 20, the certainty of "way, truth and life" are lost to three demands of Thomas. While the disciples witnessed the resurrected Jesus, Thomas missed that revelation. Now his request is to see the nail marks, put his finger there and thrust his finger into his side (KJV). The path of way, truth and life are lost to the human demand to see, put, thrust. These three verbs name that human desire for manipulation. We want to change our circumstances ourselves. When we can't, we rebel.
After making this demand, Thomas is behind locked doors when the risen Jesus appears with a threefold invitation for Thomas to see his hands, to put the finger of Thomas on his nail marks and to thrust his fingers into his side. Jesus mirrors the request of Thomas and thereby creates a space for revelation. The risen Christ meets Thomas in his rebellion, stands before Thomas on his terms, and yields to revelation.
From Spasm to Momentum
Three easy-to-miss words mark the fact that this story will not end in a feeble spasm. Instead, the momentum Thomas will bring the burgeoning Christian movement will be far-reaching.
"After eight days," the text denotes, Christ appeared to Thomas. References from the Old Testament encourage us to consider the divine blessing and commissioning that occur on the eighth day. The eighth day is the fulfillment of priestly ordination, the day for dedication of the firstborn, a day to mark in circumcision the covenant relationship, a day of gratitude and offering. Could it be that Thomas will be marked on this eighth day and commissioned for service?
The towns of Kodungallur and Kollam in Kerala, India, know the answer to that question. Thomas started "seven and a half" churches there in southern India. These churches stand as testament to the "rigorous alternative vision" of Thomas. He moved from feeble spasm to divine momentum with the humble confession, "My Lord and my God." There in India he created many a church that served as hospitals for the broken.
The vitality of Thomas' testimony is lost when it ends at belief. This is not a story lent toward dogma. Such clarity discredits the story. In John's Gospel, belief is never static. A person is always in the process of "believing," that is, leaning into belief in a broken world. Easter faith is not about certainty. The reality of Easter is the complexity of living anew in a broken creation. Christian history tells us that Thomas shared the Gospel in India, far from the certainty of his home.
This is precisely what Brooks wants Bethke to understand. Take the next step beyond easy word to a broken world. That eighth day, is rich in symbolism that mobilizes the doubt from spasm to momentum.
From Bethke, To You and Me
At the Mikael Agricola Church in Helsinki a worship service called the "Thomas Mass" creates a place for those who doubt. Their website shares a wonderful invitation, "The St. Thomas Mass invites doubters and seekers to celebrate, worship God, serve their neighbor, and grow together. Those who feel sinful and weak in faith are especially welcome."
When I collapsed into the pew while visiting there this summer, I sat with the weight of doubt in my personal and professional life consuming me from the inside out. I prayed for a vessel where I could place my disbelief. The service provided movement from spasm to momentum. I could name my doubt in personal and corporate prayer. But worship would not leave me there. Like Thomas, that eighth day, I was commissioned.
On the eighth day after Easter, the world looks to you and me to take the first steps to turn the passion of Christ into compassionate change. Bethke, like many, is looking for proactive change. But first he needs a vision beyond his rebellion. What steps would he take to move the church from a "museum for the good" to "a hospital for the broken?" Lingering in doubt is all too easy; leaning into change relies on the grace of resurrection faith. Thomas is greater than his doubt because he received that commission and served beyond a doubt.
Editor's Note: ON Scripture is a series of Christian scripture commentaries produced in collaboration with Odyssey Networks. Each week pastors from around the country will approach the lectionary text of the week through the lens of current events, providing a religious voice that is both pastoral and prophetic.
Doubting Thomas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jesus even blessed him for it.
(This is a failing of many Christian teachers, they take the wrong message from the stories. Usually some surface element that is simple to grab is what they take away.)
Labeling Thomas the doubter..-- one can also say even Jesus on the torture stake in agony blurred to the Father, "why have you for forsaken me?" A doubter's tone maybe -- God allows us in his inspired word to experience the pathos of man -- even a momentary spark of urgency (not doubt) in the Son of Man. For that is life and we all experience same. And our Father in Heaven loves us, weak and vulnerable that we are. And we'll all have a life time to make improvements under his eternal reign! Hallelujah!!
The real problem with Thomas' statement from an Islamic point of view is not that he is scientific or worldly, rather than spiritual in this instance of doubt. The real problem is that Jesus is saying: Why didn't you believe that God could save me? I don't see this as rebellion at all. There is a hole in his faith in God, the All Mighty. If God is All Mighty, there isn't anything he cannot do.
Since God sent Jesus as a messenger to the Lost Tribes of Israel, God is responsible for saving him from the crucifixion.
To see the whole argument, read: http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/stories/Shroud-of-Turin-Causes-Controversy-over-Resurrection,183289
Also- God supplies enough proof, including but not limited to, the physical. Being shown physical proof has never been proof enough for those who see but do not want to obey. For instance, the Pharisees could see the miracles performed by the Messiah, the blind seeing, the deaf hearing etc., so why did not THEY put faith in him as the Son of God? As Christ said, they were from their father the devil and did the desires of their father, they do not enter the kingdom of heavens and they do not let others enter either.
http://blessedbytheapple.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/noli-me-tangere/
And I think you're right--this difference does do a lot to explain the difference between Jesus' responses to Mary and to Thomas.
Another odd circumstance is the fact that Jesus appeared to Mary and/or his disciples five times after his resurrection. These people knew him best and still needed physical proof of his resurrection. By what logic would people two millennia later be expected to believe in this event without seeing any physical proof? We sometimes read or hear that belief without proof is best, but the followers of Jesus allegedly received this proof a number of times. Believing that story without any proof just seems to be an example of gullibility.
The difference is that Jesus didn't want Mary to hold on to His physical presence because He wouldn't be with them in that form for much longer. After He ascended to the Father, His presence is made known to us by the Holy Spirit.
1John 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
Because of the resurrection, Christ in us.
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail
By the living Word of God I shall prevail
Standing on the promises of God
Standing Standing
Standing on the promises of God my Savior
Standing Standing
I'm standing on the promises of God
- R. K. Carter
,
No atheist ever killed one single person for the glory of "no god," or in accordance with the commands of any holy book. But untold numbers have been tortured and killed in the name of religion.
>>>>>The first ‘Doubting Thomas’ diatribe is where Jesus goes to raise Lazarus and Thomas doesn’t believe it’s possible. John 11:16 “Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." That’s a direct reference to Judas Thomas Didymus, the alleged author of Thomas’ gospel.
>>>>Another dig at Thomas is where Jesus anticipates his death and urges his disciples to trust God and himself, Thomas alone says he has no idea where Jesus is going 11:5 ‘Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus’ answer is pretty much what he’d say to any obtuse person who can’t understand who Jesus really is. (contd.)
>>>>John’s implication is pretty clear: Thomas missed the meeting, isn’t an apostle, didn’t receive the HS and lacks power to forgive sins, plus the dig at him again in John 20:29 “Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Matt 16:4 "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it ... "