In John’s telling of the story, Easter and Pentecost are really one event, rather than two separate events. As Jesus appears to a group of his disciples for the first time on that Easter night, he also gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit and sends them forth to do God’s work in the world.

But Thomas missed all of this.

I don’t know where he was or what he was doing…no one does. But Thomas missed this miraculous Easter event; he missed seeing the Risen Christ for himself; he missed seeing Jesus’ hands and side with his own eyes; he missed the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The others tell Thomas, “We have seen the Lord.” But he reacts with a certain level of skepticism and basically says “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

We, the church, have given him the nickname “Doubting Thomas” in the last few centuries, but I think Thomas has gotten a bit of a bad rap.

First of all, Thomas was no more doubtful or fearful than any of the other disciples after their lives had been shattered by grief and loss.
After all, it was the others who locked themselves away in fear to wait out any immediate danger. It was the others whose actions lead me to believe that they too were skeptical and doubtful about Mary’s testimony that she had seen the Risen Christ in the garden.

So, sure, Thomas has his doubts, but he also voices what all of the disciples were longing for…to experience the Risen Christ first hand and touch the resurrecting, renewing grace of God for himself.

Don’t we all want that?

Well, a week later, Thomas got his chance.

“Peace be with you.” Jesus said again. And then he invited Thomas to touch him, to touch his hands and side where nail and spear had once been.

“Do not doubt.” Jesus said. “Believe.”

And in this encounter with Christ, in an act of God’s grace, Thomas’ doubt and fear are transformed into awe and a confession of faith, “my Lord and my God!” he said.

Thomas’ eyes are opened anew for the first time since Jesus’ death and Jesus asks him, “Have you believed because you have seen me?”

Well, yes. Of course the answer is yes…but not only for Thomas, for everyone in that room.
For all of the disciples, the pain and suffering of Good Friday was too real…the weight of the cross, the cold, hard metal nails, the flesh and blood of a body broken, the dark, dank tomb. Painful though it was, Good Friday was something they could understand; Good Friday held human suffering they had seen before.

Easter, on the other hand, was something all together new. Resurrection, new life, renewed hope and strength, the real and enduring presence of God’s own Spirit…these are all things that defy the logic of a Good Friday world.

This story doesn’t end with Thomas and the rest of the disciples in that room. Instead, Jesus concludes his speech not with condemnation, or even with his question to Thomas, but with a beatitude, a blessing. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”


Bay Shore Community Church

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214 Days
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56 Minutes Days till Christmas

My doubt is with the Ascension...Not the Ascension itself, but the TIMING...

You're telling me me that ONLY Christ's disciples saw Jesus for 43 days after being crucified?...Not ONE member of the Sanhedrin knew?...Not one Roman appellate of Pontius Pilate?...

No one outside of Christ's circle said "Hey! Isn't that the guy that was up on the cross a few weeks ago?"...

I would think ONE public appearance by Jesus would've destroyed every other religion in one, fell swoop...

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"You get the respect that you give" - cnredd

Jesus had a mission in that time period. He cast the holy ghost on his disciples and charged them with spreading the good news. Don't forget that Jesus very existence as a human is contrary to what us worldly folk think of when we imagine a king. He wasn't born in luxury and often his best friends were outcasts of society such as drinkers and tax collectors and prostitutes.
Children were more important for him to hang around with than governors or wealthy business men.

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But spreading the Good News could've been accomplished (and a HECK of a lot easier) by Jesus walking into the Temple and saying this...

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"You get the respect that you give" - cnredd

It's the media

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Truth, Justice and the American way

O.K., redd that was good.

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214 Days
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56 Minutes Days till Christmas