The Gospel for Doubters, Good News Through the Eyes of Thomasনমুনা

Days after Jesus’ death, the disciples gathered, trying to make sense of what they’d just experienced. Mary Magdalene had just interrupted their gathering with the news that the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, where Jesus was buried, was empty. What’s more, she told them, or shouted really, “I have seen the Lord!” Peter and John had confirmed her story about the empty tomb. Now they all believed her. Somehow, Jesus was alive. Did they fully understand what this meant? No.

Then Jesus entered their midst. The door was locked for fear of being caught by the angry religious leaders and accused of stealing Jesus’ body. But Jesus appeared anyway. You have to imagine they rubbed their eyes a bit. Was this real? “Peace to you!” He said. Reading their doubts, He urged them to see for themselves. And He asked for a piece of fish and ate it. A ghost doesn’t eat a piece of fish. “Why are you troubled?” He asked, before explaining to them how this—His being alive and resurrected from the dead—was in fulfillment of all the Scriptures. The scales from their eyes began to fall off. They all believed.

Well, not all. There was one disciple missing. While 10 of the 12 had gathered that evening, Thomas was not present. We don’t know why he wasn’t there, but we can guess that he was despondent. Thomas, the one who always got the facts and based his decisions on clear, rational thinking, saw the entire foundation for his faith come crashing down. Jesus was arrested by the Roman authorities, falsely accused, and unjustly crucified. How could He be so powerless as to let this happen? How could He be the Son of God? Had Thomas been duped? Was all of this a mirage? How could he have been so stupid? Perhaps he couldn’t face the others with his shame and guilt and embarrassment. Maybe he didn’t want to see the other disciples.

But it seems the disciples wanted to see Thomas. This is what good friends do. They were evangelists now for the message that Jesus was indeed alive. More than that, they knew that the best way for Thomas to work out his doubts was in community.

“We’ve seen the Lord!” they said, but he wasn’t having any of it. The pain was too deep to believe another fantasy.

Discussion question: Why may Thomas have been disillusioned after Jesus’ death?