Poor Thomas. He was the one who was ready to march toward Jerusalem and die if that is what his master wished, and yet he is known in our age as the faithless one, as “Doubting”. If you are unfamiliar with his story, you can find it here. It is Sunday’s lectionary gospel reading.
Thomas gets called doubting in spite of the fact that Peter and John, who ran to see the empty tomb in the morning, must be among those who locked themselves away through fear. He gets called doubting in spite of the fact that Mary, perhaps the most faithful one in the story, cannot recognize Jesus standing in front of her until he speaks her name. He gets called doubting in spite of the fact that Jesus showed his wounds to the other disciples, the exact proof that Thomas asks for, before they are filled with joy. As far as nicknames are concerned, Thomas got the raw end of the deal.
I may actually suggest that Thomas was resolutely faithful. The man he follows, whom he deeply loves, had just been violently killed by the state over some vague charge of sedition. The nerve is still raw and he is just starting to deal with it when the other disciples come to him and tell him that Jesus is back. He had opened his heart to this man once, and the grief had almost killed him. He will do it again, he will open himself up, he will be the one to declare Jesus as “My Lord and my God,” but only once he knows that this is not just somebody playing on the emotions of those whose world had just been thrown out of orbit. He needs to see for himself that this is the man to whom he has pledged his life before he will allow himself to hope again.
The next scene is much like the one in which Jesus appeared to the rest of the disciples. They are once again gathered together in a locked room, and Jesus is suddenly in the midst of them. This time, though, Jesus goes directly to Thomas. Thomas had asked for proof, and this exact proof is what Jesus gives to him.
How is that for hope? Jesus is not absent when one of his sheep is lost. He seeks out Thomas, calls him by name, and brings him into the fold. I would argue that Thomas is faithful and strong, and that Jesus’ faith in Thomas is well placed. Personally, I admire this disciple, and I know that I can count on his witness.
For more on Thomas, his witness, and his part in the Resurrection, I invite you to worship at First United Methodist in Greenville on Sunday. Or, really, any one of the many churches that will be focusing on this passage.
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