By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
v19It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. v20After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. v21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” v22Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. v23If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
v24One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came. v25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” v26A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” v27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!”
v28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
v29Jesus said to him, “Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!” – John 20:19-25
Jesus was crucified, died and was interred in the garden. The disciples were scattered as a result of the tragedy. Then they decided to gather and lockdown themselves perhaps on that same upper room where several nights ago had their last supper with their teacher. The secrecy of their meeting and group-quarantine is due to their fear that the Jewish leaders will arrest them and suffer the same fate that befell Jesus. John in our gospel reading this second Sunday in Easter tells us that the risen Christ appeared before them during those moments of fear and uncertainties. The evangelist further relates that one of the disciples, Thomas, was not among them at that time. Thomas expressed his unbelief when told that Jesus has risen and appeared before his friends in the lockdown room. He is now known as “doubting Thomas” because of his unbelief, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
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Doubts. This reminds me of the current events in our war against COVID19. “If you are in doubt, don’t”. This quote from Benjamin Franklin is the repeated advice from Karlo Alexei Nograles spokesperson of the COVID19 Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) in response to the unending questions and clarification on the conflicting guidelines from primary government agencies managing the COVID19 pandemic. This is insensitive and even apathetic advice to the already desperate citizenry due to the continuing and unprecedented onslaught of the pandemic. I do believe that the protocols on safeguarding our people against the virus should be patiently and repeatedly explained in simple terms for clarity.
And then there is the demand of the majority of the senators that the DOH Secretary resigns. They doubted his capability in handling the national health crisis. Then the NEDA Director resigned recently due to irreconcilable policy on handling the economy during the Enhanced Community Quarantine. As a result, an increasing number of Filipinos now doubt the competence of this government to handle the pandemic crisis. This state of affairs reminds me of this quote from Bertrand Russel, “The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” The battle against the pandemic calls for the best, “whatever you do, do it well… for you will never know when God is standing in the shadows taking your measurements for a bigger opportunity…” So if in doubt, do well for the best.
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The apostle Thomas doubted. Having doubts is not a sin. Doubt is the natural response to certain circumstances or statements, based on the information that we have or don’t have. For example, there are people that I’m sure you know, and it doesn’t matter what they say, you don’t believe them; you don’t trust them. You doubt what they say to be true. Then, you may have times when people who have been pretty reliable, but the news that they’re telling you seems unbelievable. This is where Thomas is, I believe. I mean, he’s been with these guys for three years; he could trust them. But I’m sure he was probably thinking, “If Jesus died the way John and the women who were there said—that He’d been beaten to a bloody mess, nailed to a cross to die, a spear stuck through his heart. Nobody’s coming back from that. I just can’t believe it!” The next Sunday night rolled around, and Thomas was there with the disciples behind locked doors. And Jesus appeared, and spoke to him, using the very words he had said to the disciples. “Come here, Thomas. Touch where the nails went through my hands. Put your hand where the spear went through my side. Don’t be faithless anymore. Believe!” And Thomas believes. ”My Lord and my God,” he says.
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At first Thomas did not believe that his teacher rose from the dead. But author Sayers wrote, ‘The character of Thomas is unexpected, but extraordinarily convincing, that the one absolutely unequivocal statement in the whole gospel of the Divinity of Jesus should come from Doubting Thomas. It is the only place where the word ‘God’ is used without qualification of any kind, and in the most unambiguous form of words. And he does not say it ecstatically, or with a cry of astonishment but with flat conviction as of one acknowledging irrefutable evidence that the sun is in the sky. Thomas says, You are my Lord and my God!’(Sayers, The Man Born to Be King, 319-20)
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As we journey on in this world, there are so many things that we encounter that our human understanding cannot comprehend. Sometimes these unfathomable events would bring doubts and fears in our hearts. As a result, we either lockdown ourselves into the confines of these negative feelings and if we will or cannot get over them leads us to mental breakdown. Just like a drug or vaccine that could purge the virus that infects, we need the faith and trust that could expunge the doubts and fears that haunt so that we will be delivered from the lockdowns or breakdowns of this life. When doubt rear its ugly head let us remember these maxims: “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt” (Shakespeare), and, “Doubt your doubts before you doubt your beliefs” (Walt Allmand).
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When the disciples were reunited in that upper room they were all broken and lost. Like a sheep without a shepherd. When Jesus appeared he greeted them, “Peace be unto you.” The Hebrew word shalom, for “peace” is a most comprehensive word, covering the full realm of relationships in daily life and expressing an ideal state of life. The word suggests the fullness of well-being and harmony untouched by ill fortune. The word as a blessing is a prayer for the best that God can give to enable a person to complete one’s life with happiness and a natural death. If the concept of shalom became all too casual and light-hearted with no more significance than a passing greeting. Jesus came to give it new meaning. At Bethlehem God announced that peace would come through the gift of God’s unique Son. The mission and ministry of our Lord made it quite clear that Jesus had come to introduce the rule of God and to order peace for the world.
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Blessed are those who, like Thomas, must feel, see and touch before they believe. But even more blessed are those who will believe and walk on in faith without having to see, touch and feel. Blessed are those whose faith is true and who will trust in Jesus no matter what comes! Such faith and trust will surely bring unfathomable peace even when things seem to be hopeless even when we walk in the shadows of death like the COVID19 pandemic.
Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.**
