I just feel so lucky that I was born into the community that was converted by someone who spoke to Jesus, walked with Jesus, lived with Jesus, learned from Jesus, doubted Jesus resurrection but for whom Jesus made a special visit and who also ascertained the truth of Jesus resurrection by touching the wounds of Jesus .
While reading the Bible recently I noticed an aspect of the story of doubting Thomas. No one told me or high lighted this fact in Kerala. Probably because no one talks about wounds in Kerala. But st. Thomas touched the wounds of Jesus. Is there symbolism or significance here? Don't know for sure. How much Jesus would have honored St Thomas that when he did not believe the story of the other disciples Jesus appeared just for Thomas and gently scolded Thomas saying you have seen me and believed but blessed are those who believe Jesus without seeing. Jesus does not like us to doubt. Jesus likes us to believe. An angel or two angels appeared from heaven and guarded the tomb where Jesus body was. The angels were clothed in white like lightning. They told the disciples that Jesus has resurrected. Why are you looking for the living among the dead? They told the disciples. Heavenly father sent two angels or one angel to the tomb. Just as there were angels singing in the sky when Jesus was born and an angel appeared to the shepherds, heavenly father sent an angel from heaven to the tomb to tell the disciples who would come to the tomb. So at the beginning of Jesus story there are angels and at the end there are angels. And the reaction of the disciples is great joy with disbelief. They may have been thinking can this really be happening. Just imagine when they thought all was lost when their Christ who told so many stories to them and performed so many miracles for them was not there with them then suddenly they received the news that Jesus had resurrected. I think only the disciples participated in the Joy. The pharisees and priests would not have participated in the Joy. This Easter I hope I can have the same joy of the disciples.
Thomas the apostle is not mentioned a lot of times in the Bible. Peter and John are more prominent. But when Jesus appeared to His disciples and Thomas was not there and Thomas did not believe, then Jesus appeared just for Thomas. Jesus honored Thomas's doubts. This was the disciple who came to Kerala. So although it is best to obey Jesus and believe without seeing if some have doubts Jesus will honor their doubts. Jesus said if we believe without seeing we are blessed. After Easter Jesus appeared to His disciples. He did not appear to Pontius Pilate or Herod or Caiphas or Annas. He just appeared in the quietest possible way to His own disciples whom He had mentored for the past three years. So the message of Easter is not fanfare or loud proclamations.
The message of Easter is hope, according to a priest whom I interviewed for a story I wrote about Easter for the press trust of India in 1993. It is Jesus revealing Himself to us in the quietest possible ways. Jesus did not spend a lot of time on earth after the resurrection. Jesus spent only a few days. Jesus appeared to His disciples in their home. Jesus shared a meal with them. Jesus joined them on a walk. Jesus asked Thomas to verify for himself. Then Jesus ascended to heaven.
Then the disciples had the responsibility to teach the rest of the world everything they had learned from Jesus. This is the great commission.
For us today we may think the great commission is very difficult. But it is not. We just have to love everyone and make the world a better place with our talents.
My absolute favorite resurrection story is the story of doubting Thomas. How Jesus visited the disciples again just to remove Thomas's doubts. Then Jesus said to Thomas blessed are those who believe without seeing. This is verse 20: 29. We are blessed if we believe without seeing.
The second story I like in the resurrection is the story of the road to Emmaus. A few disciples were walking in a road and suddenly Jesus started walking with them. They invite Jesus to a meal.
They took up the bread and broke the bread and Jesus disappeared. Jesus was revealed in the breaking of the bread. When the bread they were having was broken into several pieces then Jesus disappeared from their midst.
I heard this story for the first time at a Rebecca st. James concert where a young musician said this story on the stage before singing.
I liked this story a lot and read it many times.
Imagine Jesus joining you on a walk and explaining scripture to you.
I never heard this story in Kerala.
I wonder why I did not hear this story in Kerala.
At first I liked the part about Jesus joining them on a walk.
Recently I noticed that Jesus was revealed to them in the breaking of bread.
Jesus is from heaven.
Jesus lived like a true human.
But Jesus had a work to do.
Jesus had to train His disciples to live like Jesus.
To spread peace and joy, to heal the sick and make the blind see and deaf hear and the mute talk and to obey all the commandments.
On the Passover day, 2000 years ago Jesus said He had accomplished his task.
We too have work to do like Jesus.
We have to spread peace and joy.
There are two kinds of blindness.
Real actual blindness in which the blind person cannot really see.
And symbolic blindness where eyes can see but the seeing does not translate into spiritual wealth.
I understood this concept while reading a book in English literature authored by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. They talk about writing poems about ordinary things-- the loveliness in the world around us, the simple things that everyone takes for granted and never see but actually can give us so much joy if only we stand and take notice. Jesus addresses this kind of blindness too.
It is cool to be able to accomplish tasks well.
Especially tasks given to us by our heavenly Father.
Jesus fulfilled His responsibility well.
I am the result of that.
Because Jesus taught Thomas well Thomas took the perilous voyage to Kerala and converted nampoothiris and build seven churches and my community is the result of that work Jesus did.
I am so happy I can trace my spiritual lineage all the way back to Jesus.
Although Jesus chided Thomas for not believing and made a special appearance for Thomas that story is the story of our spiritual heritage of doubting and coming to believe.
Jesus tells us a better alternative to believe without seeing but the story of doubting itself became a beautiful part of our heritage.
To doubt and question is to be human because as humans we have experience of believing wrong things.
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