Low Sunday (Part 2): Thomas

The second part of today's reading deals with Saint Thomas.  The text suggests that Thomas was absent during the appearance of the Risen Christ and, hearing about this experience, declares that he will not believe unless he can physically inspect the wounds of Jesus' resuscitated corpse.  In the vignette that follows, Thomas is back with the group, Jesus makes another surprise visit, and after making the requisite inspections, Thomas kneels and declares, "My Lord and my God!"  Jesus then says that people who have not had that experience, and yet come to believe, are the most blessed.

This story becomes much more interesting when you understand the sub-plot in terms of the early Christian communities that formed.  The Johannine Christians, the community that released this reflective, late and anti-Semitic gospel, are believers in literal, physical resurrection of the body of Jesus.  They were likely comfortable with Saint Paul's characterization of the Risen Christ as a glorified and imperishable body (I Cor. 15).  On the other hand, they were surely displeased with communities that described him as a shape-shifter. (Mark 16:9 et seq.)  And it is certain that they disagreed with the Thomist community who believed in a non-physical, spiritual resurrection.

With that insight, it is easy to understand why Thomas is pictured as really dense throughout John's gospel,  That is so clear in today's tale where Thomas sees the Risen Christ and yet still refuses to believe in the physical resurrection without conducting a medical exam on-the-spot, after which he "gets it" and fails to his knees in worship.  Who is that stupid?  Well, for the Johannine community, the answer is those folks in the Thomist community who don't agree with us on resurrection details.

I am reminded of how often Christians get bogged down in minutiae.  Yes, Jesus was experienced as alive and leading his Movement again, and that experience took different forms.  It seems to me that what is important is that He lives and leads us even today into God's future.