Second Sunday of Easter
April 18, 2004


Why did Thomas need to see and touch the wound of Jesus?

Perhaps it is one of the effects of Original Sin. But it seems that human kind has always needed ‘proofs’ of love, concrete evidence that when people say they love us, they back it up with deeds. As I work with students, as I deal with teenagers and college folks alike, even with married people, over and over comes the refrain: Do they really love me? Do they really care for me? And whether that wrestling is about their parents, their boyfriend/girlfriend, or just a significant person in their life - somehow we want to know in a way that allows us to believe.

Thomas needs to see the wounds of Jesus. Not his eyes, not his hair nor his fingers or toes. He asks to see the ‘nail marks in his hands, the wound in his side.” Though there is a danger of reading too much psychology into the gospels, I wonder. Does Thomas ask to see the wounds because it is what Jesus willingly suffered that made his love real for Thomas? Does he ask to see the scars that love has left on the body of his savior because they ‘prove’ the love that his faith couldn’t quite trust was there?

You can imagine the conversation in his head before he ever has a chance to meet Jesus face to face. “They told me you forgave them/me. They told me you offered them peace. They told me you didn’t yell at them and take them to task for deserting you. They told me you breathed on them and gave them the spirit. It’s too much to believe without proof. I need to see the wounds. I need to see the visible sign of what love was willing to bear for me. Once I see what you suffered, I’ll know. I’ll believe. Once I see the marks, then I’ll get it.”

Jesus showed the disciples his hands and his side. He showed Thomas his hands and his side. And it is enough. When they could see the price that love bore for them, they came to believe in the resurrection. Which leaves an incredible challenge for the church of our day and time. People still come to us asking to believe. They still come to us wanting to see ‘proof’ of the divine love. And what do we have to offer? What can we ‘show them’ so that they’ll believe? The same proof that Jesus offered Thomas and the Disciples. We’re invited to show them OUR WOUNDS of how love is real in our lives.

You see, the Scriptural testimony to the resurrection is two fold - the empty tomb and the appearance narratives. But neither of them is conclusive. Obviously, if there was a body then there is no resurrection. Likewise, people can make up stories as it suits them - “and to this day, that is the story that circulates among the Jews”. What it comes down to is the reliability of the witnesses. Is there something about their life that is different than that of other people? Does how they live reflect a belief in something more? Do they bear the wounds of suffering for what they believe? They could still be deluded, but it makes them more credible. Like the parent who says he loves his kids, but never has time for them, never pays for their education, never gets involved in their life. Do you believe in their words or do you believe what their life says? We all know the answer to that one.

Thomas needs to see the wounds, not just of the Christ, but of the followers of Christ as well - of those whose testimony it all depends upon. Thomas asks to see the wounds - because it made love real and the resurrection real. Please, people of the Newman Center - if someone were to ask you where are your wounds; if someone wanted to see your hands and side, would you have anything to share with them? Does your faith and your life have anything to say to them?