Advent Twenty Four

 

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio
Sanssouci Picture Gallery, Potsdam, Germany 

Shalom

That Sunday evening, a group of us, Jesus' friends gathered together secretly, securely bolting the door.

Then Jesus was with us. 

“Shalom,” he said.  What a powerful surge of joy filled that place.  We all started talking at once.  Words became meaningless.  All eyes were fixed on him.

"Shalom, the Creator’s purpose is fulfilled, and I am now passing it to you."

And he breathed on us.

"Receive my presence in your life so that we can never be separated.  You will know who is to be forgiven, and who does not deserve it."

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 What a shame Thomas was not there.  He missed out. Thomas is the sort of guy who needs proof for everything. He's a scientist, 'seeing is believing'.

A week later, and we were meeting again.  Again Jesus was with us, and this time we all looked across to Thomas.  He made a shy smile.  He got up and walked over towards Jesus.

Jesus embraced him, and showed him his wounded body.

"Now you believe?" said Jesus.

With faltering voice Thomas conceded,

"My saviour and my liberator."

"You 'see' and have physical proof.  What about those who cannot see me, and yet believe?"

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  After his return, Jesus did many other things that I have not recorded here.  I have chosen these stories so that you may believe that Jesus came from the creator, that he was the one foretold, and that through knowing him, you too will have life in his name.

The End of the Beginning

The men did not meet Jesus on that first day.  They had to make do with just seeing the evidence.  The believers were gathered behind lock doors.  Fear was in the streets.  But these lock doors also show that Jesus is now not constrained by human limitations.  He is there in their midst.  Jesus says ‘Shalom’, which means hello.  It also means Peace.  If you had to choose one word to sum up the events of Jesus life on earth, surely it is this word.  Jesus gives us peace with our Creator, and also with each other, and with ourselves. 

Do we not all relate to Thomas the pragmatist, the scientist, the devotee of evidence based practice? And I agree with him.  The evidence needs to be secure and reliable.  Jesus notes that he is one of the lucky ones.  He was able to touch Jesus’ body.  Subsequently our evidence of Jesus reliability is based on the evidence of different senses.  This evidence for me is 100 times more secure than any other evidence anyone else can find to believe in anything else. It is the evidence that we are loved.

PRAYER  May I have a sure and firm foundation in my life.