Remembering St. Thomas – Patron Saint of India

In the name of God the Father, Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, One True God. Amen

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus

All over the world, Christians commemorate the 3rd of July as the Feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle of Jesus Christ and Patron Saint of India, in memory of his relics being translated to Edessa. The Indian Orthodox Church celebrates his feast on two other days – 18th December (the day he was lanced) and 21st December (when he reposed in the Lord). The Apostle Thomas is best known by his title, “doubting Thomas”. However, if we look closer into his life, there is more to learn from his story than his first encounter with the resurrected Christ. As we bask in the glory of the Feast, let us try and learn some lessons from the life of the Apostle Thomas.

Who is Apostle Thomas?

The Apostle Thomas is one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. Much of what we know about Thomas is written in the Gospel of John. The name Thomas means a twin. In John’s writing, Thomas is also called Didymus, which is a Greek equivalent of his Hebrew name. Some Bible scholars suggest that Thomas is a brother of Matthew and James, the son of Alphaeus. Thomas is commonly known as “Doubting Thomas” because he doubted Jesus’ resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith, “My Lord and my God,” on seeing Jesus’ crucifixion wounds.

According to traditional accounts of the Indian Orthodox Church, Apostle Thomas is believed to have traveled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel and reached the shores of modern-day Kerala in A.D. 52. It is also believed that he has traveled to parts of northern India, China, Indonesia and Sri Lanka in his efforts to spread the Gospel. He was killed in India around A.D. 72.

When we think about St. Thomas, the word that comes to our mind is – doubtful, the doubtful Thomas. He was a man who doubted the resurrection. He was a person who did not believe in everything he was told, but he was a person who exercised the God given gift of intellect. Thomas is the icon of human intellect seeking its own answers. The intelligent part of us can only find rest when it finds truth. It is a wonderful human passion that drives and inspires us.

Despite the few references made about Apostle Thomas in the New Testament, we can learn some compelling lessons from the life of this disciple.

1. Being loyal in times of peril

When we look deeper into the character of Apostle Thomas, some of us may realize that he was one of the loyal disciples of Christ who was willing to die for Him. When we read the Gospel of John (Chapter 11), when Lazarus passed away, Jesus decides to go back to Judea, where He is already a wanted man and Jews were looking at ways to kill Him. When the disciples realize that Jesus would be killed, they try to deter him from His plans of going to Judea. But Jesus being determined to go to Lazarus and perform one of his greatest miracles says,

Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

St. John 11:14-15

In the following verse we see the courage of Thomas manifested.

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

Thomas, though knowing about the peril to the life of Jesus and a possible danger to those who followed Him, was willing to accompany Him. His mind was set to die with their Master once and for all.

When we look at the statement made by Thomas, we might think that this signals a lack of faith and understanding in the teachings of Jesus, it still shows his loyalty to Christ.  He is more than willing to die for Jesus and this has also been a motivation to other disciples who heard him.

Thomas’ desire is that the other disciples also have the same frame of mind in following Jesus until the end by his statement, “Let US go.” In this statement we also see his reply to Jesus’ call and invitation of “Follow me”. Now, he is ready to act upon that invitation to the point of death. He is ready to die with Christ and this desire comes from his strong affection to his Master

As Christians, we need to make sure that we are also ready to die for Christ if the situation calls for it. Time will come when being a Christian would be difficult. In other parts of the world, Christians are already being killed because of their belief. When we decided to follow God, it means that we must also be ready to forsake everything, including our life.

2. An emotionally driven act should not define our lives

If we were to be just presented with this one statement of Apostle Thomas mentioned above, we would definitely think of him as “Thomas the valiant”. But as we come towards the end of the Gospel of John where Jesus after His resurrection makes His first appearance to the disciples, we find that he is missing from their midst. I presume that the Passion of His Master would have had a detrimental effect on his character. The unjust trial, flogging, humiliation and crucifixion of Jesus had taken a toll on his faith.

His faith was shaken to such an extent that he did not want to be in the company of his fellow disciples and wanted to keep to his own. We also see his disbelief when he refuses to believe the disciples who told him that they have seen the risen Lord.

We see that Thomas’ moment of bravery did not define him for who he was. Neither did the moment of doubt define him. For when the disciples were gathered together the next time, he was there with them, and when he saw Jesus with his own eyes and touched Him, he uttered the statement which has been defining the Christian faith for nearly two millinia.

“My God and my Lord!”

We all have our moments we are proud of and the other moments we wish we could just forget. Through Thomas we learn that being with Jesus brought out his best qualities and thus increasing his faith. Conversely, being away from Him seemed to trigger doubts in his mind.

3. Be willing to learn and to be taught

As Christians, it is imperative that we recognize the need to learn and to be taught by God. Most times, because of our pride, we think that we know enough and hence we cannot stand to learn anymore. But truth be said, as long as we live, there is no end to learning.

In my own life I have realized that the more I study and meditate upon the Word of God, the more I realize that I do not know much. I have come to realize that even though I might learn the Word of God my whole life, I will still find gems of life giving knowledge every time I open my mind to learn and be willing to be taught anew.

Apostle Thomas recognizes this need to learn further while Jesus was teaching His disciples about a place He is preparing for them. We read in John 14:1-4:

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

In the following verse we see Thomas’ response:

Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

Christ’s responded,

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Even though Christ was willing to clarify the doubts of His disciples, it is obvious that Thomas is missing the point that Jesus is making. This situation is a clear sign of ignorance, but Thomas nevertheless asks Jesus for clarification on His statement.

In our own life, there are many instances when we do not perceive the lessons imparted to us due to ignorance. But for us to learn, we must not be afraid to ask questions. Like Thomas, it is better to be ignorant for a few minutes and ask questions rather than not ask a question at all and be ignorant forever.

Another important requirement for learning is by getting rid of our pre-conceived bias, prejudice, notions and ideas. One of the main reasons why Thomas along with the other disciples did not understand the teachings of Jesus is because they had a pre-conceived notion that the Messiah will reign as a King during their lifetime. They expected that the Messiah will be a conquering King who would deliver the Jewish nation from the clutches of the Roman Empire and restore its glorious days.

Thus they did not understand why Christ was saying about Him going away to a far away place to prepare a place for them. The disciples expected to rule along with Jesus now and due to their pre-conceived notions, their ears were not willing to heed the message of Christ.

So, if you want to learn, be humble, don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know the answer, and finally, get rid of pre-conceived ideas and be open to new truths!

4. Believe and don’t doubt

Now we come to the part where Thomas was made popular. It was the time when he first saw the resurrected Christ. We know that he was not part of the group when Christ appeared to the disciples first, and we also know that Thomas was not willing to believe the account of the disciple who saw Jesus. He said to them,

Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

John 20:25

Apostle Thomas was not a person who would just believe everything that someone might say to him. It would not be wrong to presume that due to Christ’s crucifixion, he was not willing to believe anyone just on the basis of their report unless he would experience the same. And hence he asks for proof about their report.

So we read in verses 26-28:

And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

We all know from the Gospel accounts that Thomas was with Jesus through His public ministry for 3 years and he heard and saw all the miracles that Jesus did, also the miracles of bringing the dead back to life. He would have also heard Jesus saying multiple times about His suffering and His resurrection. And based on this, he should have already proven to himself that Christ will not remain in the grave but rather be resurrected on the third day!

Thomas, instead of believing, he doubted his fellow disciple as well as the words of Christ. He got the proof that he needed and thus, he believed.

Nevertheless, Christ has this to say in verse 29:

“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

That’s what we call faith:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”

Hebrews 11:1

Faith is the EVIDENCE – the proof – of things that are not seen. If Thomas could have been more faithful, he doesn’t need the proof of seeing Christ personally. By the mere report of the other disciples, he should have already believed!

Thankfully, Thomas eventually grew in faith. After witnessing the irrefutable proof of Christ’s resurrection and receiving the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, he became as courageous and zealous as the rest of the disciples. He became an instrumental leader in the church and has helped in spreading the Gospel.

As Christians today, it is true that to doubt is easier than to believe and have faith. However, as long as we stay close to God, remember His promises, and follow His will in our lives, there’s no reason for us to doubt.

The resurrection of Christ is the ultimate proof of what He says He is. He is truly the Son of the Living God and His sacrifice enabled us to receive the Holy Spirit and have the potential to be part of God’s future Kingdom.

5. Continue doing the work

After the death of Christ, it seems that all hope had been lost for many of the disciples. Many disciples who followed Jesus, after His death, went back to their old occupation and they stopped doing the work of God, for which they were called. But after the resurrection of Christ and confirmation, many of His followers had a renewed zeal and dedication to do God’s work. Among them is Thomas.

We read in the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles how all the disciples, after Christ’s Ascension, gathered together in prayer. And we know that during Pentecost, they received the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire, Who enabled them to speak courageously about the Kingdom of God and the ability to speak in different languages.

Through prayer, Thomas along with his fellow disciples, prepared themselves to do the God’s work and with the Holy Spirit, they are ready to perform the commission Christ gave them. Thomas was enabled to such an extent that he was sent to India and China to preach the Word of God. He was one of the few Apostles who left the Roman Empire to fulfill the commission of Christ.

For us, Christians, we must not forget that the greatest work on the face of the planet is not our earthly jobs, but rather it is the preaching of the Gospel.

Like Christ, our daily spiritual bread should be doing the work of God. We must not let any day pass by without doing anything to preach the Gospel. It should be a top priority for us since by preaching the Gospel, we are also hastening the return of Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we bask in the feast of an Apostle who had all the human weaknesses and doubts but was nevertheless strengthened to proclaim the Gospel to unknown lands, let us also believe in Jesus along with him and the hosts of saints who believed in the Lord before us. Let their prayers be a refuge and strong fortress for us.

Your brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George