Thomas needed evidence.

This Gospel was read around the world today.

John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

http://www.usccb.org/nab/050111.shtml

He didn't put his finger in the wounds.

What I have seen, I saw after believing. Don't know if I would have seen what little I have seen without believing. Maybe I would have.


And I am still due beer and travel money and many experiences :)


Thinking about it, much of that was after many years of fighting more blind then now, knowing without seeing, the Jedi lessons, so I think people learn the same stuff many different ways. When it also made sense of coarse.

Used again and again to state that no one should be like Thomas, and instead that "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

I find it interesting that even the writers of the Bible had to find a way to defend themselves from those who might consider the story incredible.

I have never heard that passage referred to as denigrating.

"Don't be a Thomas."

Then the rest.

and that statement offered to people outside the group as a kiss-off.

I've always viewed Thomas as a standin for the rest of us.

so perhaps it is blessed as well.

Just saying.

It only has Jesus' teachings, none of the mythology and fairy tales that came later.

These are the first two lines:

"These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down.

"(1) And he said, "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death."

Here is the entire text.

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html