I have needed to write this for a while now and I hope that I do not in any way offend anyone. I have worked really very hard and as best as I could to make the”Pew” a source of information about biblical writings. It has always been my hope that some little phrase some little turn something that somehow or another would encourage a reader to seek a deeper relationship with God. I have tried to shy away from politics, both religious and secular. I am just a layman and my theological knowledge is very limited, but I do believe myself to be knowledgeable enough to search for the right answers and for me a search for the right answers means to pray. About that elephant I know I’m not very good at dates so I’m going to kind of refrain from trying to put date and time to things but sometime back the Pew begin to recognize the elephant that was in the room which was my way of saying that issues within the church, the United Methodist Church to be exact were reaching a crucial point. This issue had plagued the United Methodist Church for 40 years and I was around for a lot of it so you can deduce from that, I’m kind of an old bird so to speak. It pains me to even write this now, as I have worked very hard to put this behind me on a personal basis. The split in the United Methodist Church in the United States, resulted in significant loss of congregations and members that particularly occurred in the south and in the Midwest, with a quarter of all US churches, leaving the domination to form new more traditional groups like the Global Methodist Church. For the Methodist Church, it was kinda like the wilderness thing all over again. We wandered in debate, disillusionment and despair. This dispute and these departures were driven by a long-standing theological disagreement over LGBTQ + inclusion. I’m not going to get into numbers here, but I can assure you that it had a very very serious impact on the United Methodist Church that I knew both financially and membership wise. Now there are those and they are many that would have you believe that all of this uproar and all of these things that have happened to our denomination began in 1972 with the statement that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Now there were a lot of other restrictions that came along with that to be perfectly honest there was a ban against the performance of same-sex weddings, distinction that was drawn between sexual orientation and homosexual practice was not condoned. A nice, neat, concise little package that tore apart what was pretty much recognized as one of the third largest denominations in existence in the USA. The Methodist Church was not the first main line denomination to have this problem before us. There  was the Presbyterian’s and the Lutheran and a bunch of other others I guess but those two I remember more than the others. I believe it was in April 2024 that it all came to head for us. Things changed and quite frankly not for the best in my perspective. Now they would like for you to believe that this LGBTQ+ effort to change the church was the reason for the split. I believe that there is some truth to that maybe more than we would really like to recognize and admit, but I don’t look at it like that. To me, it was a simple fact of the problem that plagues us even today within our country. It’s about discipline, respect, and the law. keep in mind now I’m just a layman, but from what I could see this disrespect and unwillingness to enforce the doctrine that had been a part of the Methodist Church many years, for as long as I can remember, begin with our bishops, our districts, and those that would lead us in those positions. Somewhere along the way it really became about properties, monies and control. For many years, we kicked  the can down the road so to speak, and the issue became one of failed leadership. Consider this… the split in the United Methodist Church in Africa, caused a great deal of violence in some of those regions, such as Nigeria as members have clashes over disagreements about this LGBTQ + inclusion right after the shift in the United Methodist Church’s stance. There’s a lot of history here and I’m not going to get into it because it’s just rehashing something that’s over and done with but not forgotten. But I had to write this to kind of put a period on this whole mess. I’m sad about what has happened to the church  I spent most of my life in and I regret the friendships lost, and the community that I once cherished very much. I know what I believe and I know to whom I belong. The last few years for me have been rather difficult. I’m now in a wheelchair and I can say that it kind of limits my ability to get out and about and around. One of the things that man needs is fellowship. But I feel very much alone. Oh yes, I suppose I should answer a question I’m sure some of you are asking… did I leave the church? The answer is no I am still a United Methodist, but but the church the denomination are now secondary in my life because the most important thing of course is my relationship with God and the fellowship I have with the people that are at the church I attend. I have reached a crossroad in my life…

Jeremiah 6:16 

“Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it'”. 

I have chosen to walk in it…Amen

jk

This week we continue our study of the dispersal of the apostles after Pentecost. This week, we also have a rather unusual situation, simply put two for one? Well, not exactly what we’re looking at here would be Simon and Jude who both were two of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. They’re known for their work as  missionaries often in Persia. It is written that Simon was often called the zealot and was considered to have been a former Jewish nationalist revolutionary. Jude is sometimes confused with Judas Iscariot but was likely a relative of Jesus. Now Jude, he is relieved to have been a brother of Saint James the greater making him a cousin of Christ, the epistle Jude in the New Testament is traditionally attributed to him and here again we run into the word tradition which states that Simon and Jude traveled together on a mission to spread the gospel. Tradition holds that they ministered in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and ancient Persia, which is now the modern Iran.We wish to be very careful here how we put all this and remind you that we’re trying our best to be as accurate as we possibly can. Records indicate that the two of them together suffered martyrdom in Persia after being arrested because they refused to deny Christ, and of course they would not worship pagan deities. 

Now let’s focused for a moment on the apostle Simon. He was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. There seems to be a debate as to whether or not the name, zealot distinguishes him as a person who opposed the Roman occupation or was it because he was so zealous about the gospel and his dedication to Jesus Christ. Either way that’s a pretty good description and one he could be proud of. We always run across little bits and pieces as we do the research for these blogs and one that caught my eye was that Simon is mentioned in the New Testament only in the list of the 12 apostles such as in Matthew 10:4, mark 3:18, Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13. Remember the wedding in Cana, according to tradition, Simon was the groom at the wedding in Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine. There are those who believe having witnessed such a miracle only solidified his commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Now we will return to the subject of his preaching and Martyrdom. It is written and tradition states that he preached the gospel in various places, including Egypt, North Africa and Persia, it is also written that different descriptions of his death included crucifixion or being sawed in half. I guess we can wrap this up on Simon by saying that he still remains one of the more mysterious disciples of Christ with much of his story coming from non-biblical tradition rather than direct spiritual accounts. One thing that is obvious here is that the power of God through Jesus Christ enabled Simon to become a powerful voice for Jesus Christ and his ministry.

Jude and Thaddeus, two different men are the same person? Well, the answer seems to be that. Yes Jude and Thaddeus are widely believed to be the same person, one of the original 12 apostles of Jesus. And there is some evidence that has raised some debate as to the identification of such due to inconsistencies in the gospel accounts. But we will not get into that. What we look at is the evidence for Jude and Thaddeus being the same person. In Matthew and Mark in the gospels Thaddeus is included as a disciple. The name is used there, however in the corresponding list in the gospel of Luke and Acts, it’s Judas son of James, however, many of the early Christians and scholars have concluded that these are the same individual. Remember Judas Iscariot the apostle that betrayed Jesus, well again the scholars believed that the names Jude, or Thaddeus, which, by the way is an Aramaic word meaning “heart” or “courageous” but they used these to distinguish this disciple from the one who had betrayed Jesus. Now there are more explanations, but I think I’ll just try to conclude this by simply bringing it down to this… the linking of the name, Jude and Thaddeus was used to distinguish this apostle from Judas Iscariot. To kinda wrap it up if we can and not be too confused… the Jude who traveled with Simon to Peugeot was Saint Jude sometimes known as Jude Thaddeus, also known as the apostle Jude. After Christ’s Ascension Jude traveled to Mesopotamia while Simon went to Egypt and they eventually met and joined forces in Persia. As to be expected, their preaching in Persia was met with intense opposition from local rulers and priests, who then released charmed serpents against them. However, it is written the apostles performed miracles with the serpents, turning them on their masters, leading to the conversion of many Persians and their king, and it was here in Persia, just as Simon was, Jude was also martyred.

Please join us next week as we follow The Few as they take the Good News to The Many.

Life is Good

jk

There are times  that I find myself alone on the Porch  and as we age it is times like this that we tend to reflect more on what was. One danger in this is that we turn to self reflection… an old man’s check sheet so to speak. With me it is always about missed opportunities and that leads to better things.It is here that I messed up often. One thing that always is at the top of my list would be my not understanding the value of working harder in school, it wasn’t until my late thirties that I developed this attitude of wanting to learn more about things. Now let me preface this before writing this…I had a good home and good parents but I was never encouraged to do well in school. The importance of education beyond the ABC’s and simple math was never a subject of conversation in our home, sad to say just getting by was ok. We went to church and Sunday School every week, but I didn’t know why, it was just something good people did. Well I know better now… and I am ashamed to admit even in the mist of attending church regularly I didn’t see God. Oh I knew all the Sunday School stories, I was an acolyte, active in church services and in time knowledgable of doctrine and precepts of the liturgy in the church but I did not know God… When I think of missed opportunities, this is the one I regret most. I started writing this not knowing where It would go, kinda like I lived most of my life. 

According to the word counter there are 274 words on the page and I will add just a few more. Life is nothing more than a series of opportunities that present choices and require action. Some we grab but most are left to linger in indifference because of the effort they require. I end all my Pew Blogs with the tag line…Life is Good…and I agree with that! Ponder This! … “Life is God” …

The giver and sustainer of all life. Grab the opportunity to put GOD in your life and all those opportunities will fall into place.

Kurt   

As a Layman I always find and learn different things when I go a little bit beyond the word. Before we really get started on this weeks blog let’s examine the fact that Nathaniel is called Bartholomew because that’s his family name. Meaning he is the son of Tlmai and Nathaniel is his name. I will repeat that. To clear this up just a little bit, Betholomew is a surname or a family name and Nathaniel as we said above is his personal name. The gospel of John identifies him as Nathaniel while the other gospels referred to him as Bartholomew. Nathaniel is his Hebrew name. It means God has given. We find in the gospel of John that he is identified as Nathaniel. Now the other gospels, Matthew Mark and Acts referred to him as Bartholomew and he is listed as among the 12 apostles, they use his family name of Bartholomew. We can be sure that most scholars believe that Bartholomew and Nathaniel are the same person. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel is primarily known for his role as one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ that led to his missionary work. His missionary work was particularly in Armenia where he is believed to have been martyred, he also was recognized for his initial skepticism about Jesus which transferred into an unwavering faith. It is written of him that he was present at the last supper and that he did receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

He also uttered these words when first being made aware of Jesus…According to scripture, John 1:46  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” many Jews of that day believed that Nazareth and all the areas around Galilee were quite a wicked place. We all know from scripture Bartholomew or Nathaniel however, you want to view it, Bartholomew did see the risen Lord and he was present at the ascension. In doing my research and reading for this blog tradition indicates that Bartholomew was a minister of the gospel in Persia and in India. Now there are several reports or theories  of his demise one being that he was skined alive, beheaded, and then crucified because he refused to worship pagan gods. But there is really no biblical record of his death, it was also said that he was tied up in a sack and dropped into the sea. But whatever we read and whatever manner he left this earth he did die a martyrs death, all the apostles, except John died a martyr’s death.

Join us next week as we continue this series about how the apostles going forth after receiving the Spirit on Pentecost.

Life is Good

jk

Welcome to the back porch and the weather has been fantastic mid 70s to low 80s just perfect. I knew before we even got here to the porch that the ponder was going to be about the latest controversy that’s  engulfed the nation so to speak and that being Cracker Barrel. 

Founding: 1969–1980

Cracker Barrel was founded in 1969 by Dan Evins, a representative for Shell Oil, who developed the restaurant and gift store concept initially as a plan to improve gasoline sales. Designed to resemble the traditional country store that he remembered from his childhood, with a name chosen to give it a Southern country theme, Cracker Barrel was intended to attract the interest of highway travelers. Multiple origin stories of the name exists. From the 1760s onward, Scots-Irish settlers of the southern backcountry were called crackers,  Barrels of soda crackers could be found for sale in small-town stores across the American South in the early 1900s; people would stand around the barrels chatting and catching up, similar in purpose to contemporary office water coolers. Wikipedia

The Golden Arches are the globally recognized logo and a former architectural feature of the McDonald’s fast-food chain, originally conceived in the 1950s as a part of the restaurant’s drive-in design before becoming the brand’s primary symbol. Created by architect Stanley Clark Meston, the arches were intended to make the buildings stand out. While they have since been replaced by a single arch in the current logo, their cultural impact and recognition remain significant.

Waffle House, Inc. is an American restaurant chain with over 2,000 locations in 25 states in the United States. The bulk of the locations are in the Midwest and the South, where the chain is a regional cultural icon. The menu consists mainly of Southern breakfast food.

Source: Wikipedia

These iconic brands above and I have passed over many more, have over the years become a part , I might add a large part, of the memories of many people. Now let’s take a moment and ponder about this. This hadn’t been on the front burner too long before right away we see politics and other things become involved. Actually, truth is the three that I have listed  have this in common. They have in their own right become American cultural icons. There’s a much bigger issue here and the group on the porch finally worked their way around to it. I’ve told you many times before, but I’ll repeat it again, I am 82 years old, and I grew up through my youth into my adulthood and into my older years with these places as my happy places. I hope that I can express this correctly without offending anybody. When we speak of cultural what I’m thinking about is that these three that I’ve mentioned fit the need of about 80% of the population. Waffle House is a working man’s place to eat. Simple meals of most any thing you want, anytime you want them, well prepared, fast service and nice people. McDonald’s my goodness, a busy mom’s dream. At one time it was Inexpensive, ain’t now but still a place where the children are welcomed and an atmosphere that you can kinda trust. Of course there’s Cracker Barrel. I’ve always felt like the Cracker Barrel was kind of the uptown place for us, country boys, rednecks, and people who favored overalls most of the time but it’s more than that…It’s cooking like you mama used to do…the kind that her mother taught her how to cook. It’s the kinda food served around the family table. 

So let’s not drag this out. As we get older things change…not always for the best. Most of us here on the porch agree that the big hurt for us is seeing our world slowly go away, one memory at a time. Cracker Barrel stock has been sliding for some time and here is the reason…Quality, Service and Value matter…in short they changed everything instead of the root problem. The quality of the food and service had gone south…and I don’t mean geographically. Value is not a negational thing. People like to feel like they got what they paid for. No, don’t blame WOKE, the value of an honest days work for a honest days wage is gone…and that ain’t a Logo thing.  

PONDER THAT!

Kurt

This week the pew continues to look at the dispersal of disciples that morning of the day of Pentecost. Today we’re going to be looking at Philip of basidia and James, the son of Zebedee. We will start first with Philip. We will list the key aspects of Phillips story. Jesus directly called Philip to follow him and that can be found in John1:43. Philip came from Basidia the same town as Peter and Andrew. It is written that Philip brought Nathaniel also known as Bartholomew to meet Jesus. Philip was always full of questions, particularly during the feeding of the 5000 and at the last supper and I think we can look at this as his desire to understand what was happening. Peter does not enjoy an explicitly detailed place in the gospel tradition. It is suggested that Philip became a missionary and that he potentially traveled to Greece and other regions. It is written that Peter did suffer and was a marked man, and tradition states that Philip was murdered in Hierapolis by crucifixion, according to some of the accounts that we have. As a clarification of our studying here, there were four different men named Philip in the Bible, two of those were King Herod the Great’s sons, by two different wives. To continue to narrow it down just a bit more, the other two Phillips in the Bible we’re servants of Christ and instrumental in the early church. There was Philip the disciple and apostle of Christ and Philip the evangelist. We also want to point out just for informational reasons that Philip did go and find Nathaniel and bring him to Jesus and he became one of Jesus’s disciples. We don’t have a whole lot of biographical detail about Philip or really of any of the other disciples, but John does record several times when Philip spoke to Jesus. Now let’s get to that other Philip. We usually distinguish him from the disciple by the same name by simply calling him, Philip the evangelist or Philip the deacon. It was this Philip, who was one of the 72 men who Jesus sent out although the Bible doesn’t make that connection. We do know that Philip was one of the original seven deacons selected to serve in the Jerusalem church. We also know that Peter did have a heart for evangelism, and when that great persecution arose, which we can read about in Acts 8:1, Philip left Jerusalem to become a evangelist in Samaria. There is more but we’ll save that for another time. There is one interesting footnote that I would like to note, that 20 years later Philip the evangelist is in Caesarea and Paul, Luke, and others were traveling to Jerusalem, they stopped at Phillips home in Caesarea and they stayed with him for several days. It’s noted that Philip had four unmarried daughters at that time all of whom  had the gift of prophecy. This is the last time the Bible mentions the evangelist Philip.

Next, we move to James, the son of Zebedee. Here again we have to stop for just a second and clarify the fact that Jesus had two disciples named James. James, the son of Zebedee and James the son of Alphaeus but we’re not done there another James the half brother of Jesus who was never one of the 12 disciples but was a leader in the early church of Jerusalem. You can find that in act 15:13 and it was this James that wrote the epistle of James. For our study today, we are going to focus on James the son of Zebedee. As we did in our study of Philip, let’s look at some of the key facts about James the son of Zebedee. He was among the group of 12 apostles’s chosen by Jesus of course, and it is said he was one of his closest followers. Now James and his brother John were nicknamed the sons of thunder by Jesus, and it was due most likely to their sometimes fiery personalities and religious scholars often said they were rather passionate about much of what they were involved in or around. He was also part of the inner circle of three disciples along with Peter and John, who were allowed to witness key events like the Transfiguration of Jesus and the raising of Jairus’ daughter. James was put to death by Herod Agrippa, we can read about that and Acts 12:1-2. James preached in Spain and his body was later taken there for burial. Some other things worth noting about James, when Jesus called him to follow him, he was in a boat mending the fishing nets with his father and his brother John. How strong was the call to follow Jesus when he called them? They immediately left their boat and their father and followed him, Matthew 4:21–22. It is from this point on that James was in full-time ministry with Jesus. There was a time when they made an unreasonable request of Jesus….Mark 10:37 They replied, ‘When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.’ Jesus of course rejected their request, which was not looked at favorably by the other Disciples. Jesus did promise James, that he too would suffer, and as it turned out, he was one of the first of the apostles to be martyred. James learned much from that request that he had made to Jesus and we see how Jesus can mold us to blend with that which he wants done and to give us the courage to do it just by watching James as he grows in the faith. We learn without question that courage is a valuable asset in spreading the gospel, but at the same time, should not be allowed to descend into brash behavior. Jesus always encouraged those around him to temper their zeal with grace, and to carry on a steady commitment to the will of God.

Life is Good

jk

Here on The Porch we have two fans, ice tea and a box or crate to sit on, the heat we could do without. The Ponder today is difficult one and not the normal type of ponder we usually engage in, but it is my porch. Drop back to the late 50’s and yes I was there…so were a few of these guys on the porch this evening. It was Fonzie, Richie, Potsie and Ralph and the gang at Arnold’s… Those were “Happy Days”. Those were the days before America woke up but those “good times” gave birth to a monster. Somewhere amongst the milk shakes, cokes and French fries,  someone ordered a basket of Hate along with a new culture on the side…Thus was born The Culture of Hate. We flew into the sixties heading for the moon, got there in 1969. Before that in 1964 along came LBJ, the Civil Rights Act and Viet Nam. Somewhere in all of this and before, there was a small voice screaming to be heard…Martian Luther King. Now here is my Ponder for the day. My generation has been named the Silent Generation… The Silent Generation (1928-1945): Came of age during the post-war era, known for their conformist attitudes and silent approach to political and social issues. We didn’t speak up when they turned the dogs lose on people, used the high pressure firehoses or in some cases physical force. We saw the coming of age of such people who used the misery of their own people to gain influence and wealth. I know we have jumped around on these dates but all of us are just sharing our thoughts as they come about. All this time festering in the background our schools and churches were under pressure to join this culture change that was now gaining traction. By now this new way of dealing with others of different agendas reached its ugly height…in In November 1963, JFK was murdered, RFK June of ’68. But it didn’t stop there, in April of ’68 MLK was murdered. It happened before our very eyes. We saw the birth of this Culture of Hate and reacted without compassion or reason, giving them a platform in the minds of others and becoming just like them. I will answer a question asked many years ago… Why can’t we just get along? The answer…Because we have chosen not to!

Ponder That! 

Kurt

After that lead in I found it hard to follow that up. So here is gotquestions.org in their lead opening in a fine article from their website. 

“Matthew in the Bible was one of Jesus’ disciples. Matthew’s Gospel, along with the Gospels of Luke, John, and Mark, is an inspired—and thus accurate and true—history of the life of Christ. His Gospel is the longest of the four, and some scholars believe it was the first to be written.”

Matthew’s footprint is a big one in our study of the Gospel being the first written and the longest of the four gospels. Matthew deals with a lot of firsts. It seems like all the other books in the New Testament were always disputed as to the authorship. The tradition holds that this book was written by Matthew. As we’ve already written, it was the first one and it was the longest but there’s one other distinction that makes it stand out. Matthew was a tax collector and most tax collectors had a skill that very few other people had. Tax collectors were expected to be able to write in a form of shorthand, which essentially meant that Matthew could record a person’s words as they spoke, word for word and that enhances the possibility that because of that in chapters five through seven, the Sermon On The Mount is most likely almost certainly a perfect recording of that great message. Matthew wrote this book in the early period of the church probably  AD 55–65. This was a particularly interesting time in the early church because most of your Christians were Jewish converts so this focus of Matthew on Jewish perspective in this gospel is understandable. One other point and we’ve probably missed a few more but other point was that Jesus chose Matthew knowing that he was a tax collector. This particular fact helps us to understand that Jesus came for all people. We must remember that Matthew being a tax collector was one of the most despised people in that society at that time. Yeah, Jesus, sees in Matthew the possibility of good. Jesus accepts Matthew as he is, That should be a lesson for all of us to learn from. Consider these things as we move forward:

Matthews gospel puts an emphasis on Jesus as the Messiah, Matthew is very positive in his presentation of the Messiah. It is Jesus… he is the one who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and establishes God’s kingdom.

Going back and looking at some things again we see that this gospel of Matthew, which is considered the most Jewish of the four gospels demonstrates Jesus’s Jewish lineage and highlighting his fulfillment of Jewish law and prophecy. 

We’ve already mentioned the sermon on the mount and how it is most likely that what we are reading in Matthews account is the real thing Word for Word. The Sermon on the Mount where Jesus delivers teachings on ethics, righteousness, and the nature of God’s kingdom. 

The gospel begins with the genealogy, tracing Jesus’s lineage back to Abraham and David emphasizing his messianic credentials according to most biblical scholars. 

More important is that Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is Emmanuel, meaning “God with us,” pointing to Matthews, unwavering belief and faith of the divine nature of Jesus Christ. 

The gospel of Matthew includes accounts of Jesus, performing miracles, and healing the sick and demonstrating his power and compassion. We find here in this gospel of Matthew, there is a frequent use of the phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” instead of “Kingdom of God”, a distinction that would have resonated with a Jewish audience according to some biblical scholars. 

Matthew closes his gospel appropriately with the “Great Commission.” this, of course is where Jesus instructs his followers to go and make disciples of all nations.

Life is Good

jk

Little if any thing going on here on the Porch. I have been at this keyboard several times in the last two days and the truth is I find nothing worth the time to Ponder. There is no civility in conversation and the media in general has lost all objectiveness. People are being paid to be disruptive in both action and simple discourse. Leaders and people of influence have forgotten how to speak the kings English and because they have no real knowledge of what they are confronting or a solution, they curse to express themselves. The church in general in under constant attack and the family unit as we used to know it is being minimized daily and our education system no longer teaches…it has become a tool of indoctrination. Our values are are now agenda driven and lack reason or kindness. Also to be considered is the ever changing culture driven new norms that are more frequent in today’s society. So…where does all that take me and you…? My sister Pam is going to two engagement parties for our younger sisters grandchildren. Sometimes right under our noses we can find a reason to be happy and thankful for. If we look hard enough there will always be something to celebrate. 

Now that is as they used say…a recitation of the doom, gloom and despair, in the world out there. It overtook the mood on the porch but  consider this. Stay at home in heart and mind … PONDER the power and joy of Family, keep it close to your mind and heart.

Kurt 

It’s kind of funny how things get turned around in this day and time I am referring to that phrase that past generations are very much familiar with a “Doubting Thomas”. Where did that come from? From the Christian mind, in the Gospel of John, Thomas is absent when Jesus first appears to the disciples after his resurrection. When told of the event, Thomas famously declares he will not believe unless he can see and touch the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and the wound in his side. The writings that we have tell us at eight days later, Jesus appeared again and this time Thomas was present. Thomas is invited by Jesus to touch his wounds, prompting Thomas to declare his faith with the words, “My Lord and my God.”  it was in the synoptic gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke to put it in the way of writing lingo, Thomas doesn’t get a whole lot of ink so to speak and he was mentioned only in the listings of the apostles. However, in the gospel of John, Thomas plays a leading role with  two significant accounts. In John’s gospel, Jesus’ earthly ministry is nearing its end, and there are some people in Judea, who are plotting the Lord’s demise. It was during these times that the disciples receive the news that their friend Lazarus was at the point of death. The disciples were fearful for Jesus’s life as well as their own, and they tried to talk Jesus out of returning to Lazarus’s hometown of Bethany, which was near Jerusalem, where death threats certainly awaited them but Jesus could not be persuaded not to go. Thomas spoke to his fellow disciples. “Let’s go also that we may die with him”. Thomas’s readiness to stay with Jesus, despite the consequences is noteable. I am sure that there was a lot of uneasiness among many of the disciples and though Thomas’  outlook on things may have been a bit pessimistic and sometimes his words rather gloomy, Thomas demonstrated extreme loyalty to Jesus. I think it’s fair to say that many of us kind of fit in Thomases shoes we are deeply committed to our God, to our faith, to our church but we have doubts and questions just like anyone else. The story goes after the disciples were gathered together in a closed room and Thomas wasn’t there for some reason or other, but they passed on to Thomas the information that they had seen Jesus, that he had been there with them. It was at this point that Thomas uttered his famous words, “unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where his where the nails were and put my hand into his side. I will not believe.”

I guess it’s worth repeating with these famous words. Thomas learned a nickname that would be remembered throughout history, Doubting Thomas. Thomas’s deal was real and understandable, but it turned in to a truth, a loving quest, the truth being that Thomas’ doubt was not one of worldly opposition. It is important that we note at this particular point of our blog that Thomas had an honest skepticism and inquisitive nature which prompted him to continue to seek the truth when Jesus told him that he was going to his fathers house to prepare a place for them and the disciples were rightly confused. It was this honest skepticism and inquisitive nature that prompted him to be the first to ask, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way”? Several commentators have made a very very important point here. Jesus wasn’t talking about knowing a route or a location, but about knowing a person. Being sincere in our faith and asking questions doesn’t make us a bad person. Thomas was speaking honestly and with a sincere faith and that does not prohibit investigation. Today right now in our time we live on our faith after Jesus had confirmed Thomas’s faith he addressed all of us with these words from John’s gospel “because you have seen me you have believed, bless are those who have not seen and yet have believed”. These words of encouragement and validation from our savior have come down through the ages, and hopefully, as we read those words, we will be inspired to believe, defend our faith and live a fruitful life for him.

While it is true that Thomas demanded evidence of the miracle of Christ Resurrection before he accepted the truth, this doubt does not define the quality of his life. Thomas would go on to be better known for his loyalty, his obedience to the gospel, and his faith. Tradition tells us that Thomas traveled to India to preach the gospel and it is believed that he established Christian communities along the Malabar coast. I suppose that’s all that we’ll write at this point about St. Thomas. It’s interesting to note that faith overcame his doubts and he searched until he found the truth in that room confronting Jesus there and Jesus responding. I believe it can be honestly sad that his doubt became a lifetime of faith, service, and love to our savior.

Life is Good

jk