Here’s a man we can all identify with because we all feel doubt sometimes. Yet to be fair to Thomas the other disciples had already seen Jesus when he appeared to them in the upper room. Understandably Thomas wanted to see for himself – but note what he asked to see was Jesus’ wounds, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the marks of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe”.
Thomas wanted to see the wounds that had made Jesus vulnerable, that tie him to humanity. When Jesus appeared Thomas saw that those wounds now have no power over Jesus because God has raised him back to life, so although Jesus still bears the scars, he no longer feels their pain. Thus it is the scars Jesus bore that gave Thomas comfort, showing him, and all of us that there is life after wounds.
What’s more, Jesus teaches us through Thomas the transforming power of God’s love because our pain can teach us how to feel compassion for those we meet who are also suffering. By reaching out to them we contribute to their healing as well as to our own. Thus we too can have life after wounds if we surrender to the healing power of “My Lord and my God”.
