It was still the first day of the week. That evening, while the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.” Thomas, the one called Didymus, one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.” After eight days his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!” Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.” Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples’ presence, signs that aren’t recorded in this scroll. But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name (John 20:19-31, CEB)
Finally, a translation that gets it closer to what the original language said. (Notice I didn’t say right, because we are still dealing with stories written a really long time ago in a language that is dead.)
This passage has been known as the doubting Thomas passage, which gives Thomas a bad rap. The passage usually has Jesus saying to Thomas, “Do not doubt but believe.” Theissues with this is the original langauage is ἄπιστος ἀλλὰ πιστός. In the original language, placing an α in front of a word was the same as in English putting an un in front of a word. And πιστός means faith, belief, trust. So if we say Jesus said, “Do not doubt, but believe.” We are saying doubt is the opposite of faith or belief. Which I do not think doubt is the opposite of faith, that is certainty. But the translation above says, “No more disbelief. Believe!”
Do not be unbelieving but believing!
Do not be untrusting but trusting!
Do not be unfaithful but faithful!
Believe in the promises. Jesus told us, God is faithful!
Loving People. Loving God.
aSacredRebel 