We've Been There

"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.' " - John 20:24-25

I sometimes catch myself thinking about how easy it would have been if I had been a disciple. To see Jesus's works, to hear him speak, to talk with other disciples about his personal prophesies - but 2000 years later, all I have are these words - the words in the New Testament - to carry me through. How lucky the disciples were to have had him in their midst!

But this passage brings me back to earth - and reminds me that, even with him there, it wasn't easy. Thomas portrays this fact quite plainly - demanding physical proof that Jesus rose from the dead before he would believe it And while, in the end, Jesus provides it to Thomas - we are still only left with these words.

But we're lucky too. Because, unlike the disciples, we see the whole picture - all 2000 years of it. We see the struggle, the pain, the revelations and the experiences of fellow believers - past and present - and can stand on that when we're having a "Thomas moment". For the disciples, it was pretty much just them - they had each other to rely on and not much else.

We have 2000 years of history to rely on. In the scope of the earth, that's not a long time. But in the scope of humanity, that's an eternity.