According to the Gospel, the disciples went into hiding after the rumors spread among the Jews that they were the ones who stole the body of Christ in order to later claim he had risen from the dead. They were gathered all together and they were speaking with frustration, when the Lord appeared before them. He asked them to make peace and explained that He was now leaving them in His place. He gave them the authority to hear people's confessions and forgive their sins in His name. He empowered them with His Holy Spirit and made them preachers of His Gospel.
“Peace be unto you. As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”
The Gospel then refers to Christ's disciple Thomas, whose name has been associated with the adjective "doubting." Thomas seems to be absent at the appearance of Christ. When he returns and hears from the other apostles what happened, he is unable to believe it. In fact, he appears insistent and he even asks for solid evidence of the Lord's resurrection. He states:
“Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Thus, the Gospel passage concludes with these words of Thomas, with his doubts and weakness before the miracle of the Resurrection.
Doubting Thomas
Although the feast of Thomas is celebrated a week after the Resurrection Sunday, it is important to note his presence in this passage. Although Thomas is a disciple of Christ, a man who has received the grace of the Holy Spirit and has experienced the Transfiguration of the Lord, appears to be unfaithful in this particular passage. He cannot accept the revelation of the risen Christ as all the other Apostles describe it to him; moreover, he stubbornly insists that it cannot be true. He has no doubts, shows no faith, and even asks for tangible evidence to accept the miracle.
Here, Thomas becomes one of us. Despite all that he has experienced at the side of Jesus Christ, despite the blessing he has received, his human nature, his mind and logic remain unfaithful to a miracle. Just as we often turn away from the blessings that have been given to us, and look for tangible evidence, so Thomas, as a man of his time, wants to touch the palms of Jesus in order to be convinced. Of course, why would Jesus appear to his disciples while Thomas was away? It could not be a random event. One possible explanation is that through Thomas' disbelief, Jesus wanted to reflect the disbelief of all of us. He therefore makes Thomas the first of the doubters, while soon after he will offer him repentance and forgiveness, thus demonstrating that all of us have equal opportunities.
The eschatological meaning of Jesus’ Resurrection
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ remains the fundamental event of our faith. In fact, Christianity would probably be deprived of all meaning if the Lord didn't die as a man and rise again as a God. This very event, as a historical fact, proves human nature to be more that its materiality. People are saved from death because Hades is abolished after God's presence in it. Instead, humanity gains the privilege of the hereafter. The resurrection of Christ gives meaning to the life and existence of each person; it is the light and hope for all of us.
Hymn to the Resurrection
“The Day of Resurrection! O People, let us be radiant. It is Pascha, the Lord’s Passover; for Christ God has carried us over from death to life, from earth to heaven, as we sing a victory hymn.
