Tag: John

Today, the church remembers Mary Magdalene in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Mary Magdalene is described as one of the women from Galilee, who gave financial and domestic support to Jesus and his disciples. She is also described as having been present at Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. However, it is in John’s gospel that Mary Magdalene is given pride of place as the first witness of the resurrection and of the risen Christ himself.

Down the centuries, a considerable mythology has grown up around the persona of Mary Magdalene, much of it negative. In fact, the gospels give little evidence of her character. It is only in Luke’s gospel that we read seven demons had gone out of her, and it is generally assumed that it was Jesus who had exorcised her. This reference is followed immediately by the account of Jesus’ feet being anointed by a sinful woman at the house of Simon the Pharisee. Rightly or wrongly, it has been assumed by many, that the sinful woman was Mary Magdalene.

So why does the church remember this little-known character from the gospel narrative? The answer, I believe, lies in today’s reading.

It was Mary Magdalene, not one of the twelve, who found the empty tomb, and first encountered the risen Christ.

It was also to Mary Magdalene that something new was revealed. In the midst of the tears and the joy that must have overwhelmed Mary, Jesus gave her news of a new relationship between God himself and the whole of humanity.

Jesus said, Go to my brothers. Previously, they had been his disciples, servants, or friends.

Jesus said, I am ascending to my Father, and your Father; my God, and your God. Previously Jesus had spoken of the Father, or the Father who sent me, or my Father.

To this faithful penitent, the risen Christ revealed, in just a few words, tucked into the shadow of the most amazing moment in human history, an invitation to us all, an invitation to become his brother or sister, a child of the same heavenly Father, the Father who is also the one true God.

I hope and pray that you are rushing to accept that invitation right now.

There are very few Christians who can say that they have never experienced times of doubt.  Even our Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby once spoke to a journalist of his own times of doubt.

In the verses immediately preceding today’s reading we hear of the other disciples rejoicing, only after Jesus had shown them his hands and his side.

We should not be surprised by Thomas’ doubt. In fact, we could view it as an example of faithful discipleship. Jesus had warned his followers to be wary of false messiahs and false prophets. Thomas was being cautious and taking care to obey his Lord and Master.

Despite these additional thoughts, we still identify Thomas as being the one who doubted.

Faith is an essential part of living as a Christian. None of us can share in the first disciples’ privileged position of actually seeing the risen Jesus, complete with the wounds of the crucifixion. We have to number ourselves with those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.

For many, belief comes before faith. These people develop a confidence in their picture of Jesus, and then comes the personal commitment to follow him in faith. For others, the process is reversed, a leap of faith is made without a foundation of any particular beliefs. Wherever we are on this spectrum, belief and faith each give rise to doubt.

For many Christians doubt occurs whenever a gap opens between our personal experience and the picture of dogma, tradition and scripture that we have chosen to live by.

It is commonly thought that strong faith never doubts. But … we need to be wary of that phrase ‘strong faith’. What it usually means is ‘faith set in concrete’: beliefs and religious practices that are never allowed to vary and develop, beliefs and religious practices that eventually stand in the way of us developing a living relationship with our Living God.

Thomas doubted. But, Thomas was ready to have it proved that he was wrong. His strong faith in Jesus still allowed his mind to open when confronted with something new, something unexpected, something that had definitely never been seen before.

Then Thomas spoke those words that should be ever on our own lips: My Lord and my God.

May those words of Thomas be ever with us as we face the challenges that cause us to share in his moments of doubt.