Musings about Faith

Read the text here: John 20:19-31 Poor Thomas.  Over the last 2000 years we have come to know the disciple Thomas as “doubting Thomas” because of this one episode in the Gospel of John.  “Unless I see… and touch… and place my hands… I will not believe,” says Thomas.  One can hardly blame him.  After all, the other disciples have not exactly been paragons of faith.  Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied he even knew Jesus and the others?  Well, our text tells us they are hold up in a secret room hiding with the door locked!  Not exactly a testimony of great faith. These disciples (or at least some of them) had seen Jesus tortured and crucified.  They knew he was dead.  They had seen him do amazing miracles including raising Lazarus, and they had heard him predict his own resurrection.  But of course we know that they really didn’t seem to pay much attention to that.  And affecting ones own resurrection is quite a differe...

Read the text here: Mark 16:1-8 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus.  And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. Mark 16:1-2 Jesus had constantly told his disciples, which included the 12, and some other followers including these women that he would be crucified and then he would rise on the 3 rd day.  The male disciples, of course, miss this point completely, and here, in the last chapter of St. Mark, it appears that the women also have not gotten the point either.  And so, they arrive at the tomb early on the first day of the week and there they find that the stone has been rolled away and a young man is sitting in an empty tomb dressed in white.  The young man speaks – Do no be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He has been raised; He is not here.  ...