| There “they take counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk” (Mt 22:15); here “they lead Him unto the brow of a hill, that they may cast Him down headlong (Lk 9:29); at another place “they take up stones to cast at Him” (Jn 8:5); nowhere do they give Him “where to lay His head” (Mt 8:20); He raised up the dead, and His jealous enemies take counsel how to kill Him (Jn 9:43, 44, 46, 53). At the gates of Jerusalem the people salute Him as a King, and all the earthly authorities rise up to condemn Him as a malefactor. In the chosen circle of His friends He discovers an ungrateful traitor, and the first instrument of His death; the best of them are an “offence” unto Him, for at the very time He goes forth on the work of God, “they savour not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Mt 26:23). Wilt Thou not rest, Thou divine Cross-bearer, even for one moment from the yoke, ever pressing more heavily on Thy shoulders? Wilt Thou not rest, if not to renew Thy strength for new labours, at least in condescension to the infirmities of Thy followers? Yea, on coming nigh unto Golgotha, Thou wilt rest on Mount Tabor. Go up then unto the mountain of glory; let Thy face be lighted up by heavenly light—let Thy raiment become white and glistening—let the law and the prophets come to acknowledge in Thee their fulfilment—let the voice of Thy Father’s goodwill be heard! But do not you perceive, my hearers, how the Cross follows Jesus even to Mount Tabor, and how the preaching of the Cross is inseparable from the preaching of the glorification? Even there, amidst such great glory, of what do Moses and Elias speak unto Jesus? They speak of His Cross and Death: “And they spake of His decease” (Lk 9:31). Perhaps, to some of us, the mortal agony of Jesus appears to be unworthy of the Holy One. Be it known to such, that this agony was not the result of human impatience, but of divine justice. Could “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8) fly from His altar of sacrifice? He, “Whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world” (Jn 10:36)—He, Who had from eternity taken upon Himself the office of Mediator between man and God, could He be shaken in His work, by the thought only of suffering? If He could feel any impatience it was but the impatience to accomplish our salvation and to bless us. |
| After His Resurrection the Lord appears to his apostles and grants them the authority to forgive human sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. He tells the apostles: «As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! Whoever’s sins you forgive, they are forgiven them. Whoever’s sins you retain, they have been retained”» (John 20. 21–23; compare Mt.16:19). These words may be understood not only as granting the apostles the competence to baptize, but also as the foundation of the Sacrament of Repentance in the life of the church . In the Gospel of Matthew an analogous doctrine is set forth by the Lord in the context of the church life: first He speaks of the sinning brother convicted of sin before the Church, and than He concludes: «Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven» (Mt 18. 18). c) The doctrine of repentance by the Holy Apostles The holy apostles’ doctrine of repentance, on the one hand, follows the Lord Jesus Christ when considering repentance as conversion , i.e. the preparatory stage for entering the Church. The Holy Apostle Peter in his speech in the porch of the Jerusalem Temple sees repentance as a condition for the forgiveness of the sins and for entering the messianic kingdom: « Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out ( μ ετανοσατε ον κα πιστρψατε, ες τ ξαλειφθναι μν τς μαρτας ), so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was appointed for you » (Acts 3. 19–20) Repentance upon entering the Church sometimes went with confession, probably public, by those who turned from their sins (Acts 19. 18). On the other hand the holy apostles’ doctrine of repentance adds to the practical aspect of the church’s life a teaching about repentance that must characterize the life of the early Christian communities from the very beginning of regular Christian life. There emerges a necessity to tell people who have already become Christians about repentance. The Christians meant here are those who show that they are spiritually weak and have committed the vile sins described as «sins leading to death» by the apostle John the Evangelist (1 Jn 5. 16). It has become clear that until the Lord’s final triumph over the whole creation that will happen only at the Second Coming, even faithful Christians bear some responsibility for sin, and even that they sin, although these sins are of a very different type, but those which do not deprive Christians of God’s grace, and are called by the apostle; «sins not leading to death» (1 Jn 5. 16), a reminder of the sickness of human nature and the depravity of the whole world. |
| And the apostles, having often betrayed Christ, having feared just like normal people, and having experienced doubts, proved this faith with their whole lives and their apostolic ministries. They were stronger than the rulers of this world, stronger than the laws, stronger than pagan teachings, and stronger than the Pharisees with their ancient traditions; and they feared nothing, preaching the Gospel to all ends of the universe. They gave their lives for Christ, and like their Teacher, they also proved that life is mightier than death, and that the Lord is more important for us all than the temporary fulfillment of our passions. The apostles belonged to the family of those who saw Christ and believed. Returning then to today’s Gospel reading, the Savior’s words, addressed to the apostle Thomas and the other disciples, acquire a particular importance for us. After the Lord showed Thomas His wounds, he said, My Lord and my God! (Jn. 20:28). This is the witness he brought. And Jesus answered, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed (Jn. 20:29). This firstly refers to the following generations of Christians, to the disciples of the apostles, the disciples of those disciples, and to us all. We have not seen Christ, come into the world in the flesh, and therefore we are worthy of such blessedness—having not seen Him, we believe. The fathers of the Church say that this bliss is a pledge of great blessings for us, perhaps greater than the holy apostles were accounted worthy of, but on condition that we, like the apostles, full of this blessedness, must give our entire lives to Christ, and serve His Gospel evangelism. This is the condition for felicity. Such a great gift the Lord gives us: We are more blessed in this world than the apostles. There is another kind of people, who saw Christ and heard the Gospel message, but remained unbelieving. First among these was the Pharisees and the Sadducees , who understood Who it was that stood before them, Who came into this world. These were people of the Scripture, perfectly knowing the prophecies, but they did not receive Christ. And we, Christians, knowing the Gospel, often find ourselves in their place. Sometimes our knowledge as if further removes us from Christ. |
| On Martyrdom, and the Maccabees Treaty of St. Cyprian of Carthage ( † September 14, 258): That it was predicted before that the world would hate us, and that it would stir up persecutions against us, and that no new thing is happening to the Christians—for from the beginning of the world the good have suffered, and the righteous have been oppressed and slain by the unrighteous. St. Cyprian of Carthage. The Lord in the Gospel forewarns and foretells, saying: If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also ( Jn. 15:18–20 ). And again: The time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you (Jn . 16:2–4 ). And again: Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy (J n. 16:20 ). And again: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (J n. 16:33 ). And when His disciples questioned Him concerning the sign of His coming, and the consummation of the world, He answered, saying: And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. |
| Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice (Jn. 13:36-38). St. John Chrysostom also states quite clearly the magnificent transformation of Thomas, and his great courage: “Now they all feared the attacks of the Jews, but Thomas above the rest; wherefore also he said: Let us go, that we also may die with Him . Some say that he desired himself to die; but it is not so; the expression is rather one of cowardice. Yet he was not rebuked, for Christ as yet supported his weakness, but afterwards he became stronger than all, and invincible. For the wonderful thing is this; that we see one who was so weak before the Crucifixion, become after the Crucifixion, and after having believed in the Resurrection, more zealous than any. So great was the power of Christ. The very man who dared not go in company with Christ to Bethany, the same while not seeing Christ ran well nigh through the inhabited world, and dwelt in the midst of nations that were full of murder, and desirous to kill him” (St. John Chrysostom, sermon on St. John’s Gospel, verse 21:12). Question And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst ... Then saith he to Thomas ... and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God (Jn. 20:26-27 (parts), 20:28). What is the theological meaning of St. Thomas’s expression of worship? Answer An Old Believer Sermon, based mostly on the writings of St. John Chrysostom and Blessed Archbishop Theofylact of Bulgaria, among others, explains that the expression “My Lord and my God” indicates the dual nature of Christ. As a man, He is called Lord, as an earthly king might be, and also is God. |
| The Aposticha for the Vespers service echoes this idea: “O strange wonder,/unbelief hath given birth unto steadfast faith!/For Thomas said:/Unless I see, I shall not believe./And when he touched the side of Christ,/he spake with divine authority/concerning the Incarnate One Who is the very Son of God,/and recognized Him as the One Who suffered in the flesh./He proclaimed the Risen God, and cried with a radiant voice://O my Lord and my God, glory be to Thee.” When Thomas proclaimed “My Lord and My God”, he was saying something wholly unique, never said before. This was the first time Jesus was explicitly called God by one of His disciples. Question How many times had the apostles as a group seen the risen Lord before St. Thomas saw Him and believed? Answer Jesus appeared to all the apostles save Thomas on the eve of the day of the Resurrection—Sunday evening. He did not appear again unto them until eight days later, when Thomas was with them. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst ... But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst... (Jn. 20:19a, 24,26a). Question What important priestly charism was given by Christ when He came to the upper room the first time He saw the apostles? Answer Jesus gave the apostles, and whom they would appoint, and their successors, down through the ages, the authority to bind and loose sins. A priest (or bishop, of course), usually exercises this authority and responsibility in the sacrament of confession. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. ... Then said Jesus to them again, 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 Ghost: Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained (Jn. 20:19, 21-23). |
| The risen Lord gives him this opportunity. When seven days had passed, on the eighth, that is, on the following Sunday, Christ again appears to the disciples, grants them His peace, and invites the apostle Thomas to touch His glorified and most pure flesh. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (Jn. 20:27-29). The apostle Thomas did not touch the risen Savior, but when he saw Him he believed straightway in the Resurrection. “Christ’s … body had within it the source of divine light, which, having shone, forth spiritually enlightened … Thomas.” So many people have not stood face to face with the risen Christ and yet believe in Him! The goal of man’s spiritual life is union with the risen Savior, to contemplate Him in the depth of the heart, and faith here plays a decisive role. When Christ rises within the rational soul of a believing person, He overcomes its sinful suggestions, just as He once overcame the sealed stone tomb. The one who dedicates himself to the unfathomable power of the Resurrection attains theosis , deification, and thus fulfills the goal of his existence. We especially need this rebirth: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4). It follows that Pascha is the coming of Christ in the depth of the heart, it is the coming of God the Word to human reason. And if the feast of Christ’s Resurrection is a yearly Pascha, then there is also a weekly Pascha—each Sunday. For when we come together for Divine Liturgy, at the Eucharist we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ; that is, we ourselves take part in the Pascha of the Lord. Blessed is he in whom faith precedes seeing and accepting! Therefore, blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed (Jn. 20:29) |
| Thomas knew the commandments of Christ, and he knew where to draw the strength to fulfill them. He lived this. Although he lived without the human presence of Christ, he lived in Christ. He was afraid to make a mistake. What if another Christ had appeared to the disciples, not the One in Whom he lived and continued to live? This is what his “I will not believe” meant. And on the eighth day after His Resurrection, the Lord again appeared to His disciples, while Thomas was also in the house, and allowed him to touch His wounds. And here resounded Thomas’s triumphant cry, which even now stirs our hearts: “My Lord and my God!” (Jn. 20:28). And here are the words of Christ which relate to you and me, opening a new era of faith which will remain until the end of the world: “Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed… But these are written,” adds the Apostle John the Divine, “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name” (Jn. 20:29, 31). Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Opening a New Era of Faith: On Thomas’s Sunday Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko, 1893-1978) Thomas knew the commandments of Christ, and he knew where to draw the strength to fulfill them Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. |
| Tweet Нравится We Are More Blessed Than the Apostles A Homily for Thomas Sunday Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov) Christ is Risen! We heard in the Gospel reading today about what assurance one of the twelve apostles—the apostle Thomas—received. The Lord appeared to the disciples after His Resurrection. When He appeared, He showed them His hands and feet as proof of His Resurrection, and did so more than once. But the apostle Thomas, who was not present with them, expressed some doubt , and responded to the words of the disciples about how they had seen the Lord, 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 (Jn. 20:25). Eight days later the merciful Lord again appeared to the disciples, gathered in one house behind closed doors, and said to Thomas: Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing (Jn. 20:27). The apostle Thomas’ doubt has become to some extent proverbial, has grown wings, and become common knowledge, and often causes us modern Christians to even condemn the apostle Thomas. We wonder, how could he have doubted? In reality, even in the Gospels we see that there is nothing surprising in this. The apostle Thomas was not alone in his doubt. If we look closely at the Gospel events after Christ’s Resurrection, we see with what doubt the apostles often responded to what was happening. They did not believe Mary Magdalene (cf. Mk. 16:9-11), and they did not believe Luke and Cleopas, when the Lord appeared to them on the road to Emmaus (cf. Lk. 24:1316), but they constantly doubted. Therefore, to confirm them in faith, the Lord gave confirmation of His human nature, by eating before them and showing them His wounds. But what fruit the apostle Thomas’ doubt brought the Church! The Lord again proved that He is the true God, and that He is risen from the dead. And the Church even lauds this unbelief of Thomas in its hymns today, thanks to which we are strengthened in faith. Faith only asserts itself by this unbelief. |
| 4. The duration of this period will be brief and yet it will constitute one of the signs signalling the immediacy of the Second Coming of Christ. (Mat. 24:22; Rev. 13:5, 20:3) Therefore, it should be clearly known that the first resurrection is the baptismal resurrection and the second resurrection is that which we await on the last day, the last resurrection. Furthermore, it should also be clear that the first death is the natural one or the separation of the soul from the body, while the second death is the eternal torment [of hell] (Mt. 18:8), so called due to its opposition to the blessed life of eternity (Jn. 5:24). It should also be clear that this second death has no power over those made worthy of the first resurrection. Likewise, from this it follows that the first death, from which not even the saints are delivered, is the natural or bodily death. In Holy Scripture someones sinful condition is also compared to a kind of death. It is with this meaning that the Saviour says to one of His disciples who had asked leave to first go and bury his father, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead (Mat. 8:22). Likewise does He speak with this in mind when saying, He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die (Jn. 11:25). The Apostle also had this meaning in mind when he wrote, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:11, 8:10). Moreover, with this meaning as well is it written to the angel ( επσκοπο ) of the Church in Sardis: I know thy works, and that thou hast a name that thou livest, but thou art dead (Rev. 3:1). This does not, however, constitute the first death, as the baptismal resurrection constitutes the first resurrection, considering that this death is a condition that leads t o but is not already the fact of death. When we spoke of resurrection and death above we had in mind not merely a condition or state but a specific action or event—of resurrection and of death respectively. |
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