John 20:19-31 Thomas does not believe the other disciples. Thomas and the Disciples. Ravenna. Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo He has been with them for 3 years. At times life will have been intense, and they will have had to completely rely on each other. But when the other disciples tell Thomas that they have seen Jesus, that he is risen from the dead; when they tell him that they have seen his hands and side, Thomas refuses to believe them. We are told a little about Thomas in John’s gospel. When Jesus says that he is going to Jerusalem, Thomas says to the other disciples, “Let’s go with him so that we may die with him”. And later, when Jesus says that his disciples know the way to the place where he is going – Thomas asks, ‘How can we know the way?’. And Jesus answers him by saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” I think it tells us quite a bit about Thomas It tells us that he imagined in his mind the worst possible outcome: death for Jesus and death for Jesus’ ...
Acts 10:34-43 This reading is about the passing on of a message. It was a message that began in Galilee with John the Baptist. It spread through Judea to Jerusalem, and from there to all people. The Acts of the Apostles ends with the message reaching the centre of the then world: Rome It is a very simple message. It is about Jesus God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power to do good and to set people free. God raised this Jesus, who they rejected and crucified, from the dead. It is an incredible, almost unbelievable message. André Kamba Luesa (Congolese, 1944–1995), The Resurrection), 1992. Easter, Day 6: Mfurahini, Haleluya – Art & Theology When the women told the first followers of Jesus that the tomb was empty and that men in dazzling clothes had said that Jesus was risen – the disciples do not believe them. It is only when they see the empty tomb for themselves, and the graveclothes wrapped up in a separate place, that the penny begins to drop. And notice here how Pe...