PESACH 3

John 20:1-29

The Besroah Portion of this weeks Parsha comes from John 20:1-29. At the end of this chapter we see the interaction between Yeshua and Thomas. This is one of my favorite interactions to read about and one of the most important in the Besorah. John 20:27-29 Reads “Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe!” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Yeshua said to Him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet have believed!””

‌It is easy to read this at first glance and think that Yeshua is critical of Thomas and that he is intimating that those that have believed without seeing these wounds are blessed more greatly. I think Yeshua knew what Thomas wanted to do and planned for this very interaction with Thomas. In doing so Thomas is enabling a blessing for those of us that could not or would not be present to see the wounds of Yeshua. As well Thomas showed ultimate faith.

When we look at the word faith it is often defined as a belief in something that we cannot see or prove to be true. Hope is similar in that it is a desire for something we believe in. These both are very similar to each other yet neither really fit to what the intention is in the message when we read the word faith in the scriptures. Faith is often times used as a translation of the Hebrew word emunah. The definition of the word emunah is a belief or trust in something that has been proven true.

For me this is important. I do not believe that our creator put us in a world for the purpose of living our whole life believing in something, namely him, without any evidence to support it what so ever. I mean the very description of this is literally asking some one to deny every experience they had on the basis of what someone else has said. It is literally insanity. As well I do not believe our creator is so cruel or vicious as to want to guessing games with his creations as to his nature or who he is. Thankfully I have the testimonies of billions of people to attest to his goodness. So if our creator is not that then why does he not reveal himself fully to each of us. Well I think he does and not in some mystical or mysterious way but very directly and intentionally.

When we look at Yeshua after his resurrection. He talked with Peter, he hugged John, he ate with many of his disciples, but only Thomas do we read about actually placing his hands in the wounds. In doing this Thomas took his hope and turned it in to true Faith or just truth he turned in to Emunah a proven belief and we that have not seen are blessed because of it.

I want to be like Thomas. I want to have emunah like Thomas. It is not enough to have belief, I want to be part of the proof that HaShem is good and loves us.