Too Good to Be True?

Ivonne J. Hernandez examines a common thread in the Resurrection stories.

What is the first thing most of us do before buying an item or service? We look for reviews, usually first online, but if possible, we ask our family, friends, and neighbors for their experiences and recommendations.

It’s all about trust, isn’t it? In the end, we are always searching for the truth.

So what happens when we hear something that seems “too good to be true”? When the stakes are high and there is no room for error, a trustworthy witness becomes really important.

This problem is not unique to our times; we hear this question in a familiar Gospel story, the story of Doubting Thomas. 

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But Thomas said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:24-25)

Jesus has risen from the dead! Talk about something that seems too good to be true! Can the stakes get any higher?

In all of the Resurrection stories, there is doubt until Jesus speaks. Mary Magdalene hears Him speak her name; the disciples on the road to Emmaus feel their hearts burning when He explains the Scriptures; the Eleven doubted when they saw Him but believed when He spoke to them.

When the disciples told Thomas they had seen the Lord, they only had the power of their own words behind their testimony. It was not until Jesus spoke to him that Thomas believed.

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Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

The disciples, before Pentecost, had only the power of their word. But, after Pentecost, the new Apostles speak God’s Word, and lives are changed. We, who have been made a new creation through Baptism, are also called to be witnesses of the Resurrection, and the stakes are really high! 

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. (Ephesians 5:8-9)

Isn’t this what everyone is searching for … goodness, righteousness, and truth? Our friends and family need our word-of-mouth recommendation, our story, our witness. We must strive for holiness so that the Holy Spirit dwelling within us will speak the Word to those around us and pierce their hearts with the power of Truth.