Art and Faith: The Incredulity of St. Thomas by Caravaggio

 


"Now Thomas, one of the Twelve was not with them when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he said to them, 'Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.' . . .
Jesus came and stood among them and said . . . "Put your finger here and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side.  Do not disbelieve, but believe.' Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!'" John 20:24-29

In "The Incredulity of St. Thomas," Caravaggio captures the moment when  the Apostle Thomas, ever the rational skeptic, finally sees and believes in the risen Lord.  Jesus gently guides Thomas' trembling hand to probe the wound in his side as Thomas stares in dumbstruck, bug-eyed astonishment and wonder at the irrefutable proof of Jesus' resurrection and Lordship.  This is no ghost or figment of wishful thinking--this is the flesh and blood risen Lord and God!

Caravaggio was one of the most talented painters in 16th century Italy, perfecting the technique of chiaroscuro--the dramatic contrast of light and dark to heighten the dramatic and emotional effect of a painting.  Caravaggio was also one of the first painters to portray biblical characters, not as haloed otherworldly beings, but as real people (just look at the rips in Thomas' clothing, the wrinkles on his forehead, and the dirt under his fingernails--he is every bit as down-to-earth and human as we are).  In order to capture the grittiness and brokenness of humanity in his paintings, Caravaggio often hired prisoners, prostitutes, and beggars to sit as models for his biblical figures.  He wanted us to recognize ourselves--our own brokenness and need for grace-- in the figures he was portraying.

I can't look at this picture without feeling a little uncomfortable.  There is something almost offensive about Thomas' dirty fingers invading the risen Jesus' open wound.  We cringe at seeing something so defiled and rough coming into such intimate contact with something so holy and pure, but we see that Jesus welcomes and even encourages the contact.  This painting reminds me that Jesus welcomes and encourages us, as dirty and defiled as we are, to draw near, to touch His wounds and to believe.  Our dirty fingers will not soil or infect Jesus, but His purity and resurrected life can transform and cleanse us as we see, believe, and receive the grace He offers.  He calls to each of us, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side.  Do not disbelieve, but believe!" 

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