God in the Arts

The Rev Michael Burgess continues his series on God in the Arts with ‘The Incredulity of St Thomas’ by Peter Paul Rubens. It hangs in the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, Belgium.

‘My Lord and my God’

The calendar allows us to celebrate St Thomas the apostle in this month of July as well as traditionally in December. Thomas is mentioned with the other disciples in all the Gospels, but it is in the 4th Gospel that he moves into the centre of the stage in his own right. In chapter 14 he queries the words of Jesus that evokes the confession ‘I am the way and the truth and the life’ from our Lord. Then after the resurrection, when unconvinced by the accounts of the others, Thomas has that memorable and moving encounter with the risen Lord. In chapter 20 Jesus meets him in his doubts and his faith is restored.

The Incredulity of St Thomas’ is the subject of this month’s painting by Peter Paul Rubens. Rubens (1577-1640) lived mainly in Antwerp, but his work displays a delight in sumptuous colour and the human form, which he would have learnt from his studies in Italy. Rubens was a good-humoured and genial person, and as a Roman Catholic, he cherished his religion and faith. This painting is from 1614 and is part of a triptych. The two outer panels portray the patrons who commissioned the work for their chapel in the Franciscan church in Antwerp – Nicholaas Rockox and his wife.

In this central panel, Thomas gazes in wonder at the marked hand of Jesus. He is there with a youthful St John and another disciple, who is looking at the face of the Lord. The light in the canvas comes from the risen body of Jesus, and the disciples move from the shadows into that light as their faith in the risen Lord grows and matures. In a moment, Thomas will raise his head and look up to Jesus. It is a momentous occasion in John’s Gospel, for this meeting of master and servant, of Lord and disciple, is not just an exercise in overcoming doubt. It is an affirmation that only God can raise or be raised from death. Only God has the key to life. Thomas recognises Jesus fully and completely as he utters the words ‘My Lord and my God.’

John ends his Gospel by saying, Yes, there was this moment of personal encounter, but believing without seeing is testimony to a more profound faith. Then it is not we who are invited to touch our Lord, but Jesus who can touch us. In the painting, one hand is turned towards the disciples, the other reaches out to us. We may come to Jesus, like Thomas, with doubts and concerns, with worry and anxiety. Jesus will meet us in the honesty and openness of our faith to reassure us that he is, as he was for Thomas, the way, the truth and the life – our Lord and our God.