Thomas and the lost coin

'Thomas and the lost coin' by Bill Bingham

Thomas was the doubter, who felt the wounded hand,
And not for single moment was Thomas ever banned.
No fire was lit, no stones were thrown, just balm for anxious mood,
Great Love was what was found there; a Gospel understood.

But coin was lost as years rolled by, as priests and rabbis faltered,
The scribes of Greece penned gospels, with myth they duly altered.
We’ve killed them and we’ve burned them, who’ve questioned what was said,
But Thomas knew the answer, that priests have rarely heard.

We cannot love what causes fear, though some may bow and scrape,
Before their idols and their fonts; the bread and wine partake.
No man-made rules, no holy smoke, take place of sweet compassion,
The coin lost can still be found, when ‘self’ begins to ration.

‘Forget thyself!’ Yeshua said. Gautama taught it too.
These sayings point to harmony ‘tween Indian and Jew.
The troubled world spins round and round, the people are confused,
Religion taught with violence leaves humans badly bruised.

The knife in hand of surgeon is a tool of great repair,
The knife in hand of darkened heart brings nothing but despair.
But men who let such thoughts affirm, bring pain and death and sorrow,
Won’t find their souls in Paradise. Oh! Such a false tomorrow!

Thomas was the doubter, who felt the wounded hand,
Not for a single moment was Thomas ever banned.
No fire was lit, no stones were thrown, no knife was ill-prepared,
For gentle doubting Thomas, whose Holy life was spared.

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When Thomas ‘doubted’ he was simply asked to examine the evidence. Not for a single moment was it ever suggested that he be burned, tortured or murdered. Tradition has it that Thomas later travelled to India to preach the gospel. Thomas is often referred to as the patron saint of India.

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