A House Not Made with Hands
October 6
(The Commemoration of the Holy Apostle Thomas)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
October 6
(The Commemoration of the Holy Apostle Thomas)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
I will tell you the following story from the life of the Holy Apostle Thomas. After the Ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven and the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles cast lots to determine where each of them should go to preach the word of God. Parthia, Media, and India fell to the lot of Thomas, and he began preparing for his journey.
Meanwhile, at that very time, an Indian merchant named Avan came to Jerusalem seeking a skilled craftsman who could build his king a magnificent palace, and he became acquainted with the Apostle. Thomas told him that he himself was a skilled builder and went with him to India. Upon arriving before the king, Thomas offered him his services, and the king, thinking that he really was a skilled builder, entrusted him with the construction of a building and, showing him the site, gave him a substantial amount of gold and silver for the expenses. Taking the money, the Apostle distributed it to the poor, while instead of building the palace he devoted himself diligently to spreading the word of God.
After some time, when the king wished to know how the work was progressing, someone told him that the roof was already being built, and the king, delighted by this news, sent Thomas an even greater amount of gold than before. The Apostle distributed this to the poor as well, while the palace still remained unbuilt.
Finally, the king was informed that Thomas was deceiving him, and, burning with anger, he immediately ordered him to be brought before him and cried out: “Where is the house you were supposed to build?” The Apostle replied that the house was not here, but that he would see it after death and only then enter into possession of it. The king, regarding Thomas’s words as a kind of mockery of him, ordered him to be thrown into prison, where a terrible fate threatened him. Yet things turned out otherwise. The king’s beloved brother fell dangerously ill and, during his illness, had the following vision. He was shown the dwelling places of the Saints and was invited to choose whichever one he liked best. When he chose one of the finest and pointed to it, the Angel accompanying him said that he could not occupy this dwelling because it had already been prepared for his brother, the king. Coming to himself, he told the king of his vision, and the king, becoming convinced that the Apostle was indeed preparing for him, instead of an earthly one, a dwelling in heaven, immediately ordered him to be released and, falling at his feet, asked his forgiveness. After this, Saint Thomas taught him the Christian faith and baptized him.
Brethren! What does this event from the life of the Apostle teach us? First of all, that we should be most concerned with acquiring for ourselves a true and everlasting dwelling, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (2 Corinthians 5:1); that we should remember that we are strangers and sojourners here on earth, and that our dwellings here, and indeed the earth itself, are nothing more than a temporary lodging which, if not today, then tomorrow, but in any case, we must inevitably leave. And in thinking about this, we must not forget that “no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).
Furthermore, we learn how greatly almsgiving can contribute to our salvation. For, as you see, it can even make pagans pleasing to God, so that He grants through it the means for their conversion and, consequently, for their salvation. The king’s gold, distributed to the poor through the Apostle, did not turn out to have been wasted, as the king had thought, but acquired for him an eternal house, not made with hands, in heaven. Nor will the good we give to the least of Christ’s brethren be in vain, but it will surely grow and increase for our own sake.
Therefore, “do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:16). Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Brethren! What does this event from the life of the Apostle teach us? First of all, that we should be most concerned with acquiring for ourselves a true and everlasting dwelling, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (2 Corinthians 5:1); that we should remember that we are strangers and sojourners here on earth, and that our dwellings here, and indeed the earth itself, are nothing more than a temporary lodging which, if not today, then tomorrow, but in any case, we must inevitably leave. And in thinking about this, we must not forget that “no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).
Furthermore, we learn how greatly almsgiving can contribute to our salvation. For, as you see, it can even make pagans pleasing to God, so that He grants through it the means for their conversion and, consequently, for their salvation. The king’s gold, distributed to the poor through the Apostle, did not turn out to have been wasted, as the king had thought, but acquired for him an eternal house, not made with hands, in heaven. Nor will the good we give to the least of Christ’s brethren be in vain, but it will surely grow and increase for our own sake.
Therefore, “do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:16). Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
