It was the Sabbath day and many priests and scribes and Pharisees were in the temple in Jerusalem. Caiaphas, Annas and some other ruling Jews were there.
A stranger came in garb of fisherman and asked, What has become of Jesus who is called the Christ? Is he not teaching in the temple now? The Jews replied, That man from Galilee was crucified a week ago, because he was a dangerous man, a vile, seditious man.
The stranger asked, Where did you put the body of this man from Galilee? Where is his tomb? The Jews replied, We do not know. His followers came at night and stole the body from the tomb in which it lay and carried it away, and then declared that he had risen from the dead.
The stranger asked, How do you know that his disciples stole the body from the tomb? was any one a witness of the theft? The Jews replied, We had a hundred soldiers at the place, and every one of them declares that his disciples stole the body from the tomb.
The stranger asked, Will any one of all your hundred men stand forth and say, I saw the body stolen from the tomb? The Jews replied, We do not know; these men are men of truth; we cannot doubt their word.
The stranger said, You priests and scribes and Pharisees hear me: I was a witness of the facts, was in the garden of Siloam, and stood among your hundred men. And this I know that not a man among your hundred men will say, I saw the body stolen from the tomb. And I will testify before the God of heaven and earth, The body was not stolen from the tomb; the man from Galilee is risen from the dead.
And then the priests and scribes and Pharisees rushed up to seize the man and cast him out. But instantly the fisherman became a radiant form of light, and priests and scribes and Pharisees fell back in deadly fear; they saw the man from Galilee.
And Jesus looked upon the frightened men and said, This is the body that you stoned beyond the city’s gates and crucified on Calvary. Behold my hands, my feet, my side and see the wounds the soldiers made. If you believe that I am phantom made of air, come forth and handle me; ghosts do not carry flesh and bones. I came to earth to demonstrate the resurrection of the dead, the transmutation of the flesh of carnal man to flesh of man divine.
Then Jesus raised his hands and said, Peace be to every one of you; goodwill to all mankind. And then he disappeared. (Aquarian Gospel 177:1-19)
I was a witness of the facts, was in the garden of Siloam, and stood among your hundred men. And this I know that not a man among your hundred men will say, I saw the body stolen from the tomb. Jesus was present in subtle body observing the situation before he reentered his body and arose.
Peace be to every one of you; goodwill to all mankind. No matter what these people had done, including the engineering of his torture and death, Jesus’ only response is to offer peace and goodwill to them, and throughout the ages to all those who have rejected, mocked and even denied his existence.
Now, Thomas, had not seen the Lord since he had risen from the dead, and when the ten averred that they had seen and talked with him he said, Until I see the nail prints in his hands and feet, the spear wound in his side, and talk with him as I have talked with him before, I cannot have a reason to believe that he is risen from the dead.
At Simon’s house in Bethany the men from Galilee had met. It was the evening of the first day of the week, and on the morrow all would turn their faces toward their homes. The eleven apostles all were there: the doors were closed and barred, and Jesus came and said, Peace be to all!
And then he said to Thomas, Friend, you do not know that I have risen from the dead; the time has come for you to know. Come here and see the nail prints in my hands, the spear wound in my side, and talk with me as you have often talked with me.
And Thomas came and saw and then exclaimed, My master, and my Lord! I do not now believe, I know that you are risen from the dead.
And Jesus said, Because you see me you believe, and blessed are your eyes; but blessed thrice are they who see me not and yet believe.
Then Jesus vanished from their sight, but the disciples were established in their faith. (Aquarian Gospel 177:20-29)
Thomas had said that he would not believe in Jesus’ resurrection “until I see the nail prints in his hands and feet, the spear wound in his side, and talk with him as I have talked with him before.” And to him Jesus said: “Come here and see the nail prints in my hands, the spear wound in my side, and talk with me as you have often talked with me,” for in his omniscience he knew every word Thomas had spoken.
I have known of more than one instance when a saint has repeated the exact words of someone. For example, a friend of mine was very ill and could not go to see a saint when he came to Delhi. When a friend of hers was leaving to see the saint, she said: “Don’t say anything to him, but oh how I wish he would send me just some little thing as a sign of his blessing!” To her joy and surprise her friend returned with a tiny earthen pot with sweets inside. Then she told my friend: “When I was leaving, the saint called for me and handed me this, saying: ‘Please take this little thing to Raihana for me even though it is just some little thing. And please tell her what I have said.”
And Thomas came and saw and then exclaimed, My master, and my Lord! He did not say: “My Lord and my God” as the corrupted official Gospel says, but that Jesus was Master and Lord in a spiritual sense, not that he was God incarnate.
I do not now believe, I know that you are risen from the dead. Many have said the same: “I do not believe; I know.”
Because you see me you believe, and blessed are your eyes; but blessed thrice are they who see me not and yet believe. Jesus does not rebuke Thomas for doubting, but calls him blessed. Those who have not seen yet believe are thrice blessed because it is proof that their spiritual intuition has been awakened and they can know that which is unknown to most others.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis