How often have you missed a party or meeting where an important matter was discussed, without you, and you felt neglected or ignored afterwards, or just upset that people were deciding on something without asking for your views, Well, something worse happened to Tom.

你有没有经历过这样的事情：你错过了一次派对或会议，在你不在场的情况下，与会者们讨论了一些很重要的事情。你因此感到被轻视或忽略了，或者只是由于人们做了一项决定却没有征求你的意见而感到心里不太舒服。而汤姆遇到了比这还糟的事。

Introduction. A shockingly shameful abuse of justice happened 2000 years ago, followed by an unbelievable claim that the victim, who was murdered, had been resurrected from the dead. As a result, two famous phrases in western literature have appeared, and art works in renowned museums have depicted, “the road to Damascus” and “doubting Thomas.” I have re-casted these 2 phrases as stories, respectively, “He went to Harvard Law School?” (see that separate URS story) and “Tom missed the party” (the present story).

背景： 在2000年前，发生了一件滥用法律的可耻而又令人震惊的事件。然后，一个令人难以置信的消息传开了，宣称在此事件中被谋杀的受害者，居然复活了。因此，西方文学中出现了两个著名的短语，以及为描绘这两个短语而衍生的陈列在许多著名博物馆中的艺术作品 ——“通往大马士革之路”和“怀疑的多马”。我将与这两个短语相关的故事写成短文，写在最近发表的 Uncle Reggie 的故事“哈佛法学院毕业的名校精英”（如果你对这篇短文感兴趣，请与我联系）和“汤姆错过了派对”（这个故事）的里面。

Tom missed the party: the skeptic
You have probably met the skeptic. He might even be attending church. You can imagine him complaining loudly, “I demand physical proof: I need to see it before my eyes; I need to touch any evidence with my fingers!” “I’m a man of science, I’m very logical and I need proof; I don’t just believe because of others.” “I’ve had a very high education, more than you, and I’m not easily swayed by emotions, like many others.” And I imagine this kind of person feels really neglected when important conclusions at a gathering are made without his keen insight.

汤姆(Tom)错过了派对：怀疑论者
你可能曾经遇到过怀疑论者。 他甚至可能常常在教会中出没。 你可以想象得出他大声抱怨的样子：“我需要用事实来证明：我需要自己亲眼所见; 我需要可以用手触摸的证据！”“我是一个科学家，我有很强的逻辑性，我需要有证据证明给我看; 我不会仅仅因为听别人说了而相信。”“我受过高等教育，而且受的教育比你多，并且，我不会像许多其他人一样很轻易地被情绪所影响。”对于这样的人，我可以想象，如果别人在他不在场的情况下，针对一次重要的事件开展了讨论，并且，在没有他敏锐的洞察力帮助的情况下得出结论时，他所感受到的强烈的被忽略的情绪。

Tom, or Thomas which was his original name, was such a skeptic. He was called by Jesus to be one of the original disciples, called apostles of Jesus, specially taught and mentored by the Master. He had learned many lessons from his teacher, but he had a cerebral approach to life. After all, he was also Jewish, and he was taught to be constantly questioning, and intelligently seeking to find out the truth. He is recorded specifically as often being the skeptic of the group, questioning Jesus and the others when there was something that bothered his intellect. Then something earth shaking happened that blew up his world.

汤姆，他原来的名字叫多马 (Thomas)就是这样的一个怀疑者。 他是被耶稣呼召的最初的门徒之一，被称为耶稣的使徒的成员之一，是经过耶稣亲自的教诲和指导的。 他从他的老师身上学到了很多道理，对生活的态度非常冷静审慎。 毕竟，他是个犹太人，他受到的教育告诉他要不断地提问，努力地探索，寻找出真相。 他作为耶稣门徒中的怀疑者被特别地记录下来，他在遇到困扰他，让他无法理解的事情时，常常会质询耶稣和其他门徒。 后来，一件具有颠覆性的事情发生，彻底颠覆了他的世界。

His leader and hero, Jesus, was arrested, lashed with skin ripping whips, and ultimately crucified cruelly and illegally by the Roman authorities, a fate only reserved for the worst criminals. The entire team of apostles was thrown into severe depression and panicked fear. When Jesus was buried hastily in accordance with the religious laws of the day, the apostles went into hiding. Shortly afterwards, on the next Sunday evening, when Thomas was briefly away from the other ten apostles, something happened, without him. When he joined his friends later, he was astonished to hear the others saying things that sounded totally crazy.

他认为的领袖和英雄耶稣被逮捕了，在遭受了残酷的鞭笞而被打得皮开肉绽后，最终被罗马当局残忍而非法地钉死在十字架上。这本是最坏的罪犯才会遭到的惩罚。 所有的使徒们都陷入了严重的抑郁和恐惧担忧中。 耶稣被按照当时的宗教律法而被仓促埋葬，他的使徒们开始逃亡躲藏。 不久后，在下一个星期天的晚上，发生了一些事情。而当时多马由于短暂地离开了其他十位使徒，并不在场。当他返回，再次见到他的朋友们时，他惊讶地听到其他人告诉他所发生的事情，那些在他看来完全不可理喻的事情。

The other apostles excitedly tried to tell Thomas that Jesus had been resurrected from the grave! And Jesus had visited them in the room they were secretly meeting, behind closed doors, closed because of great fear of the authorities. Thomas was shocked. He could not believe they were telling him such a story. And he had missed the meeting! Such a thing just could not happen! Impossible! I can easily imagine him shouting at the others, “You are fantasizing things, all ten of you! I cannot believe you are telling me this! What is wrong with you people? You must be crazy from grief that Jesus was killed! Wake up and face reality, dead is dead! If I had been there at the meeting, I would have discovered the truth!”

其他使徒激动地试图告诉多马，耶稣已经从坟墓中复活了！ 并且，耶稣在他们秘密聚会的时候，来到了他们当中。尽管当时门徒们由于对当局的极大恐惧而把大门紧闭着，耶稣却在门关着的情况下，进到了他们聚会的房间里。多马感到震惊。 他无法相信他们会告诉他这样的故事。 他错过了这么重要的派对！ 这样的事情不可能发生！ 不可能！ 我可以轻易地想象出他对别人大喊大叫：“你们这是在做梦，你们十个人都是如此！ 我无法相信你们会告诉我这样的事！ 你们这是怎么了？ 你们肯定是因为耶稣被杀而悲伤过度，发疯了！醒醒吧，面对现实，人死不能复生！如果当时的派对有我在场的话，我会发现事实真相的！”

What he actually said to his colleagues was recorded, “if I do not see Him with my own eyes, and if I do not put my finger in his hands and side where his wounds are, I will not believe.” Cold hard logic ruled his mind. He wasn’t convinced even if ten sensible, godly coworkers and friends who had gone through thick and thin with him, told him in detail clearly about what happened. His own mind was made up, and that was it. In his own mind, I can understand him saying to himself, “I have spent my life questioning and questioning; I am a very logical and careful person; I can reason these things out; I won’t be swayed by emotions; my friends are going crazy; not me!”

其实，他当时对他的同伴们所说的话被清楚地记录了下来：“除非我亲眼看见祂手上的钉痕，用我的指头探入那钉痕，又用我的手探入祂的肋旁，我决不相信。”冰冷的逻辑思维控制了多马的脑子。他不能相信，即使有十个明智而敬虔，与他一起同甘共苦过的同伴和朋友们详细地告诉他发生了什么事，他还是不能相信。 他的思想上对此事已经做了结论，不会改变。 我可以理解，他在心里对自己说，“我的一生都在不停地质疑; 我是一个逻辑性很强且慎重的人; 我用理智来看待这件事; 我不会被情绪所左右; 我的朋友们都疯了; 我不会！”

One week later, it happened. This time he did not “miss the party.” Jesus did appear, this time to the ten other apostles and Thomas. Jesus told “doubting Thomas” to touch the wounds in his hands and his side, as he exposed them to the doubter as proof. Thomas undoubtedly was a very smart man, and He instantly knew there was no more argument: immediately he was on his knees, “my Lord and my God” was all that he could say. He did not have to touch the pierced hands that were a symbol and reason of his sins being removed. He did not have to touch the wound of Jesus’ side that was the site of the spear through Jesus’ loving heart. He knew, finally.

一个星期后，同样的事情发生了。 这一次多马没有“错过派对”。耶稣确实出现了，这次是出现在多马和其他十位使徒的面前。 耶稣告诉“怀疑的多马”伸出手来触摸祂手上和肋旁的伤口，祂将这些伤口作为证据显给这个怀疑者看。 多马毫无疑问是一个非常聪明的人，他马上知道自己已经无可推诿：他立刻跪下，仅能口称 “我的主！我的神！” 他其实并不需要触摸耶稣手上的钉痕，这是他的罪被洗净的象征和结果。 他也不必触摸耶稣肋旁的伤口，罗马士兵的枪穿过那里，刺透了耶稣对世人伟大而宽广的爱心。 他最后终于明白了。

This was truly the son of God, who came to save him, and all who trust in Him, even those later who would not physically see and touch Him, as Thomas could. All the teachings of his Master now clicked in his mind and heart: he knew now that his Master’s story was now complete, and ministry accomplished.

这位真正的神的儿子，为了救赎他，以及所有信靠耶稣的人，这里面甚至包括了那些后世的，不可能像多马那样可以亲眼看见和触摸耶稣的人。多马的头脑里和心中豁然开朗，所有过去耶稣基督所教导的，现在他都理解了：他现在明白，他的主耶稣基督的故事完满地结束了，祂在地上的事工完成了。

In a dramatic turn of events, Thomas ultimately traveled the farthest of all the apostles in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, all the way from the land of Israel, to India. Indeed, he died on a hill in modern day Chennai /Madras, in Southeast India. He was speared to death by the locals for preaching a risen Savior, the one he had previously rejected, and his own tomb remains to this day. I have been to that hill, and can remember vividly the story of a smart logical skeptic who found his answer to the most critical question in life, and took the logical next step, even to his own death. He was far from being “doubting Thomas” anymore.

富有戏剧性的是，在所有的使徒当中，多马为了传讲耶稣基督的福音而去到了最远的地方。他从以色列开始，一直传福音到了印度。 事实上，他最后死在了印度东南部，现在叫做金奈（旧称马德拉斯）市的一座山上。 他因为对当地人传讲一位复活的救主，那位他过去曾拒绝过的救主，而被人用矛刺死。他的坟墓一直保留到今天。 我曾到过那座山，可以生动地想起一个聪明的具有超强逻辑性的怀疑论者的故事。他找到了生活中最关键问题的答案，然后很理智地用行动去实践，直到他的死亡。 他已经远不再是那个“怀疑的多马”。

This story, read with the first of this duet of stories, “He went to Harvard Law School?” reflect two major historical accounts of a dramatic event 2,000 years ago which had historic impact for centuries. The Cross and the Resurrection are shocking to anyone hearing it for the first time. Yet today one third of the world celebrates Easter, which in Chinese is known more correctly as “Resurrection Day, 复活节Fu Huo Jie,” every year as a remembrance of this earth-shaking event. You might have wondered why?

这个故事，与我前面提到的的那个故事（“哈佛法学院毕业的名校精英”）放在一起，真实地展示了2000年前一个引人注目的两个主要历史事件，这两个事件对后面的世纪产生了深远的影响。 十字架和复活对任何一个第一次听到的人而言都是令人震惊的。 然而，今天，世界上有三分之一的人会庆祝复活节(Easter)，中文将它正确地翻译成为“复活节”，以纪念这震惊世界的事件。 也许，你也曾想要了解这是为了什么？