Doubting Thomas

Doubting Thomas

John 20:24-31

"Doubting Thomas." refers to one of the disciples of Jesus who is often associated with one word: doubting. He is seen as a natural pessimist, a man very liable to take the despondent hopeless view of the future and see the darker side of everything. . "Lord we don't know where you are going and how can we know the way?" We have no doubt that he loved Jesus even enough to be willing to go to Jerusalem and die with him. Upon hearing that Lazarus was sick Jesus told his disciples they were going to Judea. Thomas said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

If he were that gloomy before the death of Jesus , what would he be like upon Christ's death? After the crucifixion of Jesus, Thomas was probably a brokenhearted man who wanted to be left alone to suffer alone. Every time we see Thomas it is a day of appalling gloom. We have no picture of Thomas, or account of anything he did or said in the day of sun-shine. Perhaps this helps us to understand his responses to Jesus and what is happening about him. He has a lot of "relatives" in our day. But we will observe the method Jesus used with Tho-mas is not unusual in his dealings with us. He patiently brought Thomas to a mature faith.

Thomas helps us to understand what Jesus was teaching His disciples during his post resurrection appearances. Those who loved him on the earth had to learn to live without the physical appearance of Christ, the actual seeing, touching, and hearing him. There would be no more sitting at the table with him and filling the mind with His words, but now they would learn to walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, he would walk with them, sit with them, eat with them, but in a more profound manner not limited by space and time. Here is a tremendous lesson for us to learn.

All four of the Gospels have Thomas in the list of the apostles of Jesus. Matthew and Mark mention him only once (Matt. 10:3; Mk. 3:18). Luke lists him once in his Gospel and in Acts (Lk. 6:15; Acts 1:13). John gives us eight references to Thomas as a disciple of Jesus. He was chosen and appointed by the Lord Jesus to be one of His followers. Jesus said, "No longer do I call you servants . . . but I have called you friends."

After Jesus healed the blind man in the Temple He left Jerusalem and word reached him that his friend Lazarus of Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem, was near death (John 11).

Thomas was with the disciples when Jesus told them that Lazarus was already dead (11:13-15). Upon hearing the news that Jesus will go to Bethany Thomas responded to his fellow disciples, "Let us go too, so that we may die with him" (v. 16 NET).

Thomas was concerned about dying for Jesus. He knew perfectly well the attitude of the religious leaders at this time. There was every possibility that they would arrest Jesus and put him to death.

However, Jesus was concerned that Thomas will "believe" in him (v. 15). Thomas would no doubt have heard the encounter with Martha in vv. 23-27 regarding his resurrection.

Thomas was standing there when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (vv. 38-45). Men re-moved the stone from the mouth of the grave at the command of Jesus. Jesus prayed to the Father and when he had finished he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." John tells us, "The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, and a cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, 'Unwrap him and let him go'" (John 11:44 NET). Jesus would later be buried in this similar manner.

Thomas was with Jesus as He sought to prepare them for his crucifixion. From the time Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead the religious leaders sought an opportunity to kill him (11:53; 13:1). And so Jesus prepared His disciples for His own death

They celebrated the Passover meal together, and Jesus spent time preparing them for his death the very next day. That night in the upper room Thomas listened to the encouraging words of Jesus about heaven (14:1-3).

Indeed, Thomas' response to these words is vivid. Thomas said, "Lord, we don't know where you are going. How can we know the way?" (14:5 NET). Jesus replied, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you have known me, you will know my Father too. And from now on you do know him and have seen him" (vv. 6-7 NET).