Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, And Thomas - Faith, Doubt, And Devotion (Matthew 10:3)

The names of Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, and Thomas are listed after the inner circle of Peter, James, and John. Jesus called Philip personally, showing that He is the “seeking Savior”. Philip was from Bethsaida, the home of Peter and Andrew. These men had probably known each other all their lives. After Jesus called Philip to join Him, Philip ran to tell his friend Nathaniel Bartholomew. Growing up together, they would have more than likely talked about topics such as the history of Israel, the Law, and the Prophets who proclaimed the arrival of their Messiah and the restoration of the nation. Nathaniel’s initial response to the news about Jesus was less than ecstatic (John 1:46). Philip did not argue with him, but instead told him to “come and see” for himself.

Jesus saw Nathaniel and said that he was a “true Israelite”; one who loved God and adhered to the Law. John wrote that Nathaniel spent time alone with God, sitting under the shade of a fig tree where he could study the Scriptures and pray. Jesus astounded Nathaniel by telling him that He had seen Nathaniel even before they met. Nathaniel’s reaction is one of instant belief and a declaration that Jesus was the Messiah and King of Israel (John1:49). Philip had a time of testing (John 6:1-7) and also times of opportunity where he brought people to meet Jesus (John 12:20-22). He desired to “ see the Father”, but was told by the Lord that if he had seen Him, he had seen the Father also (John 14:8). Both these men were empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel after Pentecost, and both would face a martyr’s death in their work for the Lord.

Matthew’s calling to the work of Jesus has been covered, so we will give attention to the apostle who has caught a bad reputation for his “doubts”, and all but vilified by preachers and pundits because of it. I am referring to Thomas, also called “the Twin” or “Didymus”. He either had a twin brother or sister. Scripture is silent on the issue. John gives us more details about him than the other Gospel accounts. We read that Thomas was willing to lay down his life for Jesus while the group was on the road to Bethany (John 11:16). His presence is noted at the Last Supper where he heard from Jesus that He will be leaving soon to rejoin the Father, but also provided the apostles needed comfort and instruction.

Thomas showed his pessimism when he initially thought that Jesus would be leaving them alone, and that they didn’t know which way to go. Jesus explained that He would take the apostles and everyone who believed in Him to His heavenly home at the appointed time (John 14:1-3). He told both Thomas and the others that He alone was (and is) the ONLY way to God the Father (14:6). The next scene in which we find Thomas is shortly after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. All the gospels described when Jesus appeared to them. John, however, wrote that Thomas was not with them. Why? I want to give you a list of probable reasons:

1) Thomas was grieving over the loss of his friend and simply wanted to be left alone.

2) He was in a state of despair. The worst thing in his life has happened and he does not want to be around anymore for the moment.

3) He was in too depressed to care what happened to him or the others. All he knew was that his dearest friend was gone. We should be able to empathize with him. We would probably be in the same frame of mind, so we have no right or reason to look down on him for his mood when he was told by the others that they had seen Jesus.

Thomas is the example we should follow when examining the life and claims of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us to examine everything to see if what it teaches is true (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15). There is no such thing as “ blind faith” when it comes to following Jesus. Even He warned would-be disciples to count the cost before following Him (Matthew 10: 34-39; Luke 14:25-33). Thomas wanted visible evidence, not hearsay reports from his friends. Jesus provided the proof, and Thomas reacted with a declaration of love, worship, and affirmation of Jesus’ divinity (John 20:26-28). Church tradition states that Thomas was the apostle who brought the Gospel to what is today the nation of India. He was killed for his faith by being run through with a spear. Thomas was buried in India, and the Mar Thoma church is named after him.

The final list of the apostles concludes with a look at the “ anonymous “ followers of Jesus and the one whose name still stands today as the definition of treachery and the example of a false convert. This will be in our next study of these twelve ordinary men whom Jesus chose to carry out His work.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

https://ocosbe.org/donald-whitchard/