Thomas The Doubter Series

Acknowledging Jesus as Lord (John 11:1-16)

The final passage that I want to review speaks volumes about Thomas’ character. Jesus had just left Jerusalem where the Jewish leaders had tried to seize and stone Him for claiming to be the Son of God and was now ministering beyond the Jordan (10:22-42). Jesus was sent word that the one He loved, His friend Lazarus was sick (verse 3). Despite His love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus Jesus decided to wait another two days before He announced to the disciples that they were going back to Judea (verses 6-7). Jesus’ failure to respond immediately to the news that Lazarus was deathly ill was not due to a lack of love but due Lazarus already being dead and due to His desire to have the Son of God gloried (verse 4) by raising one whom had been dead for four days. Upon hearing that Jesus wanted to go to Bethany which was near Jerusalem the disciples questioned the wisdom of such a decision. While the other disciples appeared to be afraid to return to such a hostile territory, Thomas boldly told them “let us go, that we might die with Him (Christ – verse 16)!

From Thomas we learn that when Jesus is not the Lord of our life in all that we think or do, spiritual maturity becomes unattainable. “Thomas looked death in the face and choose death with Jesus rather than life without Him.” While there is no place where we an go where God’s love (Romans 8:37-39) and presence are not accessible (Psalms 139), there are many times in our lives that we refuse to acknowledge His nearness and right to rule over our lives! It is precisely in these times that doubt rules our hearts and paralyzes our walk with Christ! The key to spiritual maturity then is to continually deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). While the “self-confessed strong” might poke fun at our apparent weakness I think it is better to die with Christ than to be left behind to walk on our own self-designed path (Proverbs 14:12) that merely appears to be holy but totally misses the mark of what God has equipped us to do in His kingdom (Ephesians 2:10)! Those whom obtain a strong faith are precisely the one’s that cry out to God daily help me with my unbelief!

Sources Cited

Raymond F. Collins, “Thomas (Person),” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992).

Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Thomas, The Apostle,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988).

W. Brian Shelton, Quest for the Historical Apostles: Tracing Their Lives and Legacies (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2018).

John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with You (Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group, 2002).

Raymond F. Collins, “Thomas (Person),” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992).

Leon Morris, The Gospel according to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995).