Why Thomas WASN'T a doubter and why we should be like him
Have you ever had doubts about your faith? Thomas is one of the most famous disciples and yet he had questions that he wanted answered. Because of this some have even labeled him “Doubting Thomas”. Was he in fact a doubter?
There are three stories about Thomas from John’s Gospel that we should consider before we decide if he was in fact a doubter.
The first is in John 11:5-16. Here all the disciples are afraid to let Jesus go back to Bethany to see His friend Lazarus. The danger in Bethany is real and Jesus could very easily be stoned to death. Yet, Thomas says to the other disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Thomas was the only disciple willing to face certain danger to follow Jesus back to Bethany. He was undeniably the most loyal to Christ at this point. Peter, James, John, Matthew and all of the others were afraid of the possibility of losing Jesus to the wrath of the Jewish leadership or themselves being stoned. Thomas was willing to follow Christ to his own funeral.
If you have been to a funeral maybe you are familiar with our next passage, a commonly recited passage at funerals. Here Jesus takes a moment to comfort His disciples.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
John 14:1-6
To which Thomas asks an honest and sincere question, something that the disciples were probably all wondering and many people still wonder to this day: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” It appears that Thomas took Christ’s teaching literally and at face value… something that 21st Christians should emulate.
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Thomas was ready once again to follow Jesus to death and beyond. He also wanted to make sure he knew exactly what Jesus was saying. Good teachers always say something like, “there is no such thing as a bad question”. Thomas, the good student, is not afraid to ask his Rabbi a question. It is perhaps the best question any disciple of Jesus could ask and the same kind of question that still excites Sunday School teachers to this day. “How do you follow Jesus?” “How do you get to heaven?”
Was Thomas really a doubter?
Now let us consider one of the most memorable stories about Thomas in John 20. This is the story for which he receives the title ‘doubter’.
In verse 19, we meet the disciples hiding behind locked doors. Once again they are afraid of the Jewish leadership. Yet we are told that Thomas is not with them. Why? Remember when he boldly stated “let us go that we may die with Him”. Maybe this bravery carried him to the streets, proclaiming the teachings of Jesus.
Thomas was unafraid!
Thomas was not afraid to die. He believed in the cause of Jesus Christ, his Master, even before he had witnessed Jesus’ physical resurrection.
The other disciples were excited to let him know that while he was gone they had seen the Lord. But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.” John 20:25.
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Was Thomas doubting when he made this statement? When paired with his question earlier, “Lord we don’t know where you are going, how can we know the way?” It seems more like he was truth seeking and not doubting. Remember the other disciples were his close friends and they had already seen Jesus while Thomas had not. Thomas is sincerely demanding evidence from his colleagues.
Maybe Thomas was less of a doubter and more of an evidentialist.
Sincere faith does not prohibit sincere investigation. This is how Thomas’ skepticism differs from the world’s opposition to the truth. Thomas’ skepticism represents a sincere truth-seeking quest to see if his personal friend Jesus was alive. The New Testament records the fact that Jesus made many proofs of His resurrection (Acts 1:3). God gives proof for our faith in Jesus because He wants believers to know and share what they believe to be true (John 20:31; I Peter 3:15). The Christian faith is a quest for truth and God wants truth-seekers.
Later Jesus did indeed appear to Thomas and allowed him to touch His wounds on His hands and His side. When Thomas investigated the facts of the resurrected Lord for himself he made the bold declaration “My Lord and my God.”
“Doubting Thomas” is a rather inaccurate and derogatory nickname to give to one of the closest followers of Jesus. Thomas is like most people who are considering following Jesus was seeking authentic truth. He was weighing the facts in his mind before he went all in. Thomas demanded evidence of the miracle of Christ’s resurrection before he accepted the truth. Doubt may have factored into his first response to the disciples, but it was not the defining quality of his life.
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Thomas the Doubter's legacy...
Thomas should be better known for his loyalty, his obedience to the gospel, and his truth-seeking faith. This truth-seeking faith has provided centuries of believers with even more evidence of Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead.
