THOMAS
THE DOUBTING APOSTLE
John 20:24-29 (The
Master’s Twelve- Part XII) 8/14/2016
These days it is
all about poll numbers! A recent poll showed that almost one in three young
Americans do not believe in the existence of God. The Poll conducted in April
2012 by Pew foundation showed that 31 percent of respondents under the age of
30 have doubts about the existence of God, compared to 9 percent of those
polled who were over 65 or older. What these numbers do tell us is that young
people are having more questions regarding, God and their faith now than ever
before. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
If you ask
Jonathan Morris a Catholic priest from the Archdiocese in New York, he would
say, “Having doubt doesn’t necessarily mean that the young people don’t believe
in God. Questioning one’s faith could be a positive thing leading to a mature
acceptance of their beliefs. He went on to say, even, “Mother Theresa had
doubts and questioned her faith at times.”[1]
Is there a place
for doubts in the Christian faith? Can we question and reason with God? What is
the difference between doubt and unbelief? For the past eleven weeks we have
followed along an ancient path travelled by Jesus and his twelve apostles. We
have learned about: Peter the Go-Getter; John the beloved disciple; Andrew the
problem solver; James the ambitious but broken; Philip the skeptic mind;
Bartholomew, in whom there is no deceit, Matthew the Evangelist, and Simon the
(zealot) Militant. James the less known Apostle Judas Iscariot who became a
traitor and Judas the faithful disciple.
Today we will learn about an apostle who struggled with his own doubts
yet when he saw for himself, became a convincing witness.
Not only him, but
all the other Apostles too have struggled with doubts yet in the end they were
all commended for their faith. Let’s unfold the life of “Thomas the doubting apostle”
Who is Thomas, What was his early life like? How his life with Jesus was and
what were his later years like? John 14:24-29
I THOMAS’ EARLY LIFE:
Before we delve deep into studying the life of Thomas, let’s look at
what is the difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is a “feeling of
uncertainty or lack of conviction." synonyms: unsureness, indecision,
hesitation, dubiousness, suspicion, and confusion. Unbelief is lack of religious
belief; an absence of faith. It is another term for disbelief. This is how one blogger
explains the difference between doubt and unbelief. “There is a
difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is a matter of the mind. Unbelief
is a matter of the heart. Doubt is when we cannot understand what God is doing
and why He is doing it. Unbelief is when we refuse to believe God’s Word and do
what He tells us to do. We must not confuse the two.”[2]
What do we know
about Thomas? With the exception of Peter and Paul, we have more information on
the life of Thomas than any of the other Apostles. Matthew, Mark and Luke only
mention Thomas’s name in the listing of the Apostles. Most of our understanding
of Thomas comes from the gospel of John. Thomas (Aramaic), also known as
Didymus (Greek) both mean “The Twin.” Thomas was said to have been born in
Antioch, is also considered as a native of Galilee, like most of the other
Disciples. Thomas might have been a fisherman, since he appears along with six
other disciples, who had gone fishing after Jesus’ death and resurrection. (Jn
21:2)
II.
THOMAS’ LIFE WITH JESUS:
What has changed
this ordinary fisherman from Galilee, into an International Evangelist who preached
the Gospel as far as Persia and India? It was the call and the appointment as
an Apostle by the Master. It appears to be that Thomas has been faithful in
following Jesus from the Mountain top to the upper room where He received the
power of the Holy Spirit. There are three recorded incidents where we see
Thomas engaging in a conversation with the Lord. First, In John 11, we read about the Death of
Lazarus. Upon hearing that his close friend was sick Jesus stayed back three
more days in Jerusalem, which was only two miles away from Bethany. Jesus said
to them, “Let’s go back to Judea,” That did not make any sense to the
disciples, because Jesus wanted them to go back to the place where Jews tried
to kill him.
After a while
sensing Lazarus was death, Jesus told his disciples in plain words, “Lazarus is
dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But
let us go to him.” Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the
disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” I wonder, whether Thomas
was voicing what other disciples too were thinking at that point? Perhaps, they
thought, living with Jesus, and going with him to dangerous places would one
day result in dying for Him?
The second time we
see Thomas was during the Last Supper in John 14. Jesus, comforted his disciples
whose hopes were dashed by the announcement of his own departure to his
Father’s House. But he assured them that He was going to come back and take them
with him so that they too can be with him forever. For that Thomas was
troubled, and confused just as the rest, but none of them dared to question
Jesus except Thomas. His sense of curiosity, and ambiguity made him to ask one
of the boldest questions ever.
Thomas said, “Lord
we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? We are forever
to be grateful, that Thomas did not shy away from asking one of life’s most
important questions that we must ask at least once in our life time. If and when
we do just like Thomas, we too will hear this profound answer of Jesus who
said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.” In one way through his doubts Thomas has opened the way for
the whole mankind to go to the Father. One of the church’s early fathers, St.
Augustine remarked, “Thomas doubted so that we might believe.”
The third
encounter was on the evening of the first day of the resurrection. The ten
disciples were together, with doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,
except Thomas was not with them. Perhaps he went out grieving and possibly
searching for some evidence that Jesus actually rose from the dead as he had
promised.
As we know Jesus
appeared to them through the closed doors and showed them his hands and side giving
them ample proof that indeed it was him who had risen from the dead as he had
promised them earlier. The disciples reported to Thomas saying, “We have seen
the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and
put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not
believe.”
It looks like Thomas
was the kind of a person who needs hard evidence before he is fully
convinced. Perhaps, this quality may
have inspired John who later encouraged the believers with these words, “Dear
friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” I John
4:1 Searching for hard evidence, before believing certain things is a welcoming
personality trait these days. Some are born with it, but many others are
encouraged to develop this trait. If you are an inquirer and a seeker of the
TRUTH, I am certain that one day you will tumble upon the one who said, I am
the truth, the way and the life.
Coming back to our
story, a week has passed since Thomas raised his concerns to what the disciples
had told him. This time all the eleven disciples were in the house, including
Thomas. Jesus came right through the locked doors and stood among them and
said, “Peace be with you.” In a way he was saying to them, “Put away all your
doubts.” He had something to say directly to Thomas, “put your finger here; see
my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side.” Stop doubting and
believe.” After hearing those powerful words Thomas had no more arguments
except to say, “My Lord and my God! Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen
me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have
believed.”
After having that powerful
encounter with Jesus, Thomas was never the same again. He was convinced that
Jesus has indeed risen from the dead and he is alive. He went far and wide
preaching the gospel so that millions, who have not seen Jesus would believe in
Him.
III. THOMAS’ LATER YEARS:
Once
Thomas left Jerusalem, there is no evidence that he ever returned. He left his
doubts behind. Without a shadow of a doubt Thomas believed that Jesus was truly
the Messiah. He headed to the ends of the earth preaching the good news of the
gospel. Thomas traveled north and east
from Israel, passing through Babylon (Iraq) and Persia (Iran) and making an
impact as far as the southern regions of India. There is ample evidence that
Thomas indeed preached the gospel in India and led several Brahmin priests to
believe in Christ. As a result a Christian community was formed, and till today
they are known as the ‘St. Thomas Christians.
There
is a mountain called St. Thomas Mount in Chennai where many believe that Thomas
was pierced to death by Hindu priests. A church has been built on the top of
the mountain which supposedly contains a relic of St. Thomas. Since at least
the 16th century, the St. Thomas Mount has been a common site revered by Hindus,
Muslims and Christians.( Wikipedia) In 1985, I spent six months during my
Discipleship Training Course with YWAM in St. Thomas Mount area. Even Wilma the
girls have vivid memories of having a picnic on the Mountain. One of the things
that challenged me to serve God in missions is the life of Thomas. God sent a
doubting apostle to India to bring the good news.
I
am personally grateful that Thomas was obedient to bring the gospel to the
masses of India so that many Indians have come to know Christ. In 2005, I
believe God has brought me and my family to the USA to preach the gospel,
disciple and strengthen the believers. All I can say is God you are simply
amazing!
What would be the
message of Thomas the doubtful Apostle for us today? Firstly, he might say,
keep your inquisitive mind alive, keep wrestling with complex questions of
life. Secondly, It is OK to have doubts about your faith from time to time, but
don’t remain doubting the rest of your life. Thirdly, when Jesus reveals himself,
and answers your questions, stop doubting and believe in Him, and confess saying,
“My Lord and My God. Fourthly, he would commend all of us saying you are
blessed because you have believed in Christ even though you did not see him
personally. Finally, keep your faith up, hold on firmly and never let it go.
When I began this
series I said that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. We looked
at the lives of twelve Apostles. All of them with the exception of one, risked
their lives for the sake of the gospel even to the point of death. They are our
heroes and models. As we conclude this series but go forward on our journey, may
I encourage you with these words of our master and Lord? “Look I am coming
soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what
they have done. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Our response should
be, Amen! Come Lord Jesus. (Rev 22:12-21)
