Then Thomas (also known as Didymus ) said to the rest of the disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. John 11:16
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “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. John 20: 24,25
During my time at a Catholic school, I learned about St Thomas, often called ‘doubting Thomas’ Thomas was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, and he followed him closely everywhere. He witnessed many wonders and miracles the world hadn’t heard or read about. However, in the above verses, we can see the disbelief and doubts surrounding him.
The miracle of Lazarus and the resurrection of Jesus were significant events, yet Thomas harboured doubts and had little faith. Faith is an integral part of Christianity. Matthew 17:20 says, “Truly, I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Hebrews 11:1 says faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. So the verses tell us faith is very important to trust God. Jesus before healing the synagogue leader says, Only believe.
John 20:29 tells us, Then Jesus told him, Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Jesus didn’t condemn Thomas for doubting but met him with compassion and granted his request. This gesture demonstrates God’s faithfulness even when we doubt Him.
The song Waymaker has beautiful lyrics, Even when I don’t see it, You’re working You never stop, You never stop working. The song is a reminder of God’s faithfulness towards us. Often, we are like Thomas, doubting the things that happen in our lives. We need a sign to know that the things we expect will happen the way we pray. Isn’t that the same doubt we have like Thomas?
Many of us pray to Jesus and understand how God works, but we may be hesitant to have blind faith in Him. Fear is the primary factor that prevents us from having complete faith in our God. However, when we consider the life of Job, he serves as an example of one who had blind faith in God. Job boldly proclaimed, “I will accept whatever He gives to me.”
Have we ever wondered what will happen if our God is not faithful to us in the time of our doubting? Scary thoughts, yet he says to stop doubting and start believing. He never gives up on us. He is a great God who is filled with compassion and the God who gives us many chances.
Now can we rename “doubting Thomas” to “believing Thomas”? Even though Jesus had to show himself to Thomas, he never lost faith after he believed and for the rest of his life, until he was martyred. Thomas believed in Jesus and served God according to His will. He was martyred, and he ended his journey happily. We the believers of today, how are we in our faith?
As we witness the troubles of the world, we may question our faith. However, we must ask ourselves if we are fully grounded in our belief in Him. Thomas never wavered in his faith in Jesus once he saw the resurrected Christ. We have been given the Word of God, and we know the verses, yet we still find ourselves plagued by doubts. We fall and we believe, but we lack consistency and discipline. As the chosen people of God, we have been given the authority to cast away the fear and doubts that the devil brings to us. Shouldn’t we stand in faith even stronger than Thomas did? Start with small baby steps in trusting the Lord. We don’t need a mountain of faith to trust in his actions, we just need the faith of a mustard seed to see miracles happen in our lives.
Let’s pray for God’s help to stand firm in this world and remain rooted in Him. We fall, yet God has promised us that he is faithful to us (Hebrews 10:23)
If God can change Thomas from the Lazarus event to a missionary, He is more than capable of granting us faith and guiding us as believers in this world.
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