Thomas
When it comes to thinking about specific apostles, we need to recognise that each will be included whenever a general reference is made to the twelve apostles in the Gospels and the Book of Acts. So one could include those references when trying to gain an overall view of one apostle. On the other hand, it could be the case that God wants us to observe particular events in the life of an individual when he is named.
Thomas is mentioned in the list of apostles given in the Synoptic Gospels. Often he is referred to as doubting Thomas, but that way of speaking about him is unfair because there is only one instance of him doubting something about Jesus. We are told that his nickname was Didymus, which means twin, but we have no idea who his twin was. Although we are not told when Thomas met Jesus, he had decided at some stage to become a follower of Jesus. This is the most important detail of a Bible character to notice, because nothing of spiritual value can be said about a person until that happens.
Man of courage (John 11:16)
John mentions here that ‘Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”’ His words were in response to Jesus’ decision to go and see the family in Bethany who had lost Lazarus through death. A few verses earlier, John points out that the disciples had said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Clearly, they thought that it was a very dangerous journey for Jesus to make and that he and they should not do it.
Thomas responded to that situation by saying that they should go with Jesus even if it meant that they would die. He thought it would be better to be dead with Jesus than alive without him. Thomas seems to accept that the danger is real, nevertheless he wants to be with Jesus, which indicates that despite personal faults in his outlook he loved the company of Jesus. And we can deduce that progress can come where love exists.
On this occasion, Thomas saw the power of Jesus over death when he raised Lazarus from the dead. The Saviour had indicated that it would be for the disciples’ benefit that they would see his power. No doubt, they received a great insight into who Jesus is. Yet despite the statement he had made about willing to die with Jesus, Thomas failed to show the same courage when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, because with the other disciples he forsook Jesus and fled.
Man who confessed (John 14:5-6)
The next time Thomas is mentioned by name is in John 14. Jesus has referred to his Father’s house, that he was going to prepare a place there for his disciples, and that his disciples would get there. It is obvious from the subsequent discussion that the disciples did not understand what Jesus had meant, and to begin with Thomas reveals his inability to understand what Jesus had said. It looks as if Thomas assumed that Jesus was speaking about a place somewhere in Israel, so Jesus had to expand on his teaching.
In a situation where ignorance exists, two responses are often made. One is to remain ignorant and the other is to ask questions revealing the ignorance. Would there have been a conversation if Thomas had not spoken? We should be glad that he did because He received wonderful information from Jesus about what he can do for sinners.
There are two details to note about how Thomas asked his question. First, he accepted the authority of Jesus concerning the answer – Thomas called Jesus ‘Lord’. The words of Jesus on the matter would be authoritative for Thomas. Second, he received a direct answer to his question, which he would not have received if he had not asked.
Jesus gave to Thomas a wonderful description of what it means to be the Saviour of sinners. He is the way, the truth and the life. No doubt, there are many ways of interpreting what Jesus meant. It would be appropriate to think that the description is connected to the Father’s house. This would mean that Jesus is the way to heaven, that Jesus speaks the truth about heaven, and that Jesus will the source of life that is enjoyed by the residents of heaven.
As a man of courage, Thomas had potential because he loved to be with Jesus. As a man who confessed his ignorance, Thomas had potential because he knew that Jesus could answer the deepest of questions and Thomas was prepared to accept the answers that came from his Master.
Man who disbelieved (John 20:24-25)
The next time Thomas is mentioned is the evening of the day when Jesus rose from the dead. The other disciples had gathered together, but for some reason Thomas was absent, which is a reminder that absence is one way of missing a blessing. Those disciples who met together had the experience of meeting the risen Christ. We are only told one thing that they did with that wonderful experience – they told Thomas about it, which is an example of brotherly love. Of course, they may have spoken of it to him during the following week.
Thomas, however, was not quick to accept their testimony. Perhaps he had become disillusioned because of the death of Jesus and the apparent disappearance of his cause. Maybe he did not want to go through another disappointing experience. Therefore, he came up with certain conditions before he would believe that Jesus was alive. His set of conditions are very precise, but as Jesus indicated on the following Lord’s Day, they were expressions of unbelief. When he said that he wanted to see and feel for himself, Thomas was not indicating that he believed Jesus was alive. Thomas is now man marked by disbelief.
Imagine if we had been reading this story for the first time and were unaware of the consequence. Would we expect Jesus to respond to the conditions set by his disciple now in a state of unbelief? After all, Jesus had responded to Thomas’ previous request for understanding. Would Thomas be judged severely because of his defiance?
Man who worshipped (John 20:26-28)
On the following Lord’s Day, Thomas is with the disciples. This is probably the most notable of the events involving Thomas. It is interesting that he came on that evening. Something was drawing Thomas to that meeting. We are not told if Jesus had said he would be there. Still, there was the possibility of his presence. We could deduce from his presence in the meeting that Thomas, despite his unbelief, wanted his conditions fulfilled. Someone can long for a situation that seems very unlikely.
Why were doors locked on this occasion? To keep out others, in order to have a meeting with Jesus. The disciples knew that the locks were of no hindrance to Jesus if he wanted to come in. When he did enter, he created a beautiful atmosphere through the power of his word. He knew the hearts of each of his disciples and he knew that one of them at least – Thomas – had no peace in his heart at that moment.
Jesus gave to Thomas the confirmation that he desired. He even used the words that Thomas had used when making the conditions. It does look as if the Saviour was rebuking Thomas for his harsh way of speaking on the previous occasion. Sometimes we can say something that we later discover was an offence to Jesus. Thomas would not have anticipated on the previous occasion that his words would be mentioned a week later by Jesus. The apostle would now have realised that Jesus is aware of everything that any of his followers say about him.
The best way to correct a disciple is in the presence of Jesus, and to do so especially when he is conscious of the wounds of Jesus. Surely the disciples received a lesson about restoration from the Master on this occasion. Always speak about restoration in the light of the cross.
The man who had wanted clinical confirmation now expressed his heartfelt adoration. Thomas gladly confessed the deity of the Saviour. We should take note of how he describes his personal connection to Jesus. Of course, he is divine, but he is my divine Master, says Thomas. How quickly doubts are removed in the presence of the risen Saviour!
Man enjoying fellowship (John 21:1-14)
Thomas missed the first occasion when Jesus met with his apostles after his resurrection. But he was at the second and the third. The third took place in Galilee, probably while they were waiting for a special meeting of five hundred disciples with Jesus.
John mentions the names of five disciples and also says that two others were present. Since this is the third meeting of Jesus with the apostles after his resurrection, it means that at least five of the apostles were missing on this occasion. While we do not know why they were not there, we do have another reminder that absence can result in missing a blessing.
The occasion was to teach the seven some important lessons that Jesus wanted them to learn about fellowship. First, Jesus knows where his people are. Second, the arrival of Jesus may be unexpected. Third, he may come incognito, unrecognised. Fourth, he can come at a time when our abilities are shown to have been useless. Fifth, when he comes, he knows how to solve the problem by a marvellous display of his grace. Sixth, he comes as a servant with resources of mercy – on this occasion he made them a meal. Thomas would have been very encouraged by observing the kindness of Jesus.
Man who prayed for blessing (Acts 1:12-14
The last time that Thomas is mentioned by name is in Acts 1, in a list of disciples who met in a room in Jerusalem. As far as I can see, this is the earliest description of the disciples at prayer. No doubt, they did pray before, in one way or another, but those occasions are not recorded. Before the cross, they may have prayed for wrong things unless they used the Lord’s Prayer as a guide. At that time they had wrong notions about the kingdom, so their prayers may have erred to some extent. But now things were different and they had new understanding of and insight into the future activities of the Saviour.
Luke records two features of their activity – harmony and prayer, and that they did so for ten days. They met in this way because of the great promises given by Jesus before he ascended to heaven, an event that Thomas saw with the other disciples. We can see a lot of spiritual growth in Thomas’ outlook. The man is now praying, dependant on the Saviour he had not known enough about a few months previously. Yet he had learned enough to know that nothing serious can be done for God unless it is preceded by much heartfelt prayer.
The rest is history. It is accepted that Thomas, when he went into all the world, took the gospel to India round about the year 52, where he was later martyred. What an adventure he had been on!
Lessons
We should learn first that Jesus makes all the difference to discipleship. Without contact with him, there is no developing discipleship. Second, we can see from Thomas’ experience that every disciple does not grow at the same rate. Third, Thomas shows us that we should bring our concerns to Jesus. Fourth, the life of Thomas indicates that good things happen when Christians meet together. Fifth, Thomas informs us that the path of our discipleship can be beyond our wildest dreams.
Thomas is mentioned in the list of apostles given in the Synoptic Gospels. Often he is referred to as doubting Thomas, but that way of speaking about him is unfair because there is only one instance of him doubting something about Jesus. We are told that his nickname was Didymus, which means twin, but we have no idea who his twin was. Although we are not told when Thomas met Jesus, he had decided at some stage to become a follower of Jesus. This is the most important detail of a Bible character to notice, because nothing of spiritual value can be said about a person until that happens.
Man of courage (John 11:16)
John mentions here that ‘Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”’ His words were in response to Jesus’ decision to go and see the family in Bethany who had lost Lazarus through death. A few verses earlier, John points out that the disciples had said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Clearly, they thought that it was a very dangerous journey for Jesus to make and that he and they should not do it.
Thomas responded to that situation by saying that they should go with Jesus even if it meant that they would die. He thought it would be better to be dead with Jesus than alive without him. Thomas seems to accept that the danger is real, nevertheless he wants to be with Jesus, which indicates that despite personal faults in his outlook he loved the company of Jesus. And we can deduce that progress can come where love exists.
On this occasion, Thomas saw the power of Jesus over death when he raised Lazarus from the dead. The Saviour had indicated that it would be for the disciples’ benefit that they would see his power. No doubt, they received a great insight into who Jesus is. Yet despite the statement he had made about willing to die with Jesus, Thomas failed to show the same courage when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, because with the other disciples he forsook Jesus and fled.
Man who confessed (John 14:5-6)
The next time Thomas is mentioned by name is in John 14. Jesus has referred to his Father’s house, that he was going to prepare a place there for his disciples, and that his disciples would get there. It is obvious from the subsequent discussion that the disciples did not understand what Jesus had meant, and to begin with Thomas reveals his inability to understand what Jesus had said. It looks as if Thomas assumed that Jesus was speaking about a place somewhere in Israel, so Jesus had to expand on his teaching.
In a situation where ignorance exists, two responses are often made. One is to remain ignorant and the other is to ask questions revealing the ignorance. Would there have been a conversation if Thomas had not spoken? We should be glad that he did because He received wonderful information from Jesus about what he can do for sinners.
There are two details to note about how Thomas asked his question. First, he accepted the authority of Jesus concerning the answer – Thomas called Jesus ‘Lord’. The words of Jesus on the matter would be authoritative for Thomas. Second, he received a direct answer to his question, which he would not have received if he had not asked.
Jesus gave to Thomas a wonderful description of what it means to be the Saviour of sinners. He is the way, the truth and the life. No doubt, there are many ways of interpreting what Jesus meant. It would be appropriate to think that the description is connected to the Father’s house. This would mean that Jesus is the way to heaven, that Jesus speaks the truth about heaven, and that Jesus will the source of life that is enjoyed by the residents of heaven.
As a man of courage, Thomas had potential because he loved to be with Jesus. As a man who confessed his ignorance, Thomas had potential because he knew that Jesus could answer the deepest of questions and Thomas was prepared to accept the answers that came from his Master.
Man who disbelieved (John 20:24-25)
The next time Thomas is mentioned is the evening of the day when Jesus rose from the dead. The other disciples had gathered together, but for some reason Thomas was absent, which is a reminder that absence is one way of missing a blessing. Those disciples who met together had the experience of meeting the risen Christ. We are only told one thing that they did with that wonderful experience – they told Thomas about it, which is an example of brotherly love. Of course, they may have spoken of it to him during the following week.
Thomas, however, was not quick to accept their testimony. Perhaps he had become disillusioned because of the death of Jesus and the apparent disappearance of his cause. Maybe he did not want to go through another disappointing experience. Therefore, he came up with certain conditions before he would believe that Jesus was alive. His set of conditions are very precise, but as Jesus indicated on the following Lord’s Day, they were expressions of unbelief. When he said that he wanted to see and feel for himself, Thomas was not indicating that he believed Jesus was alive. Thomas is now man marked by disbelief.
Imagine if we had been reading this story for the first time and were unaware of the consequence. Would we expect Jesus to respond to the conditions set by his disciple now in a state of unbelief? After all, Jesus had responded to Thomas’ previous request for understanding. Would Thomas be judged severely because of his defiance?
Man who worshipped (John 20:26-28)
On the following Lord’s Day, Thomas is with the disciples. This is probably the most notable of the events involving Thomas. It is interesting that he came on that evening. Something was drawing Thomas to that meeting. We are not told if Jesus had said he would be there. Still, there was the possibility of his presence. We could deduce from his presence in the meeting that Thomas, despite his unbelief, wanted his conditions fulfilled. Someone can long for a situation that seems very unlikely.
Why were doors locked on this occasion? To keep out others, in order to have a meeting with Jesus. The disciples knew that the locks were of no hindrance to Jesus if he wanted to come in. When he did enter, he created a beautiful atmosphere through the power of his word. He knew the hearts of each of his disciples and he knew that one of them at least – Thomas – had no peace in his heart at that moment.
Jesus gave to Thomas the confirmation that he desired. He even used the words that Thomas had used when making the conditions. It does look as if the Saviour was rebuking Thomas for his harsh way of speaking on the previous occasion. Sometimes we can say something that we later discover was an offence to Jesus. Thomas would not have anticipated on the previous occasion that his words would be mentioned a week later by Jesus. The apostle would now have realised that Jesus is aware of everything that any of his followers say about him.
The best way to correct a disciple is in the presence of Jesus, and to do so especially when he is conscious of the wounds of Jesus. Surely the disciples received a lesson about restoration from the Master on this occasion. Always speak about restoration in the light of the cross.
The man who had wanted clinical confirmation now expressed his heartfelt adoration. Thomas gladly confessed the deity of the Saviour. We should take note of how he describes his personal connection to Jesus. Of course, he is divine, but he is my divine Master, says Thomas. How quickly doubts are removed in the presence of the risen Saviour!
Man enjoying fellowship (John 21:1-14)
Thomas missed the first occasion when Jesus met with his apostles after his resurrection. But he was at the second and the third. The third took place in Galilee, probably while they were waiting for a special meeting of five hundred disciples with Jesus.
John mentions the names of five disciples and also says that two others were present. Since this is the third meeting of Jesus with the apostles after his resurrection, it means that at least five of the apostles were missing on this occasion. While we do not know why they were not there, we do have another reminder that absence can result in missing a blessing.
The occasion was to teach the seven some important lessons that Jesus wanted them to learn about fellowship. First, Jesus knows where his people are. Second, the arrival of Jesus may be unexpected. Third, he may come incognito, unrecognised. Fourth, he can come at a time when our abilities are shown to have been useless. Fifth, when he comes, he knows how to solve the problem by a marvellous display of his grace. Sixth, he comes as a servant with resources of mercy – on this occasion he made them a meal. Thomas would have been very encouraged by observing the kindness of Jesus.
Man who prayed for blessing (Acts 1:12-14
The last time that Thomas is mentioned by name is in Acts 1, in a list of disciples who met in a room in Jerusalem. As far as I can see, this is the earliest description of the disciples at prayer. No doubt, they did pray before, in one way or another, but those occasions are not recorded. Before the cross, they may have prayed for wrong things unless they used the Lord’s Prayer as a guide. At that time they had wrong notions about the kingdom, so their prayers may have erred to some extent. But now things were different and they had new understanding of and insight into the future activities of the Saviour.
Luke records two features of their activity – harmony and prayer, and that they did so for ten days. They met in this way because of the great promises given by Jesus before he ascended to heaven, an event that Thomas saw with the other disciples. We can see a lot of spiritual growth in Thomas’ outlook. The man is now praying, dependant on the Saviour he had not known enough about a few months previously. Yet he had learned enough to know that nothing serious can be done for God unless it is preceded by much heartfelt prayer.
The rest is history. It is accepted that Thomas, when he went into all the world, took the gospel to India round about the year 52, where he was later martyred. What an adventure he had been on!
Lessons
We should learn first that Jesus makes all the difference to discipleship. Without contact with him, there is no developing discipleship. Second, we can see from Thomas’ experience that every disciple does not grow at the same rate. Third, Thomas shows us that we should bring our concerns to Jesus. Fourth, the life of Thomas indicates that good things happen when Christians meet together. Fifth, Thomas informs us that the path of our discipleship can be beyond our wildest dreams.