Thomas

A character study of any of the apostles must recognise that they appear in instances where their name is not mentioned specifically. For example, Thomas’ name is not included when Jesus miraculously fed the five thousand, but he was there with the other apostles, even although only the names of Philip and Andrew are mentioned. A similar situation occurs when Mary of Bethany anointed the Saviour with her precious ointment – the only name that is mentioned is Judas, but the other apostles were there. Yet some of them are mentioned in specific circumstances, and it is from such instances that I would like us to think together about Thomas. It is only in John’s Gospel that we are told specific things that Thomas said or did.

 

Some basic details

Thomas is included in each of the four lists of the apostles – one each in Matthew, Mark, Luke and the Book of Acts. We are not told how he became a follower of Jesus, although he must have done so at some stage before he was called by Jesus to be an apostle. No background information about where he came from is given, so we cannot say if he was rich or poor, or if he was connected to John the Baptist as some others were. Maybe the reference in John 20 indicates that he was a fisherman before Christ called him. Rather foolishly, he is referred to as doubting Thomas, but there is no evidence that he was more prone to doubts than any of the other apostles. He is mentioned by name in connection with five incidents, and we can follow them sequentially as they are related in John’s Gospel, before closing with a brief consideration of the place where his name is mentioned in the Book of Acts.

 

Man of courage (John 11:16)

The first time he is mentioned by name is in John 11. Jesus had been informed that his friend Lazarus was ill, but had stayed where he was for two more days before informing the apostles that they would now go to Bethany. The response of the disciples was surprise at Jesus’ decision: ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?’ They thought it was a dangerous thing for him to do. It was then that Thomas said to them, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’

It is not clear if Thomas meant that they would join Lazarus in being dead or whether he thought that they would die with Jesus at the hands of the Pharisees. What is obvious though is that he thought it would be better to die with Jesus that to live without Jesus. So he must have loved the presence of Jesus. His words also suggest that he has a measure of natural courage, willing to go with Jesus into a place of danger.

Thomas’ exhortation was used by God to cause the others to go with Jesus. Of course, they would have gone whether or not Thomas said his suggestion, but we should note that John recorded that that it was Thomas who had said this, and it was his exhortation that bore fruit. When they went with Jesus, they saw amazing things, such as him weeping at the sadness he observed and also his amazing power to raise Lazarus from the dead.

I mentioned that Thomas’ advice pointed to him having what we can call natural bravery. Yet he had to learn that he could not depend on his own strength. A few months later, he was with Jesus when he was in real danger in the Garden of Gethsemane. On that occasion, he showed that he was not ready to die with Jesus because with the others he forsook Jesus and fled. Yet we should remember that church tradition says that while Thomas did not die with Jesus at that time, he did die for the cause of Jesus while taking the gospel to India.

 

Man of ignorance (John 14:5-6)

The next time Thomas is mentioned is in John 14. Jesus had informed the disciples that in his Father’s house there were many rooms and that he was going there to prepare rooms for them as well. The disciples did not know what Jesus meant. In such a situation, there can only be two responses – ask for more information or don’t ask. Thomas decided to speak. Given that he was the first to state his ignorance suggests that he was realistic about himself and yet curious about what Jesus meant. What would have happened if he had kept silent? He would not have received the amazing details that Jesus then told him, and we would not have them either.

We can see from his question that Thomas had some insight into who Jesus was because he called him Lord. At this stage of the disciples journey with Jesus they had accepted that he was the divine Son of God, an opinion given by Peter on behalf of them all when Jesus asked them at Caesarea Philippi who they thought he was. Yet at this time, they still had difficulties about him speaking about his death. Yet we should observe that their difficulties did not mean them minimising who they thought he was.

In answer to his question, Thomas received the wonderful words of John 14:6 about Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. No doubt, there are different ways of explaining what Jesus meant in this well-known ‘I am’ saying. Probably, in the context, it is a description of heaven and Jesus said that he is the way there, that he speaks the truth about it, and that he will be the source of life there.

Thomas, realistic about his ignorance, asked for information and received a wonderful answer. He is a good example to follow.

 

Man who disbelieved (John 20:24-25)

The third time that Thomas is mentioned is the evening of the day when Jesus rose from the dead. For some reason Thomas was absent from the gathering of disciples, which is a reminder that absence is one way of missing a blessing. The other disciples met the risen Christ. They told Thomas what he had missed out on.

Thomas was not so easily convinced and made a very precise set of conditions regarding what it would take to convince him about the resurrection of Jesus. Basically he was sceptical, and that may have been a negative feature of his character. Realists can be very sceptical. I wonder what the other disciples thought of Thomas’ demands and if Jesus would agree to them.

 

Man who worshipped (John 20:26-28)

Whatever he felt and expected, Thomas was with the disciples when they met on the following Lord’s Day. Jesus must have indicated to them that he would meet with them on the evening of the next first day of the week, otherwise they would not have known to gather at that time. Something drew Thomas to that meeting despite his apparent unbelief. Of course, it was not something, it was Someone, the Holy Spirit working secretly in Thomas’ heart.

Why were doors locked on this occasion? The disciples knew that the locks were of no hindrance to Jesus if he wanted to come in since they did not stop him on the previous Sunday. They must have wanted others not to come in, which sometimes would be legitimate. When Jesus entered, 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 used the very words that Thomas had used when making the conditions, so he discovered that Jesus knew what he had said even although he was not physically present when Thomas said them. The words of Jesus were both an invitation and a rebuke. The man who had been so definite in what he wanted to see now realised that his proper position was that of a worshipper. He did so using the personal pronoun ‘My’ which is important to note.

The other disciples also saw something wonderful on that evening as Jesus and Thomas interacted with one another. All of them apart from Thomas had experienced personal restoration from Jesus the preceding Sunday. But they, and we, need constant reminders of the willingness and eagerness of Jesus to restore wandering disciples when they confess their sins and mistakes. One aspect of the lesson is that it is best to confess and to accept the restoration of a wandering brother when both are in sight of the wounds of Jesus. We should always and only speak about restoration in the light of the cross.

 

Man enjoying fellowship (John 21:1-14)

Thomas was absent on the first occasion when Jesus met with his apostles after his resurrection. But he made sure that he was at the second and the third. We have thought about the second when Thomas was restored. The third took place in Galilee some time later, probably while they were waiting for a special meeting of five hundred disciples with Jesus. We know from other Gospels that Jesus had told them to go to Galilee and that he would meet with them there.

John gives 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 for prayer. Luke records two features of their activity at this time – 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 who had fled in Gethsemane, who was not diligent in attending meetings with his fellow-disciples, is now praying for divine blessing, dependant on the Saviour he had not known enough about a few months previously, but whom he now knew had gone to the Father’s house in heaven. He had learned this lesson that nothing serious can be done for God unless it is preceded by much heartfelt prayer.

 

Lessons

What other lessons can we take from these striking snapshots of Thomas? We should learn first that fellowship with Jesus makes all the difference to spiritual discipleship. Without contact with him, there is no developing discipleship. Second, we can see from Thomas’ experiences before the cross that every disciple does not grow at the same rate at the same time. Third, Thomas and his questions show us that we should bring our concerns to Jesus quickly and expect an answer. Fourth, the life of Thomas indicates that good things happen when Christians meet together. Fifth, Thomas’ experience of restoration is a beautiful reminder of the restoring grace of Jesus. Sixth, Thomas informs us that the path of our discipleship can be beyond our wildest dreams. He had no idea that Christians in the vast country of India would thank the Lord for sending Thomas to their country.