Reading Plan:
John 20:19-29

Our Thoughts:
In my opinion, Thomas gets a bad rap in the memories of most people. I haven’t heard many messages or read many books about the Disciple Thomas who gave up his life to follow Jesus. I don’t hear too many people talk about Thomas as a man who participated in the miraculous stories of Jesus, walked hundreds of miles, endured ridicule and constant questioning, or obeyed boldly when Jesus sent His disciples out. What most people know about Thomas comes from this one story in John chapter 20. So much so that his legacy is being remembered as “Doubting Thomas.”

Doubting Thomas is the man who refused to believe that Jesus was alive again. How would you like to have years of loyal sacrifice completely forgotten all because of one question? If I’m honest, I think I would have reacted exactly as Thomas did at this moment. Thomas may not have been present at the cross when Jesus was crucified, but the horrors of that event were not a secret to him. The cross was not a new method of torture or execution. He would have been well aware of the nails and the whips involved, and the agony everyone experienced in their final moments on the cross.

For days, the topic of conversation around the table for those who had been following Jesus must have been the cross and the tomb. They would have recounted the pain of the cross, and the despair of seeing the stone rolled in front of the tomb. I can’t imagine how many times they asked, “now what?” In the midst of all of this, Thomas goes out to get lunch, and suddenly everything changes. The same people who were just crying in despair are now celebrating that Jesus is alive!

I don’t blame Thomas for wanting proof. After all, he didn’t have the same experience of seeing Jesus as everyone else did. John tells us that for eight days Thomas had to sit in this doubt and wondering. For eight days, he had to question if all of his friends had suddenly lost their minds, or if he was the crazy one. A week of wrestling with what he really believed, and from everything we know, nothing nor no one changed his mind.

On the eighth day, Thomas got the thing he needed, proof. When Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time with Thomas present, there was no more doubting for him. There was also no condemnation. Jesus did not scold, condemn, or correct Thomas for his questions. Instead, Jesus met Thomas exactly where he was and offered exactly what he needed. Just like he took Thomas’ doubt and turned it into faith, Jesus isn’t scared of your questions either.

I believe it is incredibly important that Thomas didn’t let his doubt drive him away from his friends. Even with his questions and disagreeing, he stayed where he was most likely to find the needed answers. For you and me, I believe questions and ultimately doubt are inevitable in different seasons of our lives. Just like Thomas, we have to decide what are we going to do with those questions. Will they drive us further away or closer to the answers we need the most?

More Questions:
What does it take for you to believe someone at their word without physical proof?
When you have questions or doubts about your faith, where do you go? Do you withdraw into isolation or find help in community?

Prayer:
Father, thank you for loving me even in my doubts. Strengthen my faith and give me the boldness to follow you without hesitation, even when things don’t make sense around me. Help me to live with confidence today in your work and calling.

Author: Kyle Warren