Poor Thomas the Apostle. Your compatriots come to you with incredible news, you instinctively go “hang on a second,” and you’re suddenly reduced to a meme:
And yet…I believe Thomas was one of the most steadfast followers of Christ, not far behind Peter the Rock. He only features in three Bible passages, but each one is quite instructive:
John 11:1-16
When Jesus prepared to head back to Judea to raise Lazarus from the dead, everyone hesitated for fear of the Jews; back then, stoning was A Thing, not to be taken lightly. It was Thomas the firebrand who plucked up his courage and egged the others on: “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
John 14:1-7
Thomas was also clearly not sleeping during his instruction. At the Last Supper, the disciples were perturbed by Jesus’ revelations about the hours to come, and especially about the triple-denial of the first among them. Jesus comforts them with the news that He would prepare a place for them in heaven, and return to “take you to myself, so that you may be with me where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
It was Thomas who fought his way through the fog of alcohol and a full meal to ask: “We don’t know where you’re going, so how can we know the way?” By now, we know Jesus’ response by heart, but it’s always good to refresh our memory.
John 20:19-31
And let’s not forget that even though Jesus was addressing the Doubter when he said “you believe because you can see me,” the other disciples also believed because they saw. It was Thomas alone who started with second-hand information rather than the Real Thing, and I suspect the other disciples wouldn’t have fared any better had they been placed in Thomas’ sandals.
Note also that Jesus did not rebuke Thomas. No condescending “you IDIOT!” No incinerating pillar of fire. No loss of temper as with the merchants in the Temple of Jerusalem. Just a few quiet words: “I am He. See my hands, my feet, my side. Doubt no longer.” (I also think Jesus would’ve given Thomas a patient look that said: “By the way, I still love you despite your doubt.”)
Thomas’ response was a polar opposite:
My Lord and my God!
No hanging on to personal pride, no “you can’t be real, I must be dreaming, or someone’s dropped marijuana in the fireplace.” Just a straightforward EXCLAMATION! from the Firebrand of Faith.
Conclusion
The Apostle Thomas was:
- enthusiastic to a fault,
- attentive to his Master’s teachings,
- not afraid to ask questions,
- careful to treat others’ babbling with a degree of skepticism,
- not too proud to correct himself given appropriate evidence,
- a vocal believer.
All in all, not a bad role model for our faith.
#JeSuisThomas
