Doubting Thomas

John 20
“Doubting Thomas”….everyone has their own particular thoughts on poor ol’ Thomas.  And most probably smugly ask,” how can a man who walked daily with the Lord Jesus Christ have such doubt?” It’s quite easy to judge when the spot light isn’t on us!
Let’s take a closer look at Thomas, after all he was one of the twelve disciples. He was chosen from the beginning BY JESUS to be in the inner circle of our savior!
When we read about the disciples, the ones that were actually, physically walking with Jesus every day.… we get a glimpse of the men that were the closest to Him. They were just regular ol’ guys! They were NOT preachers, teachers, or prophets, actually they weren’t even remotely religious! They were chosen by Jesus and knew Jesus intimately, physically, first hand. They were the very forerunners of the CHURCH (God’s people) that help reveal Jesus to us as believers now. They have been guided by the Holy Spirit to leave us guidance and encouragement.
They lived with him, they ate with him, they walked and talked with him, they prayed with him, they watched him as he ministered to the sick and the lonely and the desperate! THEY KNEW JESUS!! These disciples were the first church! Yet, despite the unfathomable opportunity that they had physically walking with Jesus ….after Calvary…..they stumbled in their faith, they hid in fear, and one left to deal with things on his own! Sounds like a pretty motley crew doesn’t it?? Now, of course we have great respect for our brothers in Christ so take that “motley crew” comment as an understanding that we, also a motley crew, are in good company!!
John chapter 20 …..There the disciples (only the 11) gathered.  Afraid, they prayed and waited to see what was next.
I want to focus in on Thomas here, or as many people are more familiar with “doubting Thomas”. It was directly after the crucifixion of their Lord and Savior that doubting had begun, confusion had set in and questioning was probably the very prevalent topic among their conversations! Thomas was not present among the 11 when Jesus first appeared. The others told Thomas they had seen Jesus and talked with the resurrected Christ! But, in the Scriptures Thomas speaks up and is adamant in his declaration and says “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side.” John 20:25 (NLT).  I can almost hear his exasperated frustration and confusion!
So before we get to hard on Thomas for bailing and demanding physical evidence that Jesus was alive, remember the other 11 were LOCKED away in a room “the disciples were gathered together BEHIND LOCKED DOORS out of FEAR of the Jews” (John 20:19).  NONE of them …not one….REMEMBERED ALL their Lord and Savior said, did, and promised! They FORGOT WHO Jesus was! They FORGOT what He said, they FORGOT all the miracles they had witnessed with their own eyes!
The eleven gathered in fear- I guess we could all agree there sometimes is a small amount of comfort in numbers, even in fear, weird, but true! Thomas, on the other hand handled his loss and confusion with frustration and a dogmatic ” I will not believe unless he proves it to me” attitude. Both responses lack faith, both responses lack steadfast endurance, both FORGOT!
When things begin to unravel, look dark, leave you without direction….what is your response? Do you recoil in fear? Do you stall in your trust in God? Do you begin to doubt the very things He’s spoken to your heart? Do you get angry or depressed?
Well Jesus has an encouraging word for us, “blessed are those who have not seen and YET BELIEVE.” (John 20).
I had great advice spoken from a close mentor of mine once…she told me about keeping a “Book of Gratitude “.   Write down EVERYTHING (big and small) God has already done, spoken to your heart and shown you! Keep it as a record, a remembrance for HOW AMAZING OUR JESUS IS!!  How big our God is!!  Great idea right? So, those times where we are afraid, confused, even angry about a situation…. grab your book….. remind yourself ALL that God is and ALL that God has taken you through! HE IS FAITHFUL!!!
Remember, the disciples were afraid, confused, and even one to the point of anger because of the lack of understanding. Jesus doesn’t get angry with us because we struggle sometimes in our faith … Jesus didn’t rebuke or embarrass Thomas for having to physically prove to him that it was Indeed Him… He just gently complied so Thomas would believe!!! How gentle is our Lord with us… knowing that sometimes we will struggle but having compassion on us, He will always gently show us HE’S THERE!!!
He’s there for you whether you see him or not!  Let’s Just believe!