26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" John20:19-29
We call him "Doubting Thomas" but that's not how he comes across in the rest of the passages that mention him. In those passages we see Thomas portrayed as courageous and insightful.
In John 11 he declares his willingness to go with Jesus to Jerusalem with Jesus even if it is risky: "Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with him.'" (John 11:16)
In John 14 Jesus is talking about His departure and He says "You know the way to the place where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" So here Thomas is asking the penetrating question that leads Jesus to answer "I am the way, the truth and the life."
But Thomas wasn't with the disciples in the Upper Room on Resurrection Sunday when Jesus appeared to them behind the doors they had so fearfully locked. Was it because Thomas was ashamed that he had run away instead of dying with Jesus as he had committed himself to?
Or was it something else? His nickname (Didymus) means "twin." It might be that he suffered a terrible loss involving his twin and this loss makes it harder for him to believe the good news of resurrection
For those who have suffered great loss, hope is hard to kindle...
But a week later, when Thomas finally sees Jesus, he does not need to touch Him, because it has all become clear: Jesus has suffered incredibly so that we are never ever alone.
Thomas utters the New Testament's greatest statement of faith - "My Lord and My God."
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
