Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
John 14:5
Do you ever struggle with doubts in your faith? Doubts that you really asked Jesus to cleanse you from your sins? Doubts that when you leave this earthly realm, you’ll spend eternity in Heaven with Him? Even after having walked with Him for a long time? I have.
After their initial call, very little is said about most of the apostles in Scripture. Peter, of course, seemed to always suffer from foot and mouth disease. John, we know as the disciple, “whom Jesus loved,”. He was secure in his relationship with his Lord.
On the other end of the spectrum, is Thomas. Thomas struggled with his faith in the Lord. Thomas struggled with his doubts. Thomas is a source of encouragement to me.
Most of what we know about Thomas is found after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, there are a couple other passages. The one I have quoted and one in John 11. In the passage of John 11, Jesus learns of the death of His friend Lazarus, delays his going to him for two days then says, I’m going to Lazarus so that I can show you more of Myself (that’s a paraphrase, of course, of verse 15).
Thomas’ response to that is… Let us also go that we may die with him. I can almost hear him say, “we’re going to die anyway….might as well be with the Master…you know we’re going to die as soon as we step foot in Judea…” You can almost hear the huge sigh of resignation Thomas emits before that statement, can’t you? Jesus’ life had been threatened by the Jewish leaders and His disciples felt it would not be safe for Him to travel in Judea. Nevertheless, Jesus didn’t allow danger to keep him from the side of His friends during this time. His delay was so that God could show His disciples (and others) more of Himself… more of Who He really was. Thomas had grave doubts about going into danger… even with the Master.
The next time, we see Thomas is in the passage I’ve quoted. Jesus knows His time is near to die and so He spends the last precious week of His life fleshing out the teaching and instructions He’d given them during the three years they had walked in ministry with Him. These 12 men had been with Jesus almost constantly during His 3 years of ministry, humanly speaking we would think they’d have “gotten it” by now. They hadn’t, and Thomas becomes the spokesperson for the rest of the group. He verbalized what some of the others were thinking but weren’t brave enough to voice to the Master.
Have you ever been there? You’ve walked with the Lord for a long time, but you wonder…. Am I walking the right way? How will God work in my present situation? I know He can because I’ve seen Him work in the past, but… will He work in what my present situation is now?
Can you hear the insecurity, the fear in Thomas’ voice? Jesus is preparing His 12 for His death; for his departure from His time on earth. He promises to prepare a place for them AND He promises to come back to get them. However, the disciples were still thinking on the earthly plane. They were thinking that Jesus was going somewhere else on earth to get away from the persecution of the Jewish leaders (and that He was going to leave them here to fend for themselves against those same Jewish leaders). They did not understand yet that Jesus would be crucified; .that that was the purpose in His coming this time. Though Jesus had been telling them and preparing them for one of the most stressful events in their lives, they still didn’t understand. They still believed He was here to set up an earthly kingdom… not a heavenly one.
So when Jesus says, He’s leaving, these men wonder… where are You going? How will we know how to get there if You’re not here to show us the way? Jesus then gently reminds Thomas, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” Then Philip joins Thomas’s querying of the Lord. “Lord, if you’ll just show us…” Jesus says, “I already have shown you. You’ve seen Me…. I AM the Way.”
The next time, we hear from Thomas is after the resurrection in John 20: 24-29. Jesus has been crucified. The disciples had been feeling like all their dreams and hopes of being a part of God’s kingdom were dashed to smithereens. In a way, it had been… for Jesus had not come to set up His earthly kingdom yet. There were others of another fold who needed to be told the Way. (John 10:16).
Thomas, of all the disciples, perhaps felt and showed his devastation at Jesus’ death more than any of the others. It is from this Scripture that he gets the name “Doubting Thomas”. When Jesus first appeared to the other disciples after His resurrection, Thomas was not present. Hmmm… Ever wonder where Thomas was that he wasn’t with the other disciples? Perhaps he was off bemoaning Jesus’ death as well as the death of all his dreams for the future. So that when he finally did meet up with the other disciples and they told him of Jesus’ appearance to them, he refused to believe it was Jesus. He wanted concrete evidence that Jesus had risen again. He wanted to “feel” the nail prints in Jesus’ hands.
So, Jesus comes gently into their midst again and says, “Thomas, reach here …. Touch Me…. Don’t be faithless” Though this was a gentle rebuke to Thomas, it is also evidence that God wants us to be sure and secure of our belief in Him. He is not afraid of our doubts in Him. He is not threatened by our doubts. Doubts are only a platform for God to build our faith in Him. Thomas’ response to Jesus was one of awe, reverence and worship, “My Lord and my God”. .
Let me ask you once again, are you struggling with your faith in Christ? Have circumstances arisen that make you wonder if He’s real? Or perhaps you’ve just fallen for some myth? Beloved, He is real. He wants you to “reach here … touch Me…. And be …. Believing!”. There’s more to this… but I’ll leave it….
Molly Winter
Col. 1:9-10
My Comments: This really has spoken to me, because I have struggled often with doubting the Lord. It isn’t that I don’t believe He is God, all-powerful, all-knowing, unchanging and all of His other characteristics. It is that I don’t stay convinced that He cares about me, that what He is doing in my life if for my good. I know He is doing “right” in my life, but I’m not really sure that it is best. Do you hear the doubting. I struggle with wanting my way so often, instead of God’s way. Solving problems in my way and time, instead of waiting for the Lord. It is so hard to wait... is it REALLY necessary? Of course, it is and it is building patience and self-control in my life as I learn to wait and trust Him with every aspect of my life.
John 14:5
Do you ever struggle with doubts in your faith? Doubts that you really asked Jesus to cleanse you from your sins? Doubts that when you leave this earthly realm, you’ll spend eternity in Heaven with Him? Even after having walked with Him for a long time? I have.
After their initial call, very little is said about most of the apostles in Scripture. Peter, of course, seemed to always suffer from foot and mouth disease. John, we know as the disciple, “whom Jesus loved,”. He was secure in his relationship with his Lord.
On the other end of the spectrum, is Thomas. Thomas struggled with his faith in the Lord. Thomas struggled with his doubts. Thomas is a source of encouragement to me.
Most of what we know about Thomas is found after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, there are a couple other passages. The one I have quoted and one in John 11. In the passage of John 11, Jesus learns of the death of His friend Lazarus, delays his going to him for two days then says, I’m going to Lazarus so that I can show you more of Myself (that’s a paraphrase, of course, of verse 15).
Thomas’ response to that is… Let us also go that we may die with him. I can almost hear him say, “we’re going to die anyway….might as well be with the Master…you know we’re going to die as soon as we step foot in Judea…” You can almost hear the huge sigh of resignation Thomas emits before that statement, can’t you? Jesus’ life had been threatened by the Jewish leaders and His disciples felt it would not be safe for Him to travel in Judea. Nevertheless, Jesus didn’t allow danger to keep him from the side of His friends during this time. His delay was so that God could show His disciples (and others) more of Himself… more of Who He really was. Thomas had grave doubts about going into danger… even with the Master.
The next time, we see Thomas is in the passage I’ve quoted. Jesus knows His time is near to die and so He spends the last precious week of His life fleshing out the teaching and instructions He’d given them during the three years they had walked in ministry with Him. These 12 men had been with Jesus almost constantly during His 3 years of ministry, humanly speaking we would think they’d have “gotten it” by now. They hadn’t, and Thomas becomes the spokesperson for the rest of the group. He verbalized what some of the others were thinking but weren’t brave enough to voice to the Master.
Have you ever been there? You’ve walked with the Lord for a long time, but you wonder…. Am I walking the right way? How will God work in my present situation? I know He can because I’ve seen Him work in the past, but… will He work in what my present situation is now?
Can you hear the insecurity, the fear in Thomas’ voice? Jesus is preparing His 12 for His death; for his departure from His time on earth. He promises to prepare a place for them AND He promises to come back to get them. However, the disciples were still thinking on the earthly plane. They were thinking that Jesus was going somewhere else on earth to get away from the persecution of the Jewish leaders (and that He was going to leave them here to fend for themselves against those same Jewish leaders). They did not understand yet that Jesus would be crucified; .that that was the purpose in His coming this time. Though Jesus had been telling them and preparing them for one of the most stressful events in their lives, they still didn’t understand. They still believed He was here to set up an earthly kingdom… not a heavenly one.
So when Jesus says, He’s leaving, these men wonder… where are You going? How will we know how to get there if You’re not here to show us the way? Jesus then gently reminds Thomas, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” Then Philip joins Thomas’s querying of the Lord. “Lord, if you’ll just show us…” Jesus says, “I already have shown you. You’ve seen Me…. I AM the Way.”
The next time, we hear from Thomas is after the resurrection in John 20: 24-29. Jesus has been crucified. The disciples had been feeling like all their dreams and hopes of being a part of God’s kingdom were dashed to smithereens. In a way, it had been… for Jesus had not come to set up His earthly kingdom yet. There were others of another fold who needed to be told the Way. (John 10:16).
Thomas, of all the disciples, perhaps felt and showed his devastation at Jesus’ death more than any of the others. It is from this Scripture that he gets the name “Doubting Thomas”. When Jesus first appeared to the other disciples after His resurrection, Thomas was not present. Hmmm… Ever wonder where Thomas was that he wasn’t with the other disciples? Perhaps he was off bemoaning Jesus’ death as well as the death of all his dreams for the future. So that when he finally did meet up with the other disciples and they told him of Jesus’ appearance to them, he refused to believe it was Jesus. He wanted concrete evidence that Jesus had risen again. He wanted to “feel” the nail prints in Jesus’ hands.
So, Jesus comes gently into their midst again and says, “Thomas, reach here …. Touch Me…. Don’t be faithless” Though this was a gentle rebuke to Thomas, it is also evidence that God wants us to be sure and secure of our belief in Him. He is not afraid of our doubts in Him. He is not threatened by our doubts. Doubts are only a platform for God to build our faith in Him. Thomas’ response to Jesus was one of awe, reverence and worship, “My Lord and my God”. .
Let me ask you once again, are you struggling with your faith in Christ? Have circumstances arisen that make you wonder if He’s real? Or perhaps you’ve just fallen for some myth? Beloved, He is real. He wants you to “reach here … touch Me…. And be …. Believing!”. There’s more to this… but I’ll leave it….
Molly Winter
Col. 1:9-10
My Comments: This really has spoken to me, because I have struggled often with doubting the Lord. It isn’t that I don’t believe He is God, all-powerful, all-knowing, unchanging and all of His other characteristics. It is that I don’t stay convinced that He cares about me, that what He is doing in my life if for my good. I know He is doing “right” in my life, but I’m not really sure that it is best. Do you hear the doubting. I struggle with wanting my way so often, instead of God’s way. Solving problems in my way and time, instead of waiting for the Lord. It is so hard to wait... is it REALLY necessary? Of course, it is and it is building patience and self-control in my life as I learn to wait and trust Him with every aspect of my life.
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