Ordinary Rebels: Thomas

 
Introduction
One day in a classroom a teacher was teaching a lesson and she had a conversation with one of her students and it went like this…
TEACHER: Do you see the trees outside?
STUDENT: Yes.
TEACHER: Do you see the grass outside?
STUDENT: Yes.
As a class they went outside
TEACHER: Look up and see if you can see the sky.
STUDENT: Yes, I see the sky.
TEACHER: Do you see God?
STUDENT: No.
TEACHER: So if we can't see God then he must not be there.  He simply doesn't exist.
A little girl then speaks up and wants to ask the boy some questions. The teacher agreed and the little girl questioned the boy.
LITTLE GIRL: Do you see the trees outside?
STUDENT: Yes.
LITTLE GIRL: Do you see the grass outside?
STUDENT: Yessssss (getting tired of the questions this time).
LITTLE GIRL: Do you see the sky?
STUDENT: Yessssss.
LITTLE GIRL:  Do you see the teacher?
STUDENT: Yes
LITTLE GIRL: Do you see the teacher's brain?
STUDENT:  No.
LITTLE GIRL: Then according to our teacher’s logic she must not have one!
 
 This joke may make you laugh, but the logic behind it is not so humorous.  There are certainly people who think this way when it comes to belief in God.  They believe since God is not tangible or visible then he cannot exist.  As the story the story suggests this is not very good reasoning.  
 
Now, my point for today is not to “prove” the existence of God.  Instead, we will go a different route as we will look at faith and specifically at a man who had a very close relationship with Jesus; he was one of the twelve Disciples and his faith was shaken as he encountered the risen Christ and this forever changed his understanding of what faith is and who Jesus is..
 
Thomas
Thomas was one of the twelve disciples.  He is listed in the names of the twelve disciples in all three synoptic Gospels and there are three accounts where he is mentioned in the Gospel of John.  He is mentioned as Thomas the twin or Didymus which means twin in Greek.
 
Thomas is known for various characteristics in the Gospel of John.  

1. He is characterized as a man of courage in John 11:1 – 16 (read).  When Jesus mentioned going to Bethany to see the recently deceased Lazarus Thomas.  By this time, the Jewish authorities were determined to capture and kill Jesus.  He knew this would be a dangerous journey that could likely end in death, yet he tells the others, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.” Some may consider this a reckless faith, but to many it is considered a courageous faith.  He knew the potential danger and yet he was still determined to go.  
2. He is characterized as a man who was inquisitive.  In John 14:1 – 6 (read) Jesus is talking to the disciple and encouraging them to be strong and not let their hearts be troubled because things are about to get a bit troublesome with his impending crucifixion.  He tells them that in in absence he will be preparing a place for them and he will return to get them.  Thomas, apparently clueless asks, “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Thomas was a man who could not leave a question unasked or unanswered.  
3. He is characterized as a man who lacked faith.  In John 20:24 – 25 (read) Thomas informs the disciples that he would not believe the savior was risen since there was no tangible evidence, other than the eyewitness accounts of the disciples, of the resurrected Christ. Many don’t realize that Thomas was not present when the resurrected Jesus appeared to the other disciples.  He was told by the other disciples that they had met the risen savior.  Indeed, Thomas was skeptical of their encounter because he demands to see the risen savior with his own eyes, feel his physical body and touch the nail mark in the savior’s hand and put his hand in his side.   He refused to believe the savior was risen!  Those were some very strong words.
4. He is characterized as a man of dedication and faith.  
   We see this in John 20:26 – 28 (read).  A week after the disciples had seen Jesus the disciples were all in a room together (and the Bible makes a point to tell us the door was locked) suddenly Jesus came and stood in their midst and says, “Peace be with you.”  He probably did this as a greeting and to alleviate their fear as he startled them.  Jesus then turns to Thomas and addresses his unbelief.  He tells Thomas to touch him and to feel his wounds and to see that he is real and alive.  I am not sure if he rebukes or encourages Thomas, but he says, “Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”  It is at this point that Thomas realizes the errors of his way and he responds, “My Lord and my God!” It is at this point Thomas’ faith and relationship with Jesus are forever changed.

 
Can you imagine how Thomas felt after this encounter?  His response says it all.  I am sure you have (or maybe are currently) had a time in life where you doubted God.  Maybe you doubted his existence, maybe you doubted that he was going to come through for you in a certain situation or maybe you just wondered, “Why me Lord?  Don’t you care about me?”  Here are three observations when we encounter Jesus that may strengthen our faith in times of doubt.     
 
So, what can we learn from this ordinary rebel named Thomas?

1. When we encounter the risen Savior, our faith is strengthened.  When Thomas encountered the resurrected Jesus he replied, “My God and my Savior”.  My personal take is that Thomas adamantly doubted Jesus’ resurrection.  It wasn’t a casual I don’t believe; I think it was a point of contention between him and the other disciples.  They were convinced; he remained unconvinced.  Now Jesus stands before him and says, “It’s time to stop doubting and start believing.”  Those are very important words, and they can speak directly to some of us today.  Thomas’ response is both a faith affirming confession and a public declaration of Jesus’ divinity.  Thomas goes from a doubter to a believer as he responds, “My Lord and My God!”  We must note that this shouldn’t be read in the context that would equate to our modern response of exasperation or “Oh my gosh!”  No, his response is a declaration and confession of his belief.  “My Lord and my God” could be translated as “my Master and my God!”  This is a public declaration of who Thomas believes Jesus to be.  According to theologian D.A. Carson, “Thomas’ confession is the climactic exemplification of what it means to honour the Son as the Father is Honoured.  It is the crowning display of how human faith has come to recognize the truth set out in the Prologue: “The Word was God…; the Word became flesh…”    He continues, “(The thoughtful reader of the Gospel immediately recognizes certain connections) the reader is expected to articulate the same confession, as the next verse implies.  John’s readers, like Thomas, need to come to faith; and this is what coming to faith looks like.”[i]
   
   
2. When we encounter Jesus, we see He is trustworthy.  Often God invites us to be part of something big and we may not understand fully what he is up to (Henry Blackaby calls them God-sized assignments).  However, when He invites us to join him faith is always required.  When God does speak to you/us He reveals what He is going to do.  Our response to him ultimately determines or reveals a lot about our faith.  Do you/we have confidence that what God promises will come to pass?  If I/we have faith in God I/we will obey him, and He will bring to pass what he has determined.  Our obedience indicates our faith and trust in God.  My/Our faith helps us to confidently walk in obedience because I/we know that what he has purposed he will bring to pass.  When God initiates, He will equip us to do the task we are set out to do.  He doesn’t assign us something and not give us the resources to accomplish it. Ultimately if God calls us to or initiates his work then He will complete it or make it come to pass. 
   
   
3. When we encounter Jesus, we are blessed when we believe in faith.  In verse 29, Jesus responds with what could seem like a rebuke.  He acknowledges that Thomas believes now because he sees Jesus in the flesh at that moment.  He then proceeds to give a blessing or a promise of blessing to those who ultimately believe in Jesus without physically seeing or touching him.   So how do we get through these faith shaking moments in life?  You may ask, “How can I live in full confidence that Jesus is who he said he is and is alive at the right hand of the Father?”  One word… FAITH.  What is faith?  Hebrews 11:1 answers this question, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

 
You may be thinking, “Well, it’s so much easier to trust something that you can see.  I can’t see God, so how can I know beyond a shadow of doubt that He is actually there?”  Answer, you can’t.  That’s why it’s called faith.  Can you see air or oxygen you breathe with the naked eye?  I can’t, but I know it’s there, I feel the effects of it.  We all had faith that when we walked into this building that there would be oxygen to breathe, correct? This is faith!  I can’t see God, but I know He is there because I feel the effects of Him in my life and I see the wonder of His creation around me and then I KNOW He is real.  Faith is something that cannot be proven otherwise it couldn’t be called faith.  In this closing remark to Thomas Jesus is speaking of you and me.  We are truly blessed.
 
[i] Carson, D.A. (1991) The Gospel of John p. 659 Grand Rapids, MI: William Eerdmans Publishing Company

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