The Apostle Thomas

Thomas the Pessimist

Thomas was a somewhat negative person. He was a worrywart. He was a brooder. He tended to be anxious and angst-ridden.

Usually nicknamed “Doubting Thomas”

Also called “The Twin”

John 11:16a “So Thomas, called the Twin”

The twin is never mentioned in scripture

His name is only mentioned once in the Synoptic Gospels

All of what we know of him comes from John’s Gospel

Being a pessimist, he seemed to look at the darkest possible outcomes

Despite this pessimism, We see some pretty outstanding things about him in John’s first mention

John 11:16 “So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.””

Backstory

Jesus and the disciples had been avoiding Jerusalem

John 10:39 “Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.”

They were in the wilderness doing their most successful, by numbers, ministry

John 10:40–42 “He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.”

News reaches them that Lazarus is sick

John 11:1–2 “Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.”

The disciples were probably relieved at Jesus’ initial response

John 11:4 “But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.””

Jesus intentionally waits two extra days to broach the subject again

John 11:5–6 “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”

Jesus then says “Let us go to Judea again”

John 11:7 “Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.””

The disciples as a whole were not pleased

John 11:8 “The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?””

A discussion breaks out and after some confusion on the part of the disciples, Jesus reveals plainly that Lazarus was dead

John 1:9-15

The disciples were convinced that Jesus was going to die if He returned to Judea.

Thomas was among that consensus

He did however speak up, but that pessimism still rang through.

John 11:16 “So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.””

Thomas was courageous

He was devoted to Christ

He could not see a life apart from Him

He was willing to die for Christ and with Christ

He LOVED Christ

John 14:2–4 “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.””

John 14:5 “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?””

See he was willing to die for Christ but was still so scared to ever be separated from Him

Then the worst in Thomas’s eyes happened: Jesus died and he didn’t.

He felt alone abandoned

After Jesus’ resurrection the disciples were gathered in a locked room, but Thomas was not with them

John 20:24 “Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.”

Why was he not there?

The answer is probably revealed in his personality!

Remember his world has just crashed down around him and is most likely off grieving alone.

The other disciples quickly find him and reveal that they have seen the Lord

Thomas ‘ response follows him to this day!

John 20:25 “So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.””

Don’t forget… The other disciples doubted too until they physically saw Jesus

Mark 16:10–11 “She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.”

Mark 16:13 “And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.”

John 20:20 “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”

Eight days passed and Thomas had rejoined the group

John 20:26 “Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.””

This pessimistic man makes one of the most profound statements ever to have been uttered by one of the Apostles

John 20:27–28 “Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!””

He was transformed into a great evangelist

It is believed that he carried the Gospel as far as India

There is to this day a small hill near the airport in Chennai (Madras), India, where Thomas is said to have been buried.

There are churches in south India whose roots are traceable to the beginning of the church age, and tradition says they were founded under the ministry of Thomas

The strongest traditions say he was martyred for his faith by being run through with a spear