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Life After Resurrection
Thomas
Of all the disciples, Thomas gets a bad wrap.
A bad reputation.
We don’t get a lot of stories about Thomas throughout the 4 gospel accounts we have, but of the few, one sticks out about Thomas, right.
And even as I’m speaking your thinking about the name and the reputation of Thomas, and I haven’t even talked about this episode.
So let’s go ahead and say it Thomas is known as:
Doubting Thomas
Today we’re going to talk about doubts.
Have you ever had doubts about the Claims of Christ or about Christianity?
You’re in good company.
We’re going to look at the most famous doubter within the Christian faith and see what we can learn from him.
We all have doubts from time to time.
As you grow and mature in your faith, I would hope that those doubts lead you into deeper relationship with Jesus.
Let’s go ahead and read todays passage.
We’ll see where Thomas gets this nickname and how we can learn from Thomas’ curiosity and even
John 20:
Life After Resurrection
Pray
Let’s take a moment and look at who Thomas is.
We don’t get a lot of Thomas stories in the bible.
Mostly because he’s not the main Character: Jesus is.
We would do well to remember that for our own lives.
That may be another sermon.
But other than this episode of doubt.
What do we know about Thomas
Thomas, called Didymus = Twin
We don’t get a calling story.
We don’t know much about how and when Thomas joined the other disciples.
Thomas, we are told, is sometimes called Didymus.
This is something interesting. .
Didymus means twin.
We don’t know if Thomas had a twin & he’s not mentioned.
Or, some scholars suggest, he was called twin as a nickname, because he looked like someone of significance: possibly Jesus.
His nickname among the disciples is “TWIN,” yet we call him doubting Thomas.
Thomas the Courageous
When Jesus tells his disciples they are going to Judea to visit Lazarus, who is on his deathbed.
No one wants to go:
John
While all the other disciples were scared, Thomas’ response is in verse 16
John 11:1
Yes the disciples were afraid for Jesus.
People were trying to kill Jesus.
If anyone had reason to even more scared, it was Thomas.
He looked like Jesus.
If people truly did confuse them all the time, so much so that he was called the twin.
He, if anyone and legitimate reason to fear going back to Judea.
Yet, he says, “I’m with you Jesus!” “Ride or Die” let’s roll.
Yes the disciples were afraid for Jesus.
People were trying to kill Jesus.
If anyone had reason to even more scared, it was Thomas.
He looked like Jesus.
If people truly did confuse them all the time, so much so that he was called the twin.
He, if anyone and legitimate reason to fear going back to Judea.
Yet, he says, “I’m with you Jesus!” “Ride or Die” let’s roll.
Curious Thomas
In Jesus is telling his disciples about the new heaven and the new earth.
He tells the disciples that he will leave them to join his Father and will prepare a place for them so that they can join him one day.
Look at Thomas’ response:
JOhn 14:
He’s curious.
He has questions.
He not afraid to ask them.
On the enneagram, he’s probably a 5.
He wants to know the who, what, why, when, and how of everything Jesus says.
He’s not afraid to ask questions and Jesus doesn’t mind Thomas asking them.
Jesus responds with one of the greatest verses & truths we hold to as Christians:
We don’t don’t get to the heart of who Jesus is without Thomas’ honest questions about.
He didn’t fear asking questions, and recieved the greatest truth we could hope to understand.
We should not fear or feel ostracized or like we’re going to offend someone or offend God if you have honest questions and doubts we’re struggling with them.
You’ll never uncover the riches and depths of wisdom and faith if you keep your questions and doubts to yourself.
You may not get the answer you were thinking or hoping for, but what you receive may be even better.
Thomas wanted a map, Jesus says you get ME!!!
I am the way....
That’s Thomas: Courageous, Curious & maybe looks a little like Jesus.
____________
So fast forward to Life after the Resurrection.
Jesus appears to His disciples on resurrection Sunday, but one of them isn’t there
John 20
Why he wasn’t there we’re not told.
If he did look like Jesus (again this assumption is speculative at best), and Jesus’ body had gone missing he would have reason to hide a little better than the rest of the disciples and to separate themselves from them.
Regardless of why Thomas wasn’t in the room, word get’s back to him.
By the timeline fo scripture it looks like they find him that very night.
The other disciples start tell him what has happened.
This sounds exactly like something a curious and courageous person would say.
this is Thomas’ character.
When he’s confronted with a new idea or a new “fact” he can’t just accept it to be true.
Instead of greeting new information with acceptance, his mind is flooded with questions:
This is how my mind works… maybe yours too
If you said to me “Golden State is a better team than the Rockets.”
I just accept that as fact.
My mind floods with questions
If you’re making movies and you introduce “Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel” set in the 90’s.
My mind doesn’t just go, “Cool!”
I get a whole bunch of questions rolling around in my mind.
Like where was she all this time.
And why didn’t Fury call her on his cosmic pager when the sky opened up over NYC and hordes of aliens started pouring through… maybe that’s just me
Thomas wants to believe, but he just can’t wrap his mind around it...
Maybe this is you and your relationship with Christianity.
you want to believe, but there are just somethings you just can’t get your mind wrapped around yet.
Let’s look at what Thomas does, and if you can relate w/ Thomas i would encourage you to do the same
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