Dissolving our Doubts

Several of the disciples are well known. Books could be, and have been, written about Peter, John, and Judas. But, of some of the rest, we seem to know very little. I want to look at what the Bible has to say about one of the lesser known disciples. I want us to look at the life of the disciple named Thomas.

We know next to nothing of this man’s early life or of his call to follow Jesus. From the fact that he went fishing with Peter and the others in John 21, it might be that he was a fisherman before he became a disciple. The name Thomas is Aramaic for “twin.” His other name is “Didymus” which also means “twin” in Greek.

Thomas had a twin but they are not identified in the Bible. Some people think that Thomas and Matthew were twin brothers, because they are always mentioned together in the lists of the disciples, but we don’t know for sure.

Thomas only appears in twelve verses in the Gospels. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Thomas is only mentioned three times when he is listed with the other disciples of Jesus. He is also mentioned in Acts 1:3 as one of the disciples present in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.

Eight of the verses that mention Thomas are here in the Gospel of John. He is mentioned in John 11:16 and John 14:5. In both of those verses, the words of Thomas are quoted by John.

In John 21:2, Thomas is listed as one of the seven disciples that went fishing after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The other five verses that mention Thomas are in our passage for today.

For 2,000 years, Tommy has gotten a lot of bad press. He was prone to ask hard questions and demand proof. For that he has earned the unfortunate nickname, “doubting Thomas.” He has been portrayed as a man filled with doubt and fear. I want to try and set the record straight today because the Bible reveals another side of him. His primary problem was not his doubting.

Thomas was a pessimist!

He was a “glass half-empty” kind of person. He was the kind of person who was always on the lookout for the negative side of every situation first.

As we look at what Scripture has to say about Thomas, I want you to see that he possessed some really good qualities. Among them: He was loyal to and loved Jesus. He possessed an inquiring spirit. He was skeptical, but his skepticism was the right kind. It was a skepticism that was open to belief. Let’s see how the Lord worked in his life to move him from doubt to a shout.

So, let’s pray and we’ll jump right into our text.

Pray!

John 20:24–29 ESV

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 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.” 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.” 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!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Let’s look first at:

Thomas the Pouter

We’re told that Thomas was not with the other disciples the first time that Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection.

In verses 19-23, the disciples were afraid and hiding in an upper room. Jesus was dead. They had heard the rumors that He was alive and wanted to believe but didn’t. Jesus walked through a wall, and the disciples went from fear to faith.

There was one disciple missing though, Thomas.

He was probably off by himself at his own private pity party. The other disciples probably wanted him to hide with them but Tommy just wanted to be left alone to pout. His Lord was dead and he was filled with grief.

We don’t know where he was that day, but a look at the two examples given in the Bible that reveal the heart of Tommy may hold the answer.

Jesus loved people and invested in individuals from a wide range of social, political, and economic standing. One of the families He befriended over the course of His ministry were two sisters, Mary and Martha, and their brother Lazarus. Jesus and Lazarus were close friends.

The news was bad. Lazarus was very ill. But Jesus does a curious thing. He waited for two days and then decided to go back to Judea.

The disciples didn’t want to go back. The Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus. There was a bounty on his head. The disciples thought it best not to tempt fate.

Jesus told them that He had to go back. He wasn’t going to sneak around in the dark but go in broad daylight. He had a mission. He had to give a friend a “wake up call” that would provide the disciples an opportunity to believe.

They just stared at each other. Going back meant the possibility of arrest and execution. Verse 16 tells us Tommy’s reaction:

John 11:16 ESV

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

The rest of the disciples followed Tommy’s courageous leadership and went back to Bethany where they witnessed one of Jesus’s most spectacular miracles, the raising of Lazarus from the grave.

Thomas loved Jesus enough to be willing to die for Him.

We see the next picture of Thomas in John 14:

Jesus’s ministry was in full swing. The disciples have witnessed the raising of the dead, the healing of the deaf and blind, and the feeding of the five thousand. They’re on a roll and Rome better be worried. But then Jesus shifts gears and begins talking about leaving.

He tells the disciples that He is going to go and prepare a place for them. “Where could he be going?” they quietly whispered to each other.

Finally, Thomas asked the question that everyone wanted to:

John 14:5 ESV

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

Basically, he said,

“Everything was going great but now you are talking about leaving. Why in the world would you leave? Where are You going? I don’t understand. If you don’t give us a map, how can we know the way? I am confused. I have left everything to follow you. Please tell us the way.”

Jesus didn’t rebuke him or make light of his confusion. Because Thomas asked for an explanation, Jesus gave one of the most memorable responses in all of Scripture:

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Maybe you have some questions this morning. Maybe they’re hard questions. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re doubting God. Tommy just needed more information, clarity, and light shed on his fuzzy understanding.

These two passages reveal a man who wasn’t afraid. Thomas seems to be extraordinarily brave. He is loyal to Jesus even unto death. He loves Jesus more than his own life. He would rather die than have to live without his Lord.

But when Jesus died on the cross, Tommy’s world shattered!

Surely, he thought the worst! He no doubt became despondent, depressed and discouraged. He was not with the other disciples by choice. He was not there because he was broken-hearted and felt that their dream had reached an end. Surely a flood of competing emotions battled for control of the heart and life of Thomas.

Thomas was somewhere else pouting that first Resurrection Sunday.

But whatever his reasons were for missing that meeting that day, Thomas missed much because he was not there. Whatever his excuse for not being there was, he missed some things that could never be duplicated. Others told him about it but Thomas learned the hard way that there are some things you just have to see for yourself.

The first time that Jesus appeared, Thomas had been absent. Thomas missed Jesus because he missed the meeting!

God speaks every time His Word is open and His name is praised. The problem is that it is very hard to hear God speak when you have decided to attend “bedside Baptist,” “mattress Methodist,” “lazy-boy Lutheran,” or “Our Lady of the Sheets.”

Thomas is a good picture of why being faithful to church is so vitally. You never know what you’ll miss when you don’t come to church.

People have all kinds of reasons and excuses for missing. We live in days when people are busy, their lives are hectic, their children are busy with sports and other activities, and sometimes God fails to get first place in our priorities. Sometimes God doesn’t even rate second, third or fourth place. He might not even be in the top ten.

Some are just mad about something or at someone. Some don’t like the preacher or some decision that was been made. People have all kinds of excuses for why they miss church.

A husband and his wife got up one Sunday morning and she dressed for church. It was just about time for the service when she noticed her husband was still in his pajamas.

Puzzled, she asked, “Why aren’t you getting dressed for church?”

He said, “Cuz I don’t want to go.”

She asked, “Do you have a reason?”

He said, “I have three good reasons. First, the congregation is cold. Second, no one likes me. And third, I just don’t want to go.”

The wife replied, “Well, honey, I have three reasons why you should go. First, the congregation is warm. Second, there are a few people there who like you. And third, you’re the pastor! So, get dressed!”

We all have our excuses, but none of them are worth the effort it takes to say them. An excuse is nothing more than the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie anyway.

Why not just tell the truth? You don’t come because you don’t want to. You don’t come because Jesus isn’t first in your life. You don’t come because you don’t like church. You don’t come because your heart isn’t where it ought to be.

When you aren’t in church, it’s a vote to close the doors. It is a testimony to the world that your life is more important than His worship.

When you miss a service, you’ll miss an opportunity that will never be repeated. That problem you have; that need in your life; that question that has been plaguing you; might just be dealt with in one of the services you choose to miss. You never know what you will miss when you don’t come to church.

Make a commitment to be here every service, with your ears open to what God has to say.

We see Thomas the pouter and next:

Thomas the Doubter

It’s a week after the first appearance to the disciples and they gather again in the upper room to pray and this time Thomas was there. Maybe he was sick of them nagging him. Maybe the initial shock of the crucifixion had worn off and he needed to be back around his friends.

Can you imagine Andy running as fast as he can to tell Tommy the good news? How do you think he responded?

“Andy, you and I have been friends for a long time. I care about you. But I want you to listen to me. Jesus is dead. Dead, you hear me?! It’s over. All our dreams are dead, just like He is.

Sure, you can say you have seen Him. He’s working with Elvis at a Burger King somewhere. I don’t care what the women say. They’re emotional. I thought I knew you better than this. I miss Him. When He died a part of me died too. Just leave me alone.”

He then adds, rather sarcastically:

“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.”

Before we are too hard on Thomas, let’s remember an important thing. First, the other disciples did not believe until they had seen. The empty tomb, the women’s reports, the Emmaus disciple’s stories had fallen on deaf ears.

Here was Thomas’ problem: he was a negative person. He was always looking for the cloud behind the silver lining. He had hoped against hope that Jesus was the Messiah and the Savior. Now, his last memory of Jesus is of a dead man hanging on a cross. His world had fallen down around him and he can’t bring himself to believe anymore.

Maybe you can identify with Thomas. You have a hard time believing what you can’t see with your eyes and because of that you’ve put off trusting in Jesus.

Maybe your life has been shaken by one disappointment after another. You’ve become disillusioned and think the claims of Jesus are too good to be true.

But the thing that makes them so good is the fact that they are true! Jesus can do for you what He promised. He can do for you what He has done for others. He can save your soul; forgive your sins; free you from spiritual death and the bondage of your sins. He can do it for you, and He will if only you will believe in Him.

There was a time when we were all doubters. But, the Spirit of God convinced us of the truth. We, just like the ten disciples, believed and were saved and filled with peace, joy and spiritual life. Those same blessings can be yours, if you will believe.

We see Thomas the pouter, the doubter and finally:

Thomas the Shouter

John 20:26–27

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.”

27 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.”

He repeats the Tommy’s words back to him and invites him to touch Him and satisfy his need to know. Then Jesus tells him to let go of his doubts and trust what he knows to be true.

Maybe we need to define doubt.

Many believe doubt is the opposite of faith. That’s not true. The opposite of faith is unbelief. There is a difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is a problem of the intellect. The person wants to believe, but has questions. Unbelief is a problem of the heart. Unbelief will not believe no matter what it sees. Thomas was plagued by doubt.

When his questions were answered, he didn’t need to touch the risen Jesus; seeing Him was enough. Tommy then shouts out one of the greatest confessions in the Bible.

John 20:28

28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

First, Thomas calls Jesus “my Lord.” It was a way of saying “I surrender to You completely…you are the Lord of my life…you are the leader of my heart.” Then he says something that was incredible for a good Jewish boy to say. He calls Jesus “God.”

Thomas, who we call the “doubter”, understood the resurrection better than all of the other disciples. Jesus is raised. He is Lord. He is God. Thomas applies two of the Old Testament names for God to Jesus. This would have been considered blasphemous and punishable by death.

Jesus challenged Thomas to act on his belief in spite of his doubts. Jesus is gentle though. He doesn’t belittle him or attack him for his doubts. Jesus moves Thomas from doubt to faith. Belief does not imply perfection, but a continual trust.

All of his pouts and his doubts are now settled.

This changed Thomas forever. Thomas never doubted again. After Pentecost, the Bible never mentions him again.

Tradition however, tells us that Thomas traveled east, preaching the Gospel through Persia and finally wound up in India where he had a very fruitful ministry. Eventually, the enemies of the Lord took Thomas and killed him with a spear. He died for the Lord he once doubted.

If only those who doubt could do what Thomas did. If only you could just get past your doubts, your fears, your pride, your sins and the other things that keep you from coming to Jesus. If you would come to Him you would find that Jesus can fill your life with peace, joy, praise, and blessing.

He can take you just like you are and transform you like he did Thomas. He will use you, bless you, keep you, thrill you and amaze you.

All you have to do is believe!

No matter who you are; what you have done; or where you have been, you need to know that Jesus Christ can save you if you will come to Him. Come to Him and watch Jesus take your pouts and doubts and change them into shouts.

In verses 29, Jesus tells Thomas something we need to hear today.

John 20:29

29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

He tells Thomas that he believed because of what he had seen with his eyes. He then says that those who believe without seeing are even more blessed than Thomas.

That is good news today!

None of us will ever see the physical Person of Jesus in this life. What we must do is believe by faith what the Bible says about Jesus. If we can get past our doubts and believe Him, we will be saved by Him!

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