WATCHWORD:
24 One of the disciples, Thomas, “The Twin,” was not there at the time with the others. 25 When they kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord,” he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands—and put my fingers into them—and place my hand into his side.” 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them and greeting them. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger into my hands. Put your hand into my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas said. John 20:24-28 TLB
Meditation:
Doubting (your name goes here)
I believe that Thomas, the disciple, the Apostle, has been saddled with an unfair label. I would guess that among all of the disciples, Thomas is in the majority when it comes to wonder, a sense of being overwhelmed, being confronted with a mystery, each one seeking some grounding in the reality of the moment. Did they all want to touch His wounds? Probably not, but still, in their minds, “is this really happening?”
Let’s think about this for a moment. This is the same bunch of guys that have been following Jesus throughout his entire ministry. This is the same bunch of guys who witnessed miracles along the way, at least 13 of them. This is the same bunch of guys, except for John, who would not or could not follow him to Calvary, who heard that he had died and was buried, from second hand sources.
I would guess that at the moment they received what was spoken by the Angels, to go to the mountain near Capernaum and He would meet them there, there was debate, maybe an argument. The journey to Galilee was not an easy one, three days over rugged terrain. Was there doubt among them. Smart money would say yes. Not all the disciples elected to go. Peter went, full of guilt, he just wanted to fish. We don’t know why Thomas didn’t go.
Would we have gone if we had been there and had witnessed everything that they witnessed? Yes, I think we would, except for those 80 miles over rough terrain, walking, in sandals, no arch supports. Now, that’s a problem. It would be like God coming to us and saying “I’m going to come to earth to only a few of my true believers. I will meet you in Zionsville, Indiana. But you must walk there, in sandals, every step of the way. Hmmm.
We would like to believe that our faith is strong enough to overcome many obstacles. That we would have absolutely no doubt about the resurrection. Of course, here we are on this of the Resurrection and the Twelve, were not there, yet. It makes a difference. In your walk of faith as a Christian, have you entertained the idea that you would like a little proof, a little certainty. “Just a little, Lord, would be very helpful.” You say you never doubted that for a moment? Bless you.
Do you believe it all? The virgin birth? Parting of the Red Sea? Walking on water? Water into wine? The healing of 10 lepers? Jonah and the whale? Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace? All of it? I know this is hard and you really want to say, of course, I believe it, after all it’s in the Bible. I’ve always believed that there is a deeper meaning, a divine purpose, in many of the stories that have been inspired and incorporated in the holy Bible.
Back to my original statement that Thomas has been given a bad rep. His history as the Patron saint of India because of his life spent bringing the Word throughout that nation should settle it. As for us, think of doubt as a grace from God, for when we doubt, we might dig deeper, seek meaning. We don’t need to put our hand in the wound, but we do need to broaden our understanding of the divine. We worship a real Savior, not just the stories of His ministry. He is right here with us. “Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” Amen.
Tuesday’s Lenten Passage to Ponder:
Psalm 42:1: As the deer pants for water, so I long for you, O God.
Daily Scripture passages through next Tuesday –
Wednesday, 2 Corinthians 5:17 ✞ Thursday, Mark 7:7-9 ✞ Friday, Matthew 6:16 ✞ Saturday, Colossians 1:27 ✞ Monday, John 20:17 ✞ Tuesday, Acts 10:2 ✞
Closing Prayer:
God, shine a light on the areas of my life where I have selfish motives that draw my attention away from you. Strengthen me as I fast and/or sacrifice in my meager ways, from those things that distract and, instead, prioritize you. Amen .
