Admiring Apostle Thomas!

Out of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, I have special love and admiration for Apostle Thomas. Here are few reasons:

Bold Disciple

Apostle Thomas was a bold disciple of Jesus. In John 11:8, the other disciples asked, “Rabbi, a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?" Thomas’ response is in verse 16: "Let us also go, that we may die with him.” I would call this as bold discipleship. I see that only in Thomas! He was true to his words dying as a martyr in India after few years.

Inquisitive

Thomas was too interested in finding out about different things. When Jesus said in John 14:3-4, "...if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going," guess who responded to this? Our inquisitive Thomas! He asked: "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (v.5). I can well say at this point it was this inquisitive Thomas whom Jesus knew would go to India as a missionary in a few years from then and so he said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me..."(v.6). In a country where millions of gods and goddesses are worshipped and where anything and anyone becomes a god, Thomas brought the message of the “One Way” pointing to Jesus.

Believer

John 20:24-29 is the passage that looks like portraying a doubting Thomas. But it is not so! True that, our inquisitive Thomas said to fellow disciples, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe,” (v.25) Jesus knew it. He is omnipresent! So he lovingly responded to Thomas when he met him, a week later, saying, “ "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe, to which Thomas responded as any believer close to God would say, "My Lord and my God!" (v.27-28) I believe that Apostle Thomas was the first one to say this personal statement displaying his belief after the resurrection of Jesus. The other disciples, few of them (Thomas was one of those too) had a transformative experience after this which we read about in John 21. It is doubt that leads to strong faith! Later Jude would say in verse 22, “Be merciful to those who doubt.”

Missionary

Apostle Thomas arrived in India in 52 AD, landing at Maliankara in Kerala to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. It is said that he established seven churches. Later he was martyred in Chennai. We are those Jesus mentions about in John 20 after the personal confession of Thomas, when Jesus said, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (v.29) But has not a price been paid by Jesus himself on the cruel cross and one of his disciples, our beloved Thomas in India dying as a martyr, before we would believe Jesus as our Saviour? The blood of Jesus and martyrs like Thomas is the seedbed of mission and churches today.

My takeaways: Am I merciful to the doubting like Jesus was to Thomas? Apart from confessing my faith am I showing my faith in action like Thomas did? My goal is Philippians 2: 10-11: to see at the name of Jesus every knee would bow, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. What is yours?