A Skeptical Yet Faithful Twin

This transcript was generated automatically. Its accuracy may vary

Short Summary
The discourse explores the life and character of the apostle Thomas, emphasizing that despite his reputation as “Doubting Thomas,” his skepticism was paired with strong faith and loyalty to Jesus. It highlights Thomas’s willingness to sacrifice for Christ, his demand for evidence of the resurrection, and Jesus’s patient response, illustrating lessons on faith, doubt, and forbearance relevant to believers today. The message also underscores the importance of walking by faith and extending patience toward others, following Jesus’s example with Thomas.

Long Summary
Detailed Summary of the Discourse: “A Skeptical yet Faithful Twin”

Introduction to the Bible’s Nature and Purpose
– The Bible is recognized not only as a literary masterpiece with laws and moral codes but primarily as the Word of God.
– It provides divine counsel and instruction to help believers demonstrate love and worship toward God.
– The Bible is composed of inspired writings from God, Jesus Christ, prophets, and apostles.
– Even passages with less detail contribute to the overall harmony and edification of believers.

Focus on the Apostles and Their Commission
– The term “apostle” means a messenger or appointed representative.
– Jesus chose 12 apostles, one being Judas who later went astray.
– After Jesus’ resurrection, He gave the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), instructing the apostles to make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teach obedience to His commands.
– The Book of Acts and New Testament writings largely omit detailed accounts of each apostle’s ministry after Pentecost, except for a few like Peter, John, Philip, Paul, and James.
– James (either of Alphaeus or Zebedee) is considered the likely author of the Epistle of James.

Introduction to Thomas (“Didymus”)
– Thomas’ name means “twin” in Aramaic (taum) and Greek (Didymus); John 11:16 references this.
– Some erroneously believed Thomas was Jesus’ biological twin or brother, but Scripture confirms Mary’s singular conception of Jesus.
– Thomas may have had a biological twin, but Scripture doesn’t identify who.
– The discourse aims to explore spiritual lessons from Thomas’s life, especially his role as a disciple.

Context of Faith and Resurrection
– Jesus’ death and resurrection are central to Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:17: “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins”).
– Thomas’s faith, though initially skeptical, was genuine and not vain.
– The discourse contrasts Thomas’s faith with Thomas Jefferson’s skeptical Unitarianism, who rejected parts of the Bible including the resurrection.

Thomas’s Calling and Pairing with Matthew
– Thomas was likely called early by Jesus alongside the other apostles (Matthew 10:2-4).
– Jesus sent apostles out two by two; Thomas was paired with Matthew the tax collector.
– A referenced article (“Freely Ye Have Received, Freely Give”) suggests Jesus paired apostles with complementary traits:
– Thomas: skeptical, intellectual doubter.
– Matthew: faithful, transparent believer.
– Their pairing balanced doubt and faith, preparing them for their mission.

Instructions Given to the Apostles
– They were authorized to heal, cast out spirits, and preach only to Israel initially.
– They were told to travel lightly without money or supplies, depending on hospitality—a test of faith.
– Jesus warned them they would face persecution and hardship but urged them to fear only God, not men.
– These instructions reflect the serious, sacrificial nature of discipleship.

Thomas’s Reputation as “Doubting Thomas”
– Commonly labeled negatively for doubting Jesus’ resurrection.
– Doubting is simply questioning or seeking proof, which believers often do.
– Thomas asked Jesus in John 14:5 about the way to the Father, showing a questioning mind but not lack of faith.

Thomas’s Courage and Loyalty
– John 11:16 records Thomas saying, “Let us also go, that we may die with him,” showing boldness and willingness to die for Jesus.
– This contrasts the negative “doubter” label and highlights his faithfulness.

The Resurrection Appearances
– Jesus appeared multiple times post-resurrection; Mary Magdalene and others were first witnesses.
– Mary Magdalene informed Peter and John that Jesus’ body was missing (John 20:1-2).
– Guards at the tomb fainted at the angel’s appearance (Matthew 28:4).
– The chief priests bribed the guards to say the disciples stole Jesus’ body (Matthew 28:11-15).

Jesus’s Appearance to the Disciples and Thomas’s Doubt
– Jesus appeared to the disciples on the first day of the week with doors locked (John 20:19-23).
– He gave them peace, showed his hands, and breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit.
– Thomas was absent at this appearance.
– When told, Thomas said he would not believe unless he saw and touched Jesus’ wounds (John 20:24-25).
– This request was not mocked by Jesus; instead, Jesus appeared again eight days later with Thomas present (John 20:26-29).
– Jesus invited Thomas to touch his wounds and said, “Be not faithless, but believing.”
– Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God.”
– Jesus declared, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed,” emphasizing faith without physical proof.

Lessons on Faith
– Faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
– Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
– Believers today benefit from two millennia of Christian history and testimony, unlike Thomas.
– 2 Corinthians 5:7 reminds us to “walk by faith, not by sight.”

Tradition and Legacy of Thomas
– Tradition suggests Thomas preached in India (Malabar and Coromandel coasts).
– He reportedly converted members of a king’s family, leading to his martyrdom around 72 AD.
– St. Thomas Christians in India trace their origins to him.
– While historical accuracy is uncertain, his faithfulness unto death is recognized (Revelation 12:1).

Conclusion and Application
– Jesus reveals Himself in ways that meet individuals’ spiritual needs.
– Like Thomas, believers may at times be skeptical or question faith matters.
– Jesus showed patience and forbearance with Thomas’s doubts.
– Thomas’s willingness to die for Jesus demonstrates deep faith despite skepticism.
– Christians are encouraged to show similar patience and forbearance towards one another.
– The discourse ends with a call for faithful endurance and mutual support “while we remain on this side of the veil.”

—

Key Bible Verses Mentioned:

– Matthew 28:16-20 — The Great Commission
– Acts 1:13 — Naming of the apostles after Judas’ betrayal
– Matthew 13:55 — Reference to Jesus’ brothers including James
– John 11:16 — Thomas called Didymus (“twin”)
– 1 Corinthians 15:17 — Importance of the resurrection
– Matthew 10:2-4 — Naming of the twelve apostles
– John 14:5 — Thomas asks Jesus about the way to the Father
– John 11:16 — Thomas’s willingness to die with Jesus
– Mark 16:1-8 — Women discover the empty tomb
– Matthew 27:62-66, 28:1-15 — Guarding and emptying of Jesus’ tomb
– John 20:19-23 — Jesus appears to the disciples and imparts the Holy Spirit
– John 20:24-29 — Thomas’s doubt and Jesus’s response
– 2 Corinthians 5:7 — “Walk by faith, not by sight”
– Hebrews 11:1,6 — Definition and importance of faith
– Luke 20:1-8 — Jesus’ authority questioned by Jewish leaders
– Revelation 12:1 — Apostles as stars in the Church’s crown

—

Keywords: Bible, Apostle Thomas, Didymus, twin, faith, doubt, resurrection, Great Commission, Matthew 28, John 20, Holy Spirit, discipleship, perseverance, patience, martyrdom, India mission, skepticism, faithfulness, Christian history, forbearance, Jesus Christ, scripture, apostles, Matthew, Thomas Jefferson, questioning, belief.

Transcript

Brethren, as we know, many in the world have often described the Bible as a literary masterpiece containing multiple laws, moral precepts and codes of conduct, and to this we would agree. However, we would further say that the Bible contains the Word of God and provides us with counsel and instruction on how we can better demonstrate our love and worship of Him. To better understand what is required of us, we appreciate reading the words recorded by those divinely inspired writers that our Heavenly Father has used to communicate not only his words, actions and characters, but those from his only begotten Son, the prophets of old and the Apostles. Some of these messages are recorded in a lot of detail, others not as much.

But we appreciate the beauty and harmony in all passages of Holy Writ, as each verse has been left with us for our edification. So with this in mind, we’ll be examining the scriptural record of one of the apostles for our service this afternoon, and while there is not much recorded about him, we believe the lessons we can draw from what we find on his life are profound. So this is what we’re going to be considering.

As we know, the word apostle means one set forth as a messenger, which in its broadest capacity refers to a duly appointed representative selected by a higher official. From the Scriptures we know that our Heavenly Father commissioned Jesus to choose 12 such representatives to satisfy this purpose, whereby one, namely Judas, went astray. However, after our Lord’s death, but prior to his ascension, Jesus commissioned his apostles to preach the gospel on a mountain in Galilee. Many commonly refer to this occurrence as the Great Commission, and it’s recorded in Matthew 28, 16:20. Within these verses, Jesus instructed the remaining 11 to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the teaching them to obey everything that he commanded.

However, once we get to the Book of Acts and most of the remaining of the New Testament writings, absent an account in Acts 1:13 which cites the names of the eleven who then thought it was wise to gather in a room to select the 12th to replace Judas. We have no other accounts recorded on how each apostle carried out their great commission and or how their lives were transformed into Christ. Exceptions being Peter, John, Labius, Thaddeus, who is who is known as Judas or Jude, that not only wrote the Book of Jude, but was one of our Lord’s half brothers. Per Matthew 13:55, we have a short narrative about Philip in Acts 8 and later Paul, who not only is broadly mentioned in the Book of Acts, but wrote the majority of the Epistles in The New Testament. Now, some of you might be thinking, Brother Brian, you left out James, who authored the book of James, so yes, he should be included too.

There are even some that suggest that the author of this epistle is another one of our Lord’s half brothers called James, also found in Matthew 13:55. But nonetheless, we’re strongly convicted that the church was founded on Jesus Christ and on his 12 apostles, and not this particular half brother who is not an apostle. Now, we don’t want to spend a lot of time on this, but since James of Alphaeus and James of Zebedee were both apostles, we believe that one of them was the writer, and for our own reasons we believe that it was James of Zebedee. But maybe we can share our thoughts on why at a different time.

So back to our title, A Skeptical yet Faithful Twin. You know, when most people think about twins, their minds likely focus on their biological aspects, namely how they develop from a single fertilized egg that splits, resulting in identical DNA and always being of the same gender. However, there are also biological fraternal twins which develop where two separate eggs get fertilized and share about 50% of their DNA, which means they can be either of the same or different genders, where they may even look alike or not look alike. Now, as cute as these infants are brethren, we did not come here today to spend our lot of time in talking about every biological component which makes up a human twin, but rather a different twin that we can learn some important spiritual lessons from. In the Scriptures we know that Esau and Jacob were fraternal twins, twin brothers, I should say, born to Isaac and Rebecca.

And there are also the twin brothers Perez and Zerah, born to Judah and his daughter in law tomorrow, which we find reported in Genesis 38. However, the twin we are examining has a name which is of Aramaic origin from the word taum, which means twin, and that happens to be Thomas. Thomas was in fact one of the apostles of Jesus, which the first chapter of Acts makes clear. He was also known as Didymus, which means twin in the Greek and to which John 11:16 confirms, but more on this verse in a little bit. Now, since Thomas was known as twin, some have also wrongly come to the conclusion that he must have been the biological twin of Jesus, or at least his natural brother.

However, the Scriptures make clear that Mary’s conception was singular, so we need not say any further about how any direct human relationship between him and the Son of God from a fleshly standpoint existed. It is, however, quite possible that Thomas did in fact have a twin brother or sister. But the Scriptures don’t reveal who that was. Now, because we do not have any direct accounts of Thomas preaching the Gospel following his upper room experience when he received the Holy Spirit and the transformative effect it had on his life into Christ, we can only glean the what we can about Thomas’s life as a disciple of Jesus during his ministry. So let’s take a look from the Scriptures we know this is the fall of Adam and sin entering the world many years later.

And through the willing and loving sacrifice of Jesus, he became the world’s Savior, tasting death for every man and woman that has ever lived. Because our Heavenly Father accepted our Lord’s sacrifice, He resurrected him from the grave after remaining in the sleep of death for three days. Now, we know that sometimes brethren have discussed certain teachings that some have concluded are essential to making one’s calling election. Sure, some may be considered as controversial, but I would submit that there is one that should not be controversial and that relates to the doctrine of resurrection, and Paul reminds us of its importance in First Corinthians 15:17, which tells us, and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, yet ye are yet in your sins.

As an apostle, Thomas unquestionably believed in the resurrection because we know his faith could not been in vain, as First Corinthians 15 tells us, and we’ll soon share our thoughts as to why. But before doing so, perhaps we can consider a lesson which comes from a vain faith. So, because I’m from the United States, I’m familiar with the fact that our country has had 47 presidents since the original US colonies resisted British rule in order to govern themselves. There is actually a whole lot I could say about some of our US Presidents, but I’m only going to touch upon one, and that is our third president, Thomas Jefferson.

Now, we have nothing to say about Jefferson’s ability to govern as president, but would like to briefly touch upon his religious beliefs. It’s reported that Jefferson was a Unitarian, thus he believed in God as to Jesus. While Jefferson reportedly accepted our Lord’s ethical teachings, he was a bit skeptical concerning several accounts of our Lord, including His resurrection, so much so that he took a razor and cut out those portions of the Bible that he did not like, including references to the Resurrection. Ultimately, Jefferson compiled a revised Bible known as the Jefferson Bible, which I would not recommend acquiring since it encourages a doubting mentality. So yes, Thomas Jefferson was unquestionably a doubter, but not what we would call the original Thomas.

That doubted because unlike Jefferson, Thomas that doubted from the Bible had great faith. Therefore, let’s examine what the Scriptures tell us about Thomas and what we can learn from him. To start, the Bible doesn’t explicitly detail the events which led to Thomas into becoming a disciple of Jesus, but we think we can properly conclude that he was that he and the other 11 were likely selected by our Lord fairly early into the start of his ministry. Moreover, we also think we can conclude that after Thomas and the others receive substantive instructions from our Lord, which they acknowledged they were prepared to follow, they were then recognized in their office as fully empowered apostles that were commissioned to act as his duly authorized and appointed representatives. Matthew 10:2 confirms this to us when it says, now the names of the twelve apostles are these Next we find the meaning, excuse me, the naming of the twelve in verses two through four articles, Our Lord then lists them in pairs Peter and Andrew his brother James the son of Zebedee and John his brother Philip and Bartholomew James the son of Alphaeus and Labius, whose surname was Thaddeus, along with Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed our Lord.

Now in the case of Thomas, we find that he was paired with Matthew the publican who which makes us ask why most of us are familiar with reprint 2261 titled Freely Ye have Received, Freely Give, which contains thoughts which I appreciate, and in this article the pastor writes the following One of the ways Jesus took to overcome the imperfections of his followers, and to better prepare them to do a work which required perfection, was by his grouping the apostles whose imperfections were were perhaps like our own. The Nature of Halfness we too frequently see one side of a truth, and not the other. We too frequently feel the greatness of some quality to which an extent that we depreciate some other quality which seems contrary, but is really complementary. Our Lord seems to have acted with careful reference to this in sending out his apostles two by two in the order indicated.

Now in the case of Thomas and Matthew, the article suggests that their hapness could be described as Thomas the doubting skeptical intellect, was with Matthew one of the heroes of faith. So with this in mind, we think it makes sense for us to take a quick look at Matthew and why our Lord may have paired him with Thomas.

Matthew was a tax collector for the Roman government, and as we know, another name for tax collector is a publican, which is how Matthew describes himself in Matthew 10:3. While we may say that being employed as a tax collector is a noble work, the thought of taking Money from one to give to the government has long been considered by many to be dishonorable, particularly against the nation of Israel during our Lord’s day. As a righteous individual, Matthew certainly wasn’t dishonest in carrying out his duties to that end. The fact that Matthew could publicly and matter of factly concede his past vocation as a sign to show his transformative influence of the Lord’s Spirit, we would suggest that the Lord knew that through his unwavering transparency and faith, Matthew might well be suited to balance out someone like Thomas, whose character trait of having intellectual yet questioning tendencies would best build a confidence between the two and the work they were called to do. What we would say about Thomas and the remaining 11 is that after being called by Jesus in Matthew 10, when he gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and heal every disease, sickness, and not going among the Gentiles or entering into any town of the Samaritans, but exclusively to the lost sheep of Israel to proclaim the message of the kingdom of heaven being at hand was something that he faithfully did.

For if they didn’t and he didn’t, how then could we properly conclude that they were best appointed representatives of the Lord from Pentecost and beyond? And to us, to conclude otherwise just doesn’t make a lot of sense. Thomas and 11 were also instructed to go out without taking up any collections or carrying any personal items on their journey as a surplus. We think our Lord placed these instructions upon them as a test in order to demonstrate that they were becoming dependent upon him as we should be as well, believing that if they were welcome in a house during their journey, they that would be our Lord’s way of providing for them. Obviously, if they were not welcome, they were to shake the dust from their feet and move on.

There’s more. Our Lord also told Thomas and the others that he would be sending them out like sheep among wolves, whereas a result they would need to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. As such they need to be on guard during the journey, as they should expect to be handed over to local councils, flogged in synagogues, and arrested, and to that end our Lord reminded Thomas not to be afraid, but only fear or reverence our Heavenly Father during their journey, and brethren, let us not think that with us being disciples too, any of these experiences might not fall upon us one day as a test to measure our faith and willingness to endure to the end.

So why is it that when those who take on the name of Christ and others Typically think of Thomas, it’s definitely, or I should say generally, under the label doubting Thomas with a negative connotation. If we think about it, the term doubter means one who questions or lacks faith in something as the Lord’s people do we ask questions? I think we do, in fact, quite a lot, all the time, and while not thought of perhaps as much as the account on Thomas when he doubted, we’re reminded of a question that he asked our lord in John 14:5, after Jesus sought to comfort his disciples when he told them that he was going to his Father’s house with many mansions, and that he would be going there to prepare a place for them, after which he would come back and not only take them to be with him where where he was going, but they would know that they would know in fact the place that he was going. I should say.

Now, Thomas clearly didn’t understand what our Lord meant, which is why he asked this question in verse five. Lord, know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way? Of course we know how Jesus responded to Thomas, telling him that he was the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man come unto the Father but by him. So similarly, in our case, like Thomas, if we don’t know where one is going, we too might ask the question, how can we possibly know the way?

So yes, to a certain extent we too are doubters by definition, since we ask questions out of innocence or naivety. However, like Thomas, it does not appeal to us that all questions are born out of a lack of faith, which is how part of doubting is defined, which again is generally the most repeated trait that Thomas is often described as having. Let’s take another and perhaps less commented attribute of of his life. Toward the end of our Lord’s ministry, the ruling opposition from the Jewish church became very bitter, causing Jesus to leave Judea. This brings us to John 11, where Jesus learned that his dear friend Lazarus, who he loved, was sick.

The Lord at the time was neither urged to come see him or perform a miracle upon him, whereby merely his word was sent. Word was sent to Jesus by the sisters of Lazarus, Martha and Mary through a messenger of his condition, and in response, Jesus merely said that this sickness would not end in death, but that it was for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Now we are certain our Lord expected Lazarus to die, but that his death would not remain forever because he would awaken him. However, our Lord took two days before he finally told his disciples.

Let’s go back to Judea. Now this is where it gets interesting. Upon hearing this, the disciples became fearful, knowing that it wasn’t that long before this that the Jews tried to stone Jesus in Judea. So they were obviously stunned and concerned that he would want to take the chance in returning. Because in their mind the sickly Lazarus was asleep and hence anyone that’s sick who sleeps does well.

However, our Lord had to now speak to them plainly since their fleshly minds could not compreh comprehend the greater lesson he was trying to convey, namely that Lazarus was dead. However, look who stands up in not wanting to abandon the Master, but instead returned with him to Judea. It is Thomas. For he spoke forth and said the following to the 11 in John 11:16 then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, let us also go that we may die with him. Certainly not a doubting mentality in this instance, but determined, willing to sacrifice his own life to stand by his Lord at any cost.

Could we say that we would be as bold as Thomas if similarly circumstance? So that’s something for us to think about for sure. Now let’s jump ahead to John 20, the so called doubting chapter. We know the account our Lord’s ministry by this point was concluded since prior to that time he was arrested, found guilty as a blasphemer through a sham judicial proceeding, sentenced to death through crucifixion, died on a cross and later carried off to a sepulcher. However, on the third day post his crucifixion he was resurrected, to which John 20, verse 1 first makes apparent to us.

Following this, the Bible records a total of 10 posts Resurrection appearances by our Lord, a number often associated with completeness, perfection and fullness, and we won’t get into all of our Lord’s post resurrection appearances, but let’s take a look at a couple from the Gospel accounts. We’ll start with Mary Magdalene, who traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and closest friends in Mark 16 verses 1 to 7, she along with Mary the mother of James and Salome, brought spices to our Lord’s tomb to knowing his body early on a Sunday morning, and after asking each other who would roll away the large stone from the entrance to the tomb. Ultimately they looked up.

They looked up and saw that it had already been moved, and from there we think Mary the mother of James and Salome entered, saw an angel appearing as a young man dressed in a white robe and told them that Jesus had written risen and to tell his Disciples and Peter that he went to Galilee where they would see him, Mark 16:8 tells us, and they went out quickly and fled from the sepulcher. For they trembled and were amazed. Neither said they anything to any man, for they were afraid. As such, neither Thomas nor the others were told of this through them.

What we do know, however, and assert is that Mary Magdalene did not go into the SEPULCER Because John 22 tells us that after she saw the stone remove, she came running back to Peter and John, leaving the two other women behind, and told them that they took the Lord out of the tomb and that these three women didn’t know where they put him. The they Mary Magdalene seems to be referring to would be the Roman soldiers who were directed to guard the tomb of Jesus to prevent the disciples from stealing his body. According to Matthew 27:62, 66, the chief priests and Pharisees feared our Lord’s disciples would claim a resurrection. So they requested Pilate to guard Jesus body. Excuse me, guard Jesus tomb.

So as to avoid, in their view, the disciples stealing his body and then spreading what they claim would be a false rumor that Jesus had risen from the dead. However, what we know, According to Matthew 28 to the 4, is that after a violent earthquake, an angel, the Lord came down from heaven like lightning, rolled the stone away and sat on it wearing clothes white as snow, and this frightened the guards so much that as verse four tells us, and for fear of him, the keepers did shake and became as dead men, meaning that the guards apparently became unconscious on the ground while the angel talked to the woman. So once the guards finally came to what could they possibly say? In both Matthew 27 and 28, the English word for guard comes from the Greek word custodio, which means watch.

So as they as to keep care or guardianship over, sort of like a highly trained protection force would no differently than say, Canada’s protective detail guards the prime minister here. However, what the guards at the tomb knew was that by failing to prevent the removal of Jesus body, the penalty to be meted out against them by the governor was death. Now, once we get to Matthew 28:11 15, we find the alibi of the soldiers which lives to this very day, namely, the soldiers charged to keep watch over the tomb told the chief priests of our Lord’s disappearance, who thereafter met with the elders, took counsel, and ultimately decided to give them a large sum of money, telling them to say that the disciples came during the night and stole his body where they were sleeping. That’s right, they brought them off Hoping that everyone would believe that essentially this ragtag group of disciples were cunning enough to quietly invade this protective guard force like a fighting machine. But thankfully, there was no scriptural evidence which shows Thomas accusing or even questioning the other disciples, Mary Magdalene.

Mary, the mother of James or Psalm about this lie would spread quickly throughout the land. Now, getting back to Mary Magdalene, and after she told Peter and John about our Lord’s missing body, they both raced to the sepulcher, went inside and examined the evidence. After which, and at least According to Luke 24:12 it says, But Peter got up and ran to the tomb, stooping at the small entrance and looking in, he saw only the linen wrappings, and he went away wondering about what had happened, and that’s an interesting way of describing Peter’s bewilderment.

But we want to move on to when Jesus appears before his disciples. John 20:19 to 23 on the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, peace be with you. After he said this, he showed them his hands inside. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord again. Jesus said, peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you, and with that he breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit. For you forgive anyone’s sins. Their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.

Verse 19 makes clear that the disciples were terrified and we could see why. The Jews had just killed their leader and that likely made them very concerned that they were the next to die. Given their association with our Lord. However, and miraculously, Jesus passed through the locked doors and appears certainly not through human efforts, but. But how overjoyed they were to see our Lord, and comforted by what he told them not once, but twice.

Peace be with you. Within every human heart, there’s this deep desire for peace, the need to feel secure during times of trouble, and how much the disciples needed to hear those words at that moment from our Lord and brethren. We not only desire living in peace, but most importantly, having that inward peace during our turbulent day. The world also needs real and lasting peace too, and thankfully, that will soon come through the kingdom which we continue to pray for.

And of course, Jesus breathing on the disciples in verse 22, telling them to receive the Holy Spirit does not mean that they received such at that time, but to impress upon them as an example of the things to come at Pentecost, that the power they would receive does not come from within, but through an external source, that being from the Father, and vicariously through him. Now back to Thomas, which addresses the theme to our type to the title of our remarks, a skeptical yet faithful twin. We read John 20, 24 and 25. But Thomas, one of the 12 called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, we have seen the Lord.

But he said unto them, except I shall see in his hands the print of his nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. So up until this point only the 10 witness our Lord’s manifestation and told Thomas of the things they had seen which he simply could not believe, thinking they were too easily convinced, not proving all things as it were, and thus he needed stronger evidence to be convinced. Now, to some this might seem to be an extreme example of unbelief, particularly when most might think that Thomas had every reason to believe the 10 who he had built a strong relationship with over the past three and a half years. But in the case of Jesus, was he offended or even angry at Thomas for not recognizing what the other 10 who walk with him believe? For our answer, let’s read John 20, verses 26 to 29.

And after eight days again the disciples were were within and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, peace unto you. Then save to he then saved he to Thomas, reach his of thy finger and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing, and Thomas answered and said unto him, my Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou has seen me, thou has believed.

Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. So as we can see, when Jesus made his first appearance to his disciples as a group of ten, such was on the first day of the week. His second manifestation to his disciples was eight days later, also the first day of the week. But now with Thomas present, moreover, Jesus commanded Thomas to perform the exact investigation on his body that Thomas told his disciples that he needed to do on our Lord in order to believe.

No reproof, no taking him to task, no tongue lashing came from Jesus, no, none of these. For if such were his mindset and he would not have complied with Thomas’s desires, certainly none of the disciples could ever exercise any power or undue influence over our risen Lord, any more than any could with the man Jesus. Remember in Luke 20, when our Lord’s authority was questioned while he was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, when the chief priests, teachers in law, teachers of the law, and elders asked him by what authority he was doing the things he was and who gave the authority to him. You remember how our Lord replied. He asked him a question about whether John’s baptism was from heaven or from men, into which they told him that they didn’t know, causing our Lord to tell them that neither would he then tell them by what authority he was doing these things.

Indeed, as restrained as our Lord was, he was no pushover. What our Lord did, however, say to Thomas in John 20:29 was that blessed are they who do not see and do yet believe, and we would suggest that this lesson is particularly important and intended for us now. For as Paul tells us in second Corinthians 5 seconds 57 for we walk by faith, not by sight. Throughout the Gospel age, faith has been a condition upon which God’s blessings are to be received by any that are his.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Also Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please him. Because our day is the period of spirit beginning, we have the ability to look back over close to 2,000 years of Christian history to feed from the scriptural and historical records and testimonies the likes of which Thomas did not have, which seemingly had him believe that the 10 were hallucinating. However, once he had the proof that he innocently asked for, he quickly acknowledged Our Lord and how faith strengthening we find this to be. In addition to the accounts we have mentioned, we’re also aware that there are several historical compilations of the life of Thomas in other publications as an apostle, but we need to be careful in relying upon such when there is no thus saith the Lord.

However, to the extent that there is any truth in these, you may already be aware of the claims that Thomas went to India during his apostolic life, mostly between the Malabar coast in southwestern India and the Coromandel coast in southeastern India to preach the gospel, and while in the Coromandel coast, he reportedly angered Mistus, then a reported king in India, which resulted in his ordering Thomas execution. Mistus was allegedly infuriated that Thomas converted his wife, his son, his sister in law and her friend to Christianity, and because of this Thomas was reportedly stabbed to death with spears in Mylapor, also within the Koromol coast in 72 AD. In fact, to this day there are what is known as St. Thomas Christians, mostly in the Malabar coast section of India because of the apostles reported labors there.

Now is this what happened to him? We don’t know for sure, but can say that as an apostle Thomas’s faithfully faithfulness prove himself worthy unto death to validate himself as one of the 12 stars of Revelation 12:1 and as such one of the special lights to the Church. So brethren, in conclusion, one of the many wonderful things about Jesus is that he reveals Himself in a variety of ways to those that desire to get out of the clutches of life, to those that truly desire to be his, to those that are sincerely looking to follow Him. Certainly we can each attest how he did this for us when we approach the point of consecration and still value being by his side, which we do also by faith. Like Thomas, do any of us at times manifest attributes of being a skeptic or doubting?

I think so. But in the case of Thomas, we can see how the Lord could still exercise extreme forbearance with him, particularly when he demonstrated a willingness to die for him, and as John 11:11 16 reminds us, brethren, we all make mistakes as we’re imperfect in the flesh, and thus if our Lord could exercise forbearance with Thomas when not under the guise of the Holy Spirit for this soon to be Spirit begotten apostle, what should that mean as it relates to our interactions with one another, the Spirit begotten class. To that end, may we each patiently and faithfully show our forbearance toward one another, as our Lord demonstrated towards Thomas.

While we remain on this side of the veil.

Click Here for the PDF transcript.