Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."John 20:27

In my opinion, Thomas gets a bum rap. For two thousand years his nickname has been doubting Thomas. But who was this disciple really? We don't know much about him because the Apostle John is the only one to write down what Thomas had to say. Thomas spoke three times in John's Gospel, first was when Jesus was getting the disciples ready to go to Lazarus' funeral. The next time Thomas said anything was in the upper room during Jesus' final address to the disciples before his betrayal. Finally, after the resurrection Jesus appeared to Thomas to relieve his doubts and this is the event that earned Thomas an unfortunate nickname. I don't believe Thomas was doubting Jesus. I believe he was doubting that he was not a part of what the others were experiencing. 

The first time Thomas spoke was when Jesus was trying to prepare the disciples to go to witness the resurrection of Lazarus. The whole gang of the disciples were confused by Jesus' statement "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." John 11:11. The next verse says the disciples were thinking about natural sleep and Jesus had to repeat himself more plainly, "Lazarus is dead."

Then Thomas spoke, "Let us also go and die with him". It sounds like, Thomas was an "expect-the-worst-hope-for-the-best" kind of disciple. Maybe he was the kind of fellow that would find a cloud attached to every silver lining. He was melancholy, under stated, nonchalant. Thomas was not resisting the idea of going to Lazarus funeral, but he certainly was not expecting a miracle either. 

Then again, neither were the other disciples. And that is an important thing to note. Thomas was not much different from the rest of them, and he is not much different from many of us.

According to John's gospel, the next time Thomas speaks is in the upper room, the night Jesus was going to be betrayed. Jesus was giving his last speech to the disciples and trying to encourage them with words about the place that he is going and the place he is preparing for us.  In John 14:4, Jesus is speaking, "You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas, was listening, and he asked, " Lord we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?".... really this was true, Jesus had said not yet said exactly where he was going. Jesus' reply to Thomas' honest question has become a verse every child learns in Sunday school, "I AM THE WAY....". Actually, it was a good thing Thomas asked that question. It cleared things up for all of us.

Finally, in John 20, we find the last words of Thomas. Unfortunately for Thomas, these words have branded him as a doubting, faithless Apostle. These words are how he gets the nickname, "Doubting Thomas"... but is that really fair? Let's look into John 20, starting at verse 19, the resurrected Jesus shows up in the midst of the trembling fearful disciples. They were hiding behind locked doors "for fear of the Jews".  Jesus stands among them and shows THEM - all of the disciples/apostles - his hands and side. Look in your Bible and highlight that, Jesus appeared among a group of cowering, fearful disciples and showed THEM his hands and side.... now look at verse 24, and highlight that.... BUT Thomas WAS NOT WITH THEM. Why not? The other disciples were too scared to be outside. Where was Thomas? Scripture does not answer that but scripture does say he was not with Peter and John and the others cowering in fear behind locked doors.

So it is understandable then, when Thomas shows up later and the other disciples recount the story to him he has a hard time believing it. Wait a minute, "Jesus shows up while I am out running errands for you guys who are too scared to unlock the doors and He shows you his wounds. No I am not going to believe it unless he does the same thing for me." That is what Thomas was saying. After all he is a melancholy, sensitive kind of guy . He just wanted the same experience as any other APOSTLE. Deep inside Thomas knew he was one of them, why should he treated differently.

Jesus willingly accommodated Thomas. Jesus showed up and let Thomas have the same experience as the others. They all examined Christ's wounds, Peter, John and all the rest. After Thomas got his make up exam,  Jesus told him to stop doubting. Thomas was doubting himself. He was not cowering in fear. He was out there doing something, God only knows what, but he was not locked up inside a house fearing the Jews. Jesus wanted Thomas to believe, not only that Jesus was alive, but also that he was indeed one of the apostles. In examining the wounds of Christ Thomas did not get special treatment rather he was included with the rest of them. He was one of them. The melancholy, sensitive, sometimes distant disciple was a valid disciple.

There are three lessons we can learn from the Apostle Thomas.

1. We can learn that is not necessary to be worked up into a crazed emotional state to see miracles happen. Run of the mill melancholy can see the miracles of God just fine.

2. We also learn that some questions need to be asked, that questioning God leads to further revelation.

3. The greatest lesson of Thomas' life found in scripture is that Jesus has a place for the fearful and cowering just as much as the self-loathing and self-doubters. Sometimes the people who claim to have it all together are actually bound by fear and they need to touch Jesus wounds to find deliverence. There are some people who just never seem to have their "act" together and they get labled "doubters" and "faithless" just like Thomas. But they still stand by the grace of God.

Thomas was no Apostle Paul. But niether were the others in the room the day. Jesus appeared just for Thomas, the man's doubts notwithstanding.

Thank God, His grace is there through all our meloncoly, all our questions, all our fears and all our doubts. Thomas should be known as "FEARLESS" Thomas. He had issues, but fear was not one of them.