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As I have studied the twelve disciples of Jesus, I have come to realize that some of them have worse reputations than they deserve, and some have better modern reputations than they probably deserve. But of the group, no one has been more misconstrued, and misrepresented in the modern public's eye as the one called "Thomas." What everyone seems to remember about Thomas is his episode of "doubt" after Jesus' resurrection and it is so much associated with him that the term "doubting Thomas" is common even today to denote someone who refuses to believe unless they see it. If that episode were the only thing we were shown about Thomas, then I could see such a strong generalization of his character, but it is not, and despite the other glimpses of Thomas' character that we find in scripture all people seem to remember is what they have been told to believe: that Thomas was full of doubt.

It is my desire to attempt the impossible task of trying to reform the common perception of the disciple called Thomas in this lesson. In other words, I will take Thomas' side and defend him in an effort to have you to change the common opinion of him. Not that he was a perfect man -- none of the twelve were -- but hopefully I will be able to at least plant a seed of a change of thought in your mind so that you will in the future think of this disciple not as "Thomas the doubter," but as "Thomas, the just-want-to-be-surer." A fine line of distinction, perhaps, but one worth noting, because in that regard, there is a little of Thomas in us all and that is not such a bad thing at all.

Before we begin on our noble task of vindicating Thomas' character, let us first look at his nickname by which he is referred to in scripture three times, all in the Gospel of John. That nickname is "Didymus" and means in Greek "twin." It is highly likely that this was a childhood name given to Thomas that carried over into his adulthood, and there may be no spiritual significance to it. Most likely Thomas was born a twin and some later church historians say that he had a twin sister named Lysia, which knowing that, I'm sure, has instantly changed your life.

Believing that all things in scripture have meaning, some have spiritualized the name to refer to the twin sides that supposedly lived in Thomas of doubt and belief. Whether that was the intent of the Gospel of John supplying this nickname we'll never know in this life, but let me remind us that all of the twelve had doubt and belief within them and so do all of us here today. Not one of us lacks the ability to choose between the two in our life, and at times all of us have made the wrong choice. If books had been written about our moments of doubt, then most of us would have a reputation far worse than our dear Thomas has!

I bring this up and mention the conjecture of other writers trying to find meaning within in his name, to point out a lesson that can be learned from how Thomas is commonly thought of today: it is a human trait to allow our perception to become our reality. In other words, if we think that something is true, then no matter if it is or isn't, then we act and interpret things according to that perception. Most of you have believed the "doubting Thomas" story without ever bothering to check for yourself to see if the Bible had other things to say about him. There may be some of you who have believed that Thomas was a doubter and that until we read our text here tonight, have never actually read the story in the Bible. And so we can learn about our human nature from this: people tend to be quick to believe the negative about others, and people tend to think that if everybody believes something, then it must be true.

And yet another lesson can be learned in that once someone has been branded in our mind with a certain name, then it is quite a hard endeavor to change the way we think about them. The scriptures say this about having a good name:

And from this, we learn the power of having a good reputation and all of us should desire that we would live in such a way that our name is good to others and that people think pleasantly of us. When people talk of you, do they think of Christian values such as honesty, integrity, patience, selflessness, sacrifice and love? Or do they think of other things? Whether you realize it or not, everything that you say, do, act, and are all contribute to your "name" in other people's minds. We should all strive to have a "good name."

But we should also notice the ease with which a good name can be destroyed. All of us immediately have "doubt" pop up when someone says the name "Thomas" because of what we have heard. This should be a lesson to us that Christians should be careful in speaking ill of others, especially in light of the scriptural fact that however you treat others will come back to be how you are treated. We are quick to accept the negative vibes and opinions that we hear about people and many people are quick and apt to repeat them even though they don't know if such things are true and have never bothered to ask the person of whom they are speaking. To repeat negative things that you have heard about others without ever actually going to that person and checking to see if it is true or not, is to fall into the category of some serious sins:

These things are an abomination unto God just as homosexuality and human sacrifice are, and yet they tend to be the "overlooked sins" in many Christian's lives! Let us be quick to remember how easily it is to cause someone to have an unfair reputation simply because you repeated something and allowed something that someone else said to color your perception of them.

And let me remind you that in many ways, we sometimes tend to allow a false perception to keep us from learning what is true. Just as many people have said "oh, I know all about Thomas" just because you had heard someone's opinion of something, is just how people tend to say "oh, I know that for a fact" when actually they were so convinced of what they heard, that they never bothered to check it out for themselves! My father used to have a saying that he uttered in pastoring all the time: "there are three sides to every story, his side, her side, and the truth." Be careful when you passionately act on information that you have never bothered to check out with the source. If you hear something about somebody and you don't have the guts to call them and ask them if it's true, then maybe you ought to refrain from spreading it around!

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The first recorded words of Thomas are found in our first text in the 11th chapter of John. Jesus was in Perea and it was almost time for His death. His opposition had grown so much that He had left Judea lest He be put to death early before the Passover, and it was while He was ministering in the out-of-the-way place called Perea that word was sent from Bethany that His close friend, Lazarus, was dying. Jesus had stayed in the home of Lazarus many times and yet when He received word that Lazarus was dying, He did nothing for three days.

The disciples were nervous for several reasons. First, it seemed that Jesus was doing nothing about His friend dying, and when word came that he had indeed died, it almost seemed as if it were Jesus' fault. But even greater a worry, was the fact that Jesus left Jerusalem with death threats and His enemies actively plotting to kill Him, and the disciples knew that to return there would mean almost certain death for Jesus. These are the feelings and emotions that were twirling around the brains of the twelve as Jesus announced that now that Lazarus was dead, He would travel to Bethany. All around, it seemed to be a bad situation to the disciples. But it was Thomas who spoke up and turning to the other disciples said:

From this we see that Thomas is very much a realist. He does not try to sugarcoat the situation and make it any less serious than it is, but rather states the facts tersely. Thomas is no fool; he sees what is going on and he is smart enough to put the situation together with the prophecies that Jesus had been telling them of how He would soon die, and Thomas realizes that Jesus probably will not leave Judea again in the normal sense.

And yet despite this unwavering view of the truth, Thomas was committed completely to Jesus. "Let us also go, so that we may die with Him." If Jesus is to die, then Thomas is prepared to die along side of his Lord! There is no wavering here to the cause of Christ, or to his commitment to follow Jesus. If following Christ means a premature death, then Thomas is along for the ride. He's signed on and now he will continue until whatever end comes. From this passage and others, it becomes clear that Thomas grasped the seriousness and gravity of Jesus' teachings of how He would die at the hands of the Jewish leaders. Some of the disciples were caught off guard when Jesus was arrested, but not Thomas. He ran and fled like the others, but he had received the revelation of the cross long before the other eleven. He knew that Jesus was going to die, and was perfectly willing to follow Him.

There are some that believe that Thomas had trouble believing in the resurrection of Christ, and that may be somewhat true. If so, then we have the startling realization that someone who was not certain about the resurrection was yet willing to die for the cause of Christ! Thomas was a man of his word and totally committed to the cause of Christ! How faithful would we be to Jesus if we were unsure or did not have a promise of a resurrection in the future? Would we be willing to give our very lives for it? As I have preached recently, it is clear that for all his faults, Thomas had one powerful good quality that more than made up for them: he was not serving Jesus just for the blessings and the promises but because he truly loved Jesus. So much so that he was willing to die for him! And, in fact, before his life was over, he would die for the cause of Jesus. And so if you want to think of Thomas from the Biblical sense of his reputation, then you should immediately think of loyalty and faithfulness to Jesus Christ even in the face of death and uncertainty. How about naming him, "Thomas the loyal?"

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Our second glimpse of Thomas adds to our portrait of his character. Jesus was teaching His disciples and said:

To which Thomas speaks up and asks:

Understand Thomas' point of view. He has repeatedly heard Jesus teach about His upcoming death and if fully prepared to die with him, and then here at the end, Jesus begins to talk about a place that He will go and prepare for them to come be with Him. This brings confusion to Thomas' mind because he was prepared for it to all be over, and now Jesus is talking about going somewhere else? When Jesus makes the statement "you know the way where I am going," Thomas has to ask "Lord, we don't know where you are going!" Thomas wasn't sure of what Jesus was speaking of; he had already committed in his mind to give his life with Jesus, and all of a sudden Jesus is speaking of going to live in a place together. Does this mean that Thomas shouldn't be so willing to die for Jesus? The answer was, of course, that the way to the "better place" was through death and then a resurrection, but Thomas didn't quite grasp that yet.

From this exchange we develop a fuller view of Thomas' personality. Thomas was a "careful" person. He did not make hasty decisions and was always sure of the facts before he committed to something. It was rare that Thomas had to suddenly change plans in mid stream because he only committed to things after much thought and consideration. Listening to the teachings of Jesus for the past two years, had led him to the decision to give all for the cause of Christ, even to the point of dying with him. Thomas was fine with that, but Jesus suddenly talking about the disciples "going to a place with Him" caught Thomas off guard. Did this mean that he was wrong in his commitment to be willing to die for Jesus?

There is a vast difference between the questions of being sure about your commitment and the doubt of uncommitment. Thomas was far from being uncommitted, but rather was asking questions just to make sure that he was on the right path. Thomas was not afraid of saying "I don't know." Whatever Jesus wanted him to do, he would oblige, so he wanted to be certain that he understood what was expected of him.

I have heard people ask questions about scripture and about God's will and it was obvious that they were trying to find a loophole or a contradiction that excluded them from having to commit or agree. Such questions are not commendable because they are the question of doubt. And yet, there are those who question not because they are afraid of commitment, but rather because they want to ensure that they are exactly obeying all that Jesus desires for them to do. Such "honest doubt" is a good quality, because Jesus does not require us to serve Him blindly. In short, there is nothing wrong with being careful to make sure of truth before you leap forward.

In the book of Acts, we find an entire city with the character of Thomas, the Bereans. The scriptures read:

When Paul and Silas preached, the Bereans "received the Word with great eagerness" and yet they went home and "examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." They gladly listened to the Word of God preached, but before they full committed, they checked for themselves to make sure that what Paul and Silas was preaching was really in the Word of God. And here, such "just wanting to be sureness" is commended as being "more noble-minded."

Every once in a while as a pastor, my wife and I notice someone who seems to "get things too quickly." They immediately agree with everything that is said. They supposedly instantly obey everything that is preached. They change overnight in many areas to match "scripture" and yet in a few months, their spiritual commitment is gone and they begin to have serious issues and it becomes clear that they just took someone's word for it and never bothered to check out the scriptures and see if what was being preached was truly there. They never received those revelations for themselves, but just blindly committed to something without really receiving the conviction of truth for themselves. And in time, they go back on the commitment that they jumped into.

I have known preachers to take offense at anyone asking "where is that in the Bible" as if the people should just "take their word for it." But I welcome such a question. I believe that it is a good sign when people go home and think about what has been preached and read the scriptures for themselves. It is often a good sign when people take some time before they commit to make sure of it, because if they take some time to first make sure that these "things are so" then a moment of doubt or a little change of the wind of popular opinion will not change their belief. Like Thomas, once they choose to commit, they will stay that way for forever.

Of course, I appreciate such carefulness because I am confident that what I preach and teach is in the Word of God because I am careful of that myself. If someone just wanted you to "accept something" without checking it out, you should be nervous because that's a good indication that they are not preaching the truth. The truth needs no vindication and yet many people believe things today simply because someone told them to believe it and yet when you study the scriptures, the concepts are not there. I said earlier that their should be a little bit of Thomas in us because like the Bereans, we should be noble minded enough to receive the Word of God eagerly and then take the time and effort to make sure that it's really there. Then if it is, fully commit to it! I'll believe anything you tell me, as long as I can find proof of it in the Word of God! I'll change anything about my lifestyle that needs to be changed, as long as you can show me in the Word of God rightfully dividing it, that I need to change it! But understand that everything I hear, I have a healthy doubt that I first run it through the test of scripture before I grasp it and believe it. It's not a doubt of disbelief, but a question of commitment: I'll do whatever God wants me to do, but I've got a healthy doubt, that I'm going to make sure before I do it, because whatever I commit to, I will see through to the end. Such were the Bereans. Such was Thomas. So should we be also today: not to give into a doubt that questions God's Word, but rather that wants to be careful to get it right. Thomas proves that there is nothing wrong with saying "I don't understand" rather than just blindly jumping in. God would rather that you be like the Bereans and makes sure that things are as they are claimed to be before you totally commit! But if it is, then like the Bereans and Thomas, let us then be quick to commit and commit wholeheartedly!

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And so we come to the part of Thomas' story of whom everybody has heard. Jesus had died and been resurrected, although everybody does not know that yet. Some of the disciples get together the evening that the empty tomb was discovered to talk it over, and for some reason Thomas is not present. We are not sure why Thomas was not there, but it is very likely that he was truly grieving and confused and wanted to be by himself. He had committed to dying with Jesus and yet Jesus has been killed and he has not. And now Jesus has gone away and Thomas has been unable to follow him. I believe that Thomas was grieving with a pure grief from someone who not only loved Jesus, but who had desired to follow Him even in death.

Jesus appeared to the ten disciples, and they went and told Thomas about it, upon which he uttered the famous saying:

And it is here that history has tagged on Thomas the title of "doubter" but I ask "which of the other disciples believed before they saw Jesus?" The simple answer is "none of them." Luke records that meeting in detail and when the ten saw Jesus, they first thought that He was a ghost and only after He had eaten some fish and some honeycomb did they believe that it was really Him resurrected. Thomas had no more doubt than any of the others, and yet it has been him that history has tagged with the unfortunate name. I do not think Thomas was doubting in his commitment to serve Jesus, but was responding as was his personality: "I'll believe when I am sure about it." "I just want to make sure, first."

How often we are impatient with people who don't accept what we are saying as truth because they have not experienced what we have experienced, and how quick we are to forget that we did not believe it either until we had experienced it for ourselves! Sometimes we are quick to get down on somebody who thinks that our claims of what the Holy Ghost can do is a bit fantastic, and yet we did not believe it either until we experienced it first hand in our own lives! We must be careful as Christians to allow other people to have the same opportunity to experience what we had when we came to God. Many of you needed time for the Word to work on you to change some things that were against His kingdom, but because people and God gave you a little time, you believe those things today. And yet we must remember to not get down on other people or write them off as hopeless just because they require the same process and time that we did. It could be that they are a Thomas, who will commit but just want to make sure.

When Jesus appeared to Thomas, He quoted Thomas' exact words and said "here's my nail prints and here's my wound." And Thomas immediately responded:

All the conviction and all the proof that Thomas needed brought him to the conclusion that Jesus was his "Lord" and his "God!" And so let me make a disclaimer: while it is good to be careful and sure and make certain before you commit, never forget that Jesus will show up and will answer your questions and when that time comes that you have the proof that you requested, then acknowledge Him as Lord and God of your life and fully submit. Once you have the proof, then the time for questions are over and it's time to just obey and submit yourselves!

Last year, my wife and I were sitting with a young person eating dinner out of town when that young person brought up the subject that she had been praying about whether or not it was the will of God for her to break up with her boyfriend. She said "I just want to be certain that I do the right thing." I asked her "what would it take to show you as a sign that it was not the will of God for you to be with him?" And she immediately named something a little unlikely to happen. And I said, "well, I'm going to pray that if it is not the will of God that what you just said happens soon." The young person got nervous and said, "oh, if you're going to pray that way, then add these other four things that have to happen" and she named four other things that were really unlikely. Within a week she called us spazzing because all five things had happened within six days after we had prayed and she said "now I know it's God's will, but I still don't want to break up with him!"

That's how some of us are. We use an attitude of carefulness to hide our lack of submission and we claim that we need more proof, and yet when the proof comes, we don't want to surrender to it and do what we need to do. If you ask God for guidance, He will show up and help you, but let us be like Thomas, and when confronted with the proof, immediately surrender to Him as our "Lord and God" and do His will!

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Thomas' issue was not so much that he doubted Jesus' resurrection as he wanted proof that if he died for the cause of Christ, that he would be resurrected to be able to go with Christ. In carefulness and wanting to check on all of the facts, we should be more like Thomas, but also understand that there are some things in Christianity that you cannot receive visible proof of before they happen. You can watch someone else get the Holy Ghost as a testimony to it's realness. You can see other's lives changed as a witness of God's ability to move today. You can see or at least see the effects of a healing. But what of your own resurrection? How can you prove that one day in a rapture of the church, that the dead in Christ will rise to meet Jesus in the sky? You can't.

The only proof that you have of the future resurrection is the fact that Jesus conquered death, hell, and the grave and was resurrected Himself. You can prove in your own life that by obeying His plan of salvation, His death, conquerors your sin. And so from that you must trust that His resurrection will also conqueror your demise. But there is no way that you can have visible proof of the future resurrection until it happens.

But to all the Thomas' out there, let me remind you that if God's Word is true on everything else that it claims, then you can have faith in the scriptures about the resurrection. In short, Thomas, if Jesus claimed ahead of time that He would die and yet rise again to go prepare you a place, then you can be sure that He will also keep His word about taking you with Him! And with that realization, Thomas completely sold out.

Jesus told the disciples:

That's a reference to all of the eleven, because none of them truly believed until they saw Jesus Christ and an empty tomb. But here we are today, and we cannot see Jesus physically but we believe in Him because of all the other scriptures and promises that we have seen. Blessed are we! Let us be like Thomas in a carefulness of believing, and yet when we come face to face with the things that cannot be seen, let us receive them and accept them based upon the sureness of God's Word! Like Thomas, may we tonight be able to say to Him with true meaning: "My Lord, and my God!"

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Of the twelve disciples, there is more rumors and supposed histories written about Thomas than any other disciple. The Church traditions are full of fantastic tales and great exploits. There is two ancient books dating from the 2nd and 3rd centuries entitled "Acts of Thomas" and "the Gospel of Thomas." There is another book called "Consummation of Thomas" that was published in the 12th century. All of them are just a collection of rumors that circulated about Thomas and were not written by the apostle himself. Many of the claims of these books are legend at best and cannot be necessarily believed as truth as they make many fantastic claims such as Thomas met the wise men who had traveled to Jesus' birth and converted them to Apostolic Christianity. But from the many records of Thomas, some safe assumptions can be learned about the travels of Thomas after the resurrection.

We can ascertain from the traditions that Thomas eventually traveled to the country of India preaching the Gospel of Christ. Tradition has it that he sailed with an Indian merchant and through his acquaintance was placed in the service of the Indian king Gondophares. That Thomas had ties with this king is obvious from the fact that this king's name pops up frequently throughout all of the legends. Thomas ended his life a martyr on the Indian coast near modern day Bombay and tradition has in several sources that he was murdered by having a lance thrust through his body as he knelt one day in prayer.

In relatively modern times, when European traders first braved the ocean and landed on the Indian coast, they were astonished to find Syrian Christians in the foreign land who claimed to have been the spiritual children of people who had first heard the Gospel of Christ from Thomas. One thing is clear from the legends: once Thomas was convinced of the cause of Christ, he lived the rest of his life wholeheartedly doing God's will!" Thomas was the "want to make surer" and then became "the totally committed disciple." May we be more like him!