The Gospel for Doubters, Good News Through the Eyes of ThomasНамуна

Unlike some of the other disciples, we don’t have the exact details of Thomas’s early life and his calling. The three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) only record Thomas as being included in the list of the 12 men Jesus called to leave their lives behind and follow Him. The only detail we know from Thomas is that he was a twin (John 11:16). It’s likely that, like the other disciples except Judas, he was from the Galilee region.

But while we don’t hear much from Thomas in most of the gospels, we can see him there as Jesus commissions the 12 and sends them out to preach the good news of the kingdom. We can observe him in the boat, watching Jesus walk on the water. We can envision his stunned silence when Jesus calms a raging sea, makes the lame walk, and raises dead people from the grave. His hands were full of food when Jesus took a little boy’s lunch that day on the hillside and fed the people in the wilderness.

We know that Thomas left everything to follow this itinerant rabbi. Something in Jesus compelled this young man to abandon his livelihood and risk his entire life on Jesus. When others left or faded away, Thomas was one of the few who stayed. When Judas slipped out of the upper room, Thomas was still there, hearing Jesus’ haunting and prophetic words about His arrest, death, and resurrection. He listened, likely with bewilderment, as Jesus taught about a new future he was creating, a Spirit-fueled movement that would be built on the foundation of these 11 ordinary men. 

Thomas quailed when Jesus prophesied Judas’ betrayal, wondering, like the others, if he had the seed of disloyalty in his own heart. He heard the footsteps of the soldiers as they came for Jesus. He saw the images of a bloody Jesus. He experienced the loss and separation of the One who had called him friend.

This is what Thomas saw. So while “doubting” has become the favorite adjective for Thomas, we must first know him as a brave follower of Jesus who risked it all. 

Discussion question: Consider the common myths about Thomas. Why do we only remember him for his doubts?