Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Thomas: doubter or Realist?

Doubting Thomas gets a bad rap, he is the cynic, the one who questions everything.

What do we know of him?

He was chosen as one of the twelve disciples.
Matthew 10:2-4 KJV
2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 

He saw things bleak, cynically.
John 11:14-16KJV
14Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. 16Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

He was honest and did not let anyone think for him, claimed no false knowledge.
John 14:2-5KJV
 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 

We also know Thomas the doubter.

John 20:24-29KJV
4¶But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25The 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 the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.26¶And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace beunto you. 27Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Now here is the thing about Thomas - he spoke it as he saw it.
How many of us today would believe someone rose from the dead? We roll our eyes when we hear of Elvis sightings.
How many of us would blindly follow  
The group think people? We would all like to think we wouldn't.
Thomas is perhaps the most pragmatic logical thinker among the 12. He like many of us just can't see the "spiritual" side of things. 
The difference is he isn't afraid to show or speak it.
He had ,apparently, no imagination, no creativity. He merely knows what he knows and more importantly he knows what he doesn't know.
Yet he is loyal. He is steadfast. He stuck it out because he believed even if he couldn't comprehend it all.
He knew Jesus was God, yet he just couldn't wrap his mind fully around it. He was just like a majority of us. 
We have given our lives to Christ yet we fail to see or fully understand the "spiritual" side of things.

For instance walking golden streets has no particular draw for me, pearly gates? No attraction. 
What does matter to me is Christ died for me.
When I die or the rapture takes place, then I will be with Him. The one who died for me.
That is the main goal. The rest to this point is surreal and behind the curtain.

Thomas I think was the same way.
He followed Christ because he believed, all the rest he just didnt understand but he was going to follow Christ through it all because he loved Him.
 He followed Christ to the death.
 He was loyal and faithful, no greater thing can be said.

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