Thomas ...one of "The Original" (12 disciples chosen by Christ Jesus) happens to be one of my "more favorites (lol..good grammar right?)" of the twelve...simply because I think he has received a "bad rap" for being known as "Doubting Thomas" throughout the history of the Christian church....
Thomas was born in Galilee, yet unlike some of the other apostles, his particular origin of birth in reference to which village...is unknown. He is simply recorded in history as being born in the region of Galilee and was most likely of humble family origin.
The name Thomas itself is of Syrian origin and means "twin". In Greek, his name is "Didymus" and means the same thing....twin.
Thomas is mentioned various times in the Gospels as one of "The Original" and is also mentioned in the Book of Acts. Yet, Thomas received quite a notoriety because of the various responses he would give to the Lord in the Gospels, particularly in the Gospel of John. Personally...you "gotta love this guy!"
In the Gospel of John, chapter 11:8-16 , this passage gives a clear indication as to the type of guy Thomas really was. Chapter 11 begins by writing about a man named Lazarus, who lived in the village of Bethany in the region of Galilee. Lazarus lived with his sisters Mary and Martha. All 3 were dear friends of Jesus and His disciples and in fact Mary had just recently showed her devotion to Christ Jesus by pouring expensive perfume over the feet of Jesus and wiping His feet with her hair.
Now, Jesus receives a message from Mary and Martha stating their brother Lazarus had become very ill. Jesus responds to the message by saying: " Lazarus's sickness will not result in his death but will be used instead to give glory to God". As a result, Jesus and His disciples remained where they were at for 2 more days.
Then in verse 7 of John 11 Jesus spoke : " It is time to return to Judea...to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus." Verse 8 then reads and becomes a key point in this passage...because His disciples were not in favor at all of returning to Judea...except one...Thomas. so, here is a Gleaning of John 11: 8-16 and what really "went down":
A Gleaning from John 11: 8-16
" Rabbi...no way! Let's not even talk about going back to Judea!"...His disciples responded. "Don't you recall the last time we were there how the Jewish leaders were after You...with every intention of trying to stone You!...and kill You! And You are telling us You want to go back...now?"
Jesus answered: "Look, are there not 12 hours of daylight on any given day? Anyone walking in the daylight can walk safely and avoid stumbling, because the sun itself offers light to each of us. Yet, walking in the night can be an entirely different story. Walking at night can bring the danger of a wrong step...simply because there is no light to help guide the path you take...you simply can not see where you are going."
{Note: Jesus used this analogy because He was saying He was being led by the light of God's leading... His Heavenly Father. Day light does not always mean a person is void of hazards, it simply means God's leading and insights are there for each of us in reference to what may lie ahead. In Darkness, it is more likely for anyone to stumble, yet if we refuse to walk in the light given us...and allow fear to overtake us in our Darkness, we are not able to follow the leading of God's desire for us to do. Also, in Jewish culture, a day was divided into 2 segments: 1) Sunrise to Sunset, and 2) Sunset to Sunrise. This is the time allotted for a day in everyday life. Jesus seems to making it known to His disciples...the time to return and see Lazarus had come...a time given to them by His Heavenly Father.}
Continuing....in verse 11:
" Then, Jesus continued: "Our dear friend Lazarus has fallen asleep and is resting, yet the time has come for Me to go to him and awaken him out of his sleep."
His disciples thought Jesus was meaning Lazarus was finally getting a good night's sleep and some needed rest. So, they replied to Jesus: "Well, a good night's sleep and needed rest...he should be fine!" Yet, what Jesus meant...Lazarus was dead.
Then, Jesus spoke to His disciples and said: "Look, what I am saying is...Lazarus is dead. Yet, for your sake I am glad we were not there when he passed, because this opens the door to give you strength to deepen your trust in Me. So, let's go to Lazarus now!"
Now this is where Thomas enters the scene...and says in verse 16...
Thomas then speaks out to his companions and says: " Come on...let's go with Him! We have lived with man, we believe in this man...let us go and die with this man!"
Now, although Thomas agreed with the other disciples there doesn't appear to be much hope to follow Him back to see Lazarus...there is no doubt of his loyalty to Christ Jesus...even it might cost Thomas his very life.
Now, allow me to consider the 14th chapter of John, verses 1 through 5. The opening verses spoken from Jesus is one of comfort and His love for us...
A Gleaning from John 14: 1-5
" Do not let your hearts trouble you...don't not let worry and doubt overtake you. Instead, replace all worry and doubt with a trust...a trust in your faith...in Me.
My Father's home has plenty of room...for all of you to live...with Me. You know I speak the Truth when I say this. And, when I go to My Father and we prepare a place for you in His home, this can only mean I am coming back to get you...so you can live with Me together in My Father's home. In the meantime, you will learn and come to know where I am going...and how to get there!"
Then, in verse 5 Thomas speaks...from a sincere and honest heart...letting Jesus knows he "doesn't get it"...at least not yet. So, verse 5 reads:
Thomas speaks up and says: " Wait Master! Lord, we haven't got a clue where You are going...so how will we know where to go?...let alone finding Your Father's home?"
{Note: Another time where the sheer honesty of Thomas while listening to Jesus had to bring a joy to His heart. After all, Thomas did not say he didn't want to come to the home of Jesus Heavenly Father, instead Thomas was simply wanting to know how he and his companions were suppose to know where they were to go.}
Yet it was a little later in the 20th chapter of John that Thomas received his popularity that has lasted through the ages of Christianity...the title of "Doubting Thomas". So, allow me to research this a little more.
In verse 19-21 of John 20, it goes like this:
A Gleaning form John 20: 19-21
" Then on the same first day of the week (the same day Jesus first appeared to Mary at the tomb and later to Peter and John), toward the evening, the disciples were in a room behind locked doors for fear the Jewish leaders might find them and have them put to death...for having been associated with Jesus. Suddenly, Jesus stood amidst them in the locked room and said "Peace to you!" Then He showed them His hands and His side. (Only Thomas was not among them. Where was he? I do not know, the Scriptures are silent.)"
Now in verse 26 of the same chapter it reads:
A Gleaning from John 20: 26-29
" Eight days later His disciples had returned to this home...and this time Thomas was with them. Jesus again appears to them and opened with the same greeting: "Peace to you!" Then, Jesus invited Thomas to look at his hands and side, just as He had with the other disciples at their previous meeting. Jesus spoke to Thomas and said: " Reach out and put your finger here, and see My hands, and put your hand on My side. " Thomas then exclaimed: "My Lord!...and My God!"
Jesus then replies: "Thomas, your faith is enhanced because you have seen Me. Yet, I tell you...people will put their entire trust in Me...without seeing Me...and they will feel even more blessed (perhaps having a deeper faith in Him than having access to actually touch Him. After all, the physical touch is only momentary...and can quickly fade away...yet faith..can draw one closer and be ever more real and long lasting than any physical touch.)"
{Note: Although Thomas did insist he must personally be an eye witness of the Risen Lord before he could conceive Jesus had rose from the dead, it must be pointed out he was not resistant to believing in the Risen Christ, or was hard-hearted over all that had happened, or had a severe lack of faith to doubt the Resurrection more than his companions.
And Jesus did not call him out to ridicule him, nor did He reprimand him. I tend to think Jesus was addressing all His disciples in verse 29 and was "raising the bar"...letting them know our faith in Him must come before our natural abilities to see, feel, touch, hear, or taste. The time had come for His disciples to "grow up"...quit hiding, and not let their own limitations including fear and threats...play a part of the new lives each disciple was about to enter. I do not think Jesus was ever out to have Thomas receive the title of "Doubting Thomas"...simply because that's not the way Jesus treats people. I think Jesus was teaching them to look beyond...themselves and trust Him...bringing home the point... faith in Him is more real than even a physical touch.}
After the disciples were scattered to various regions after Pentecost, church history writes Thomas travelled outside the Roman Empire...perhaps as far as India. Church tradition records that Thomas reached Muziris, India ( an ancient seaport in southwest India that was a key trade route city for the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and the Phoenicians.
{Note: Phoenicia was from an area we now call Lebanon and parts of Syria. Phoenicians were thought to be descendants of the Canaanites who battled the Israelites centuries before when Israel arrived in "The Promised Land". The Phoenicians were conquered by the Persians in 539 B.C. and later by the Greeks led by Alexander the Great. The Phoenicians traded wood, slaves, glass, and a purple dye in powder form known as Tyrian purple. This expensive dye was used by both the Roman and Creek elite to color their garments. Phoenicians also dealt various spices in trade. Yet it was the Phoenician ships that brings this culture to the forefront. They had 2 particular vessels, known as hippoi and galloi (Greek for tubs and horses). It was these famed ships we often see in the movies...with the carved horse heads on the ends of the ships that made the Phoenicians well known.}
Church tradition also records Thomas baptized several in this area in India around 52 A.D. and even today there remains a group called Saint Thomas Christians. This group is divided among the various denominations of the Christian church including Eastern Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, and various local independent churches. They are referred to in their various localities as "Nasrani" meaning Christian and appears to have a derivative of the word Nazareth.
Thomas was written to have been killed in 72 A.D. Marco Polo, the great merchant and discoverer of the 13th century who was the first European to reach the land of China, once wrote of the death of Saint Thomas as an accidental one. He wrote that a badly aimed arrow by a person hunting peacocks struck Thomas and killed him.
Other church tradition type stories report of various ways Saint Thomas might have died including; being stoned to death, thrust by a lance, killed by 4 spears, or possibly crucified...all because of his faith in Christ Jesus. One report writes he died a natural death in a city named Edessa, in modern day Turkey.
There was an early church history book that came out a couple hundred years after Thomas had died known as "The Gospel according to Saint Thomas". Yet, further findings reveal this book was written by a group known as Gnostics, whose belief in Christ Jesus was quite different than the Good News brought to the world by "The Original" ( the 12 apostles).
Cyril of Jerusalem, an early church historian and theologian, who wrote of the nature of God with a consistent theme of His love for us and God's forgiving nature, along with the need for man to repent...wrote of the "Gospel according to Saint Thomas" in this matter: " Let none read the "Gospel according to Saint Thomas", for it not the work of any of the 12 apostles (including Thomas), but one of Mani's 3 wicked disciples." {Note: Mani was the founder and prophet of "Manichaeism", a Gnostic based religion that taught salvation is made possible through education, self-denial, fasting, and chastity. Mani even proclaimed himself as "the Paraclete" written of in the New Testament...instead of who it really meant...the Holy Spirit.
Although it is not always clear how the lives of "The Original" actually ended, one thing I am personally convinced of...Thomas...he wasn't "no doubter!" He was faithful to his God...and his Lord...the Lord Jesus Christ!
Thomas was born in Galilee, yet unlike some of the other apostles, his particular origin of birth in reference to which village...is unknown. He is simply recorded in history as being born in the region of Galilee and was most likely of humble family origin.
The name Thomas itself is of Syrian origin and means "twin". In Greek, his name is "Didymus" and means the same thing....twin.
Thomas is mentioned various times in the Gospels as one of "The Original" and is also mentioned in the Book of Acts. Yet, Thomas received quite a notoriety because of the various responses he would give to the Lord in the Gospels, particularly in the Gospel of John. Personally...you "gotta love this guy!"
In the Gospel of John, chapter 11:8-16 , this passage gives a clear indication as to the type of guy Thomas really was. Chapter 11 begins by writing about a man named Lazarus, who lived in the village of Bethany in the region of Galilee. Lazarus lived with his sisters Mary and Martha. All 3 were dear friends of Jesus and His disciples and in fact Mary had just recently showed her devotion to Christ Jesus by pouring expensive perfume over the feet of Jesus and wiping His feet with her hair.
Now, Jesus receives a message from Mary and Martha stating their brother Lazarus had become very ill. Jesus responds to the message by saying: " Lazarus's sickness will not result in his death but will be used instead to give glory to God". As a result, Jesus and His disciples remained where they were at for 2 more days.
Then in verse 7 of John 11 Jesus spoke : " It is time to return to Judea...to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus." Verse 8 then reads and becomes a key point in this passage...because His disciples were not in favor at all of returning to Judea...except one...Thomas. so, here is a Gleaning of John 11: 8-16 and what really "went down":
A Gleaning from John 11: 8-16
" Rabbi...no way! Let's not even talk about going back to Judea!"...His disciples responded. "Don't you recall the last time we were there how the Jewish leaders were after You...with every intention of trying to stone You!...and kill You! And You are telling us You want to go back...now?"
Jesus answered: "Look, are there not 12 hours of daylight on any given day? Anyone walking in the daylight can walk safely and avoid stumbling, because the sun itself offers light to each of us. Yet, walking in the night can be an entirely different story. Walking at night can bring the danger of a wrong step...simply because there is no light to help guide the path you take...you simply can not see where you are going."
{Note: Jesus used this analogy because He was saying He was being led by the light of God's leading... His Heavenly Father. Day light does not always mean a person is void of hazards, it simply means God's leading and insights are there for each of us in reference to what may lie ahead. In Darkness, it is more likely for anyone to stumble, yet if we refuse to walk in the light given us...and allow fear to overtake us in our Darkness, we are not able to follow the leading of God's desire for us to do. Also, in Jewish culture, a day was divided into 2 segments: 1) Sunrise to Sunset, and 2) Sunset to Sunrise. This is the time allotted for a day in everyday life. Jesus seems to making it known to His disciples...the time to return and see Lazarus had come...a time given to them by His Heavenly Father.}
Continuing....in verse 11:
" Then, Jesus continued: "Our dear friend Lazarus has fallen asleep and is resting, yet the time has come for Me to go to him and awaken him out of his sleep."
His disciples thought Jesus was meaning Lazarus was finally getting a good night's sleep and some needed rest. So, they replied to Jesus: "Well, a good night's sleep and needed rest...he should be fine!" Yet, what Jesus meant...Lazarus was dead.
Then, Jesus spoke to His disciples and said: "Look, what I am saying is...Lazarus is dead. Yet, for your sake I am glad we were not there when he passed, because this opens the door to give you strength to deepen your trust in Me. So, let's go to Lazarus now!"
Now this is where Thomas enters the scene...and says in verse 16...
Thomas then speaks out to his companions and says: " Come on...let's go with Him! We have lived with man, we believe in this man...let us go and die with this man!"
Now, although Thomas agreed with the other disciples there doesn't appear to be much hope to follow Him back to see Lazarus...there is no doubt of his loyalty to Christ Jesus...even it might cost Thomas his very life.
Now, allow me to consider the 14th chapter of John, verses 1 through 5. The opening verses spoken from Jesus is one of comfort and His love for us...
A Gleaning from John 14: 1-5
" Do not let your hearts trouble you...don't not let worry and doubt overtake you. Instead, replace all worry and doubt with a trust...a trust in your faith...in Me.
My Father's home has plenty of room...for all of you to live...with Me. You know I speak the Truth when I say this. And, when I go to My Father and we prepare a place for you in His home, this can only mean I am coming back to get you...so you can live with Me together in My Father's home. In the meantime, you will learn and come to know where I am going...and how to get there!"
Then, in verse 5 Thomas speaks...from a sincere and honest heart...letting Jesus knows he "doesn't get it"...at least not yet. So, verse 5 reads:
Thomas speaks up and says: " Wait Master! Lord, we haven't got a clue where You are going...so how will we know where to go?...let alone finding Your Father's home?"
{Note: Another time where the sheer honesty of Thomas while listening to Jesus had to bring a joy to His heart. After all, Thomas did not say he didn't want to come to the home of Jesus Heavenly Father, instead Thomas was simply wanting to know how he and his companions were suppose to know where they were to go.}
Yet it was a little later in the 20th chapter of John that Thomas received his popularity that has lasted through the ages of Christianity...the title of "Doubting Thomas". So, allow me to research this a little more.
In verse 19-21 of John 20, it goes like this:
A Gleaning form John 20: 19-21
" Then on the same first day of the week (the same day Jesus first appeared to Mary at the tomb and later to Peter and John), toward the evening, the disciples were in a room behind locked doors for fear the Jewish leaders might find them and have them put to death...for having been associated with Jesus. Suddenly, Jesus stood amidst them in the locked room and said "Peace to you!" Then He showed them His hands and His side. (Only Thomas was not among them. Where was he? I do not know, the Scriptures are silent.)"
Now in verse 26 of the same chapter it reads:
A Gleaning from John 20: 26-29
" Eight days later His disciples had returned to this home...and this time Thomas was with them. Jesus again appears to them and opened with the same greeting: "Peace to you!" Then, Jesus invited Thomas to look at his hands and side, just as He had with the other disciples at their previous meeting. Jesus spoke to Thomas and said: " Reach out and put your finger here, and see My hands, and put your hand on My side. " Thomas then exclaimed: "My Lord!...and My God!"
{Note: Although Thomas did insist he must personally be an eye witness of the Risen Lord before he could conceive Jesus had rose from the dead, it must be pointed out he was not resistant to believing in the Risen Christ, or was hard-hearted over all that had happened, or had a severe lack of faith to doubt the Resurrection more than his companions.
And Jesus did not call him out to ridicule him, nor did He reprimand him. I tend to think Jesus was addressing all His disciples in verse 29 and was "raising the bar"...letting them know our faith in Him must come before our natural abilities to see, feel, touch, hear, or taste. The time had come for His disciples to "grow up"...quit hiding, and not let their own limitations including fear and threats...play a part of the new lives each disciple was about to enter. I do not think Jesus was ever out to have Thomas receive the title of "Doubting Thomas"...simply because that's not the way Jesus treats people. I think Jesus was teaching them to look beyond...themselves and trust Him...bringing home the point... faith in Him is more real than even a physical touch.}
After the disciples were scattered to various regions after Pentecost, church history writes Thomas travelled outside the Roman Empire...perhaps as far as India. Church tradition records that Thomas reached Muziris, India ( an ancient seaport in southwest India that was a key trade route city for the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and the Phoenicians.
{Note: Phoenicia was from an area we now call Lebanon and parts of Syria. Phoenicians were thought to be descendants of the Canaanites who battled the Israelites centuries before when Israel arrived in "The Promised Land". The Phoenicians were conquered by the Persians in 539 B.C. and later by the Greeks led by Alexander the Great. The Phoenicians traded wood, slaves, glass, and a purple dye in powder form known as Tyrian purple. This expensive dye was used by both the Roman and Creek elite to color their garments. Phoenicians also dealt various spices in trade. Yet it was the Phoenician ships that brings this culture to the forefront. They had 2 particular vessels, known as hippoi and galloi (Greek for tubs and horses). It was these famed ships we often see in the movies...with the carved horse heads on the ends of the ships that made the Phoenicians well known.}
Church tradition also records Thomas baptized several in this area in India around 52 A.D. and even today there remains a group called Saint Thomas Christians. This group is divided among the various denominations of the Christian church including Eastern Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, and various local independent churches. They are referred to in their various localities as "Nasrani" meaning Christian and appears to have a derivative of the word Nazareth.
Thomas was written to have been killed in 72 A.D. Marco Polo, the great merchant and discoverer of the 13th century who was the first European to reach the land of China, once wrote of the death of Saint Thomas as an accidental one. He wrote that a badly aimed arrow by a person hunting peacocks struck Thomas and killed him.
Other church tradition type stories report of various ways Saint Thomas might have died including; being stoned to death, thrust by a lance, killed by 4 spears, or possibly crucified...all because of his faith in Christ Jesus. One report writes he died a natural death in a city named Edessa, in modern day Turkey.
There was an early church history book that came out a couple hundred years after Thomas had died known as "The Gospel according to Saint Thomas". Yet, further findings reveal this book was written by a group known as Gnostics, whose belief in Christ Jesus was quite different than the Good News brought to the world by "The Original" ( the 12 apostles).
Cyril of Jerusalem, an early church historian and theologian, who wrote of the nature of God with a consistent theme of His love for us and God's forgiving nature, along with the need for man to repent...wrote of the "Gospel according to Saint Thomas" in this matter: " Let none read the "Gospel according to Saint Thomas", for it not the work of any of the 12 apostles (including Thomas), but one of Mani's 3 wicked disciples." {Note: Mani was the founder and prophet of "Manichaeism", a Gnostic based religion that taught salvation is made possible through education, self-denial, fasting, and chastity. Mani even proclaimed himself as "the Paraclete" written of in the New Testament...instead of who it really meant...the Holy Spirit.Although it is not always clear how the lives of "The Original" actually ended, one thing I am personally convinced of...Thomas...he wasn't "no doubter!" He was faithful to his God...and his Lord...the Lord Jesus Christ!
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