Join us in this episode of Great in God’s Sight to gather insights from the “doubting” disciple. There may be no wrong question as long as Jesus is the recipient. He will answer in ways that are beyond human wisdom.

<p>Join us in this episode of Great in God’s Sight to gather insights from the “doubting” disciple. There may be no wrong question as long as Jesus is the recipient. He will answer in ways that are beyond human wisdom.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

GYC Southeast

Rhonda Grakov

Great in God's Sight Season 1

John: the Soul that Knows its Worth

Polycarp: Eighty-Six Years

Justin Martyr: Philosopher to Child of God

Patrick: Unlikely Freedom

Thomas: The Other Half of Faith

Columba: The Dove of Scotland

Jerome, Cyril, and Methodius: Bibles for East and West

William Wilberforce, Part 1: The Great Change

William Wilberforce, Part 2: The Great Cause

Mark: One Young Man


Hello and welcome to Greating God's Sight, the podcast that explores underrated heroes. We're so glad you've joined us for this episode entitled, Thomas, the other half of faith. Please be sure to subscribe and visit our website at thegreatpodcast.org. Thanks for listening! Wind gently whipped up a dusty plain as Jesus and his disciples plotted along the road to Bethany, a town near Jerusalem.

A short while before, 1 of their friends had become ill. Lazarus, the brother of Mary Magdalene, was the unfortunate victim. The disciples were concerned that Jews in the area might stone Jesus on his way to Bethany because of previous threats against his life. Concerned that Lazarus might die, the family urged Jesus to come to their home anyway. At this moment, the disciple Thomas made his first appearance in Scripture.

Thomas stands apart from the other disciples in that he looked at circumstances through a negative lens. Jesus assured his followers that the sickness Lazarus had contracted would not end in death. In spite of this promise, Thomas focused on the negative. In a melancholy mood, he stated, Let us also go, that we may die with him. Perhaps Thomas thought they would catch Lazarus' disease and die with him.

Another possibility is that he believed the Jews would stone the disciples together with Jesus. Either way, His pessimistic outlook was a result of doubting Jesus' promise that Lazarus would not die but would be awakened from sleep. Jesus' words of encouragement stand in sharp contrast to Thomas' negativity. Thomas probably didn't mean to discourage his fellow disciples, but his personality naturally did. Faced with the possibility of death, Thomas quickly revealed his melancholic perspective and how weak his trust in Jesus actually was.

The other disciples also expressed concern that the Jews would attempt to stone their Messiah but ceased to comment when Jesus explained that Lazarus was dead. Instead, Thomas yielded to depression and lack of trust. Nevertheless, it's important to note that even in his negative frame of mind, he showed love for his suffering friend, Lazarus. Willing to go and die with him, Thomas offered no practical solution to the problem, but at least expressed his solidarity. We don't know how often Thomas inserted his negativity into conversations, yet we can imagine these interactions with the disciples and Jesus.

Whenever they were short on food or money, perhaps he would say, Today we will go hungry again. Jesus must have constantly encouraged Thomas and his fellow disciples to prevent morale from going flat. Aside from being 1 of the 12, Thomas also had the distinction of being a twin, the only 1 mentioned in the Bible apart from the famous duo of Jacob and Esau. This is revealed to us by his nickname, Didymus, mentioned only in John's Gospel and which means twin in Greek. Unfortunately we don't know who Thomas' twin was or whether they were a follower of Jesus as well.

However you are certainly familiar with the trait Thomas is best known for. Connected to his negativity, it even forms his most famous nickname, Doubting Thomas. As 1 chosen to be a close disciple of Jesus, this term seems contradictory. These 12 men watched Jesus heal the blind and raise the dead, so for 1 of them to be plagued with doubt seems really strange. Unhappily for Thomas, doubt formed the most notable feature of his character.

He often questioned plain statements Jesus made, revealing his lack of faith. In John 14 2-4, Jesus described the reward awaiting his disciples. In My father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me.

You know the way to the place where I am going." Essentially, Jesus wanted to reassure his disciples of their reward in heaven. He assured them that he would be waiting for them once they finished the path he had marked out. As he said, I am the way and the truth and the life They were to follow his example to the end Thomas of course failed to understand Jesus's words He couldn't visualize a heavenly mansion because doubt clouded his mind Jesus's description left him puzzled In response to what seemed to him an enigma, Thomas said, Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way? Seeking a literal and immediate interpretation of Jesus' words, Thomas couldn't grasp their full meaning. The other disciples likely also questioned Jesus' words in their hearts, but Thomas was confused enough that his thoughts became verbal.

He wasn't afraid to ask Jesus questions. At times, however, his questioning seemed almost irreverent. Jesus was soon arrested, placed on trial, and crucified. With his body laid to rest in Joseph of Arimathea's tomb, the disciples remained in shock of the events that had transpired. While in mourning, they gathered together in the upper room because they feared the Jewish authorities.

While the disciples were in this place, Jesus suddenly appeared and said, Peace be with you. He then showed them his pierced hands and sighed. Excitement and sincere Joy filled every heart. Unfortunately for Thomas, he was not present to see his resurrected Savior and later refused to believe the story. Famously, his skeptical lips retorted, "'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." This expression of unbelief seems rude, but it's important to remember that Thomas and Jesus had a close relationship.

Still, the incident shows how Thomas fully lived up to his nickname as the Doubting Disciple. Jesus didn't let Thomas boast over his challenge for long. Within a week, he appeared again, this time while Thomas was present. He invited Thomas to act out the demand for evidence by touching his hand and his side. In response, Thomas couldn't help but exclaim, My Lord and my God!

Here we find an important milestone for our doubting disciple. Nathanael and Peter had earlier acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, but Thomas became the first disciple to confess Jesus as God. The difference may be small, but it is significant. Rather than thinking of him as doubting Thomas, we can now think of him as a disciple of faith, whose spiritual insight now penetrated past Jesus' humanity all the way to his divinity. Being the first to fully acknowledge Jesus as God makes Thomas a paradoxical figure, yet this contradiction makes him relatable.

Jesus' patience enabled Thomas to overcome doubt and depression, eventually preparing him to take the gospel to India, where he eventually gave up his life as a martyr. Today, many Indian Christians trace their linguistic style of worship to an Aramaic dialect similar to what Thomas spoke. The doubting disciple shows us that Jesus can use anyone, regardless of doubts and failures. If you struggle with your faith or experience negativity, take note of Thomas' story. More importantly, take note of Jesus' patience.

If you come to him with an open, questioning heart, he will not turn you away. Thank you for listening to Great and God's Sight, a podcast by GYC Southeast. We hope you have enjoyed this adventure through time and pray it serves to deepen your relationship with God. Each episode aims to draw insight from the life of 1 individual. While we strive to bring you a unique perspective on each believer, we encourage you to use your God-given curiosity to explore these topics for yourself.

Please remember to hit the subscribe button and share this episode with your friends via text or social media. You never know who might be encouraged! Thanks for watching. In his sight too.

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Series

Great in God's Sight Season 1

Thomas: The Other Half of Faith

Description

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

John: the Soul that Knows its Worth

11m

Polycarp: Eighty-Six Years

8m

Justin Martyr: Philosopher to Child of God

11m

Patrick: Unlikely Freedom

10m

Thomas: The Other Half of Faith

9m

Columba: The Dove of Scotland

10m

Jerome, Cyril, and Methodius: Bibles for East and West

10m

William Wilberforce, Part 1: The Great Change

12m

William Wilberforce, Part 2: The Great Cause

13m

Mark: One Young Man

10m

Sound Doctrine