Morning Devotional

June 16, 2004

"The  Disciples (Part 6)"

by Don Emmitte

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One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he replied, "I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side." Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway." (John 20:24-29 NLT)

You've heard the phrase "Doubting Thomas". We often use it to describe those who just can't quite believe something. They may want to, but there is still some skepticism that keeps them from accepting with full confidence.

The rest of the disciples had seen Jesus after his resurrection. Thomas was not there. Perhaps he was still discouraged. His Savior, the One to whom he had devoted his life, the One who he had trusted for safety, had been nailed to a tree. No more was the companionship of the Son of Man. Perhaps he just couldn't convince himself to join the other disciples. By not being there, he missed seeing Jesus. Now, in order to believe the disciples, he wanted tangible proof. He wanted to see Jesus personally.

We tend to know Thomas best for his doubts, but he was also capable of displaying great courage. Some accounts of Thomas indicate that he became a great missionary in India during the first century. We do know that when Lazarus died and the disciples and Jesus went to be with him, Thomas said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." I think he expected Christ to do a miracle, and he wanted to fully experience it.

Maybe it's not so bad to have doubts. Christ certainly didn't condemn Thomas. When Jesus appeared again to the disciples, He allowed Thomas to see and feel that He was indeed the Risen Lord. Jesus accepted Thomas in spite of his doubts. You and I, in the face of a sometimes (really many times) dark world, will indeed have periods of doubt. We may experience times when our faith seems so weak. Jesus, the Maker of our souls, would say to us as He said to Thomas: "Peace be with you. Stop doubting and believe."

It really isn’t that we have doubts, it is what we do when we have them that counts. Whatever is nagging in the recesses of your mind today, reestablish your faith in the power and promise of God to do what he has promised in your life. Trust him with everything. You won’t be disappointed!