why does thomas (“doubting thomas”) get such a bad rap? so he doubted. he wouldn’t believe Jesus was alive until he saw & touched the wounds. would u or i be any different had we stood and watched Him breathe his last? no way. he was realistic. he was honest with himself. he was even a bit of a smart- %#@! when lazarus died and Jesus decided to travel back to the town of bethany (in judea) where they all knew the jews had a hit out on Him…so that he could raise lazarus from the dead & give them new grounds for believing.

That’s when Thomas, the one called the Twin, said to his companions, “Come along. We might as well die with him.”

i love that! can’t u just see his shoulders shrug & his eyes roll? but the fact that he knew there was a real threat of death in bethany, & he went anyway, urging the other disciples to come too – – shows he actually trusted Jesus, wanted to risk it all to be with him. he believed in miracles & he was devoted, even unto death.

yes, thomas “the twin”, the doubter, later in his life took the message of the Gospel to india where enraged pagan priests shish-ka-bobbed him, for the sake of spreading the news about Jesus. he died for this cause & lived an exciting life as a follower of Jesus, unafraid to express his doubt, and believing still.

I know a thomas. i see thomas in myself at times…having hesitantly taken the riskier road of faith & found it to be the safest, most rewarding way.