Doubting Thomas

[theophilus]

After his resurrection Jesus appeared to the apostles. One of them wasn’t present.

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
John 20:24,25 ESV​

Because of his unwillingness to believe Jesus had risen from the dead he is often called “doubting Thomas.”

Thomas wasn’t the only one to have doubts about Jesus. John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod and he began to wonder if Jesus was really the Messiah.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
Matthew 11:2,3 ESV​

But I have never heard of John being called “doubting John.” Why do people respond so differently to Thomas and John?

Perhaps the reason is that when John is mentioned we think about his life before his imprisonment. The angel Gabriel foretold his birth. He was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. He preached a message of repentance and many believed him and were baptized. He even baptized Jesus. These events outweigh his moments of doubt while he was in prison.

Most people who have heard of Thomas know nothing about him but the fact that he doubted. The Bible doesn’t say much about him but there is one incident that I believe to be a better indicator of what he was like. John 11 tells of the death of Lazarus. Jesus and his disciples were in Galilee and Jesus decided they must return to Judea. Here was how most of the disciples reacted to this.

Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
John 11:7,8 ESV
​

Here is how Thomas reacted.

So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
John 11:16 ESV
​

This is not the response of a doubter; instead it shows that Thomas loved Jesus and was even willing to sacrifice his life for him. Thomas never doubted before the crucifixion. The Bible says nothing about his life afterward but tradition tells us he carried the gospel to India and died there as a martyr. He demonstrated strong faith both before and after this incident but we have allowed his doubts to color our perception of him. Here is a summary of his life taken from the site What Christians Want To Know — Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More .

Thomas got a bum rap. He was no more doubting than the rest of the disciples and the only reason he doubted and the others didn’t was because they had seen the resurrected Christ. When the women came back from the empty tomb and after seeing the risen Christ, the disciples also doubted. To me, there is no doubt that Thomas was a strong believer and a powerful missionary used by God to the glory of God.​

 

[DoveSpirit05]

john the Baptist nether doubted jesus it was possibly his disciples how had unbelief not john, john came 2 prepare the way for jesus!! he also jumped 4 joy in his mothers womb when he felt the presence of jesus in Mary's womb!!

Matthew 11:2-3 King James Version (KJV)

2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

dat ESV is not a good translation!!

 

[DoveSpirit05]

Isaiah 40:3
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

John 1:26-7
I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know. 27He is the One who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

Luke 1:41
And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

 

[Elihoenai]

Hosea 4:6 King James Version (KJV)

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.


Thomas is being a Real Disciple, because he seeks a firsthand account. He wants to see for himself. There is a desire for personal experience. Secondhand accounts from others is not sufficient for Thomas.

You will never ever truly believe until you do what Thomas did!

 

[BreadOfLife]

Hosea 4:6 King James Version (KJV)
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Thomas is being a Real Disciple, because he seeks a firsthand account. He wants to see for himself. There is a desire for personal experience. Secondhand accounts from others is not sufficient for Thomas.

You will never ever truly believe until you do what Thomas did!

And Jesus chided Thomas for having to see with his eye - while praising those who believe without seeing.
No - we shouldn't be like Thomas because he showed a lack of faith..

Faith doesn't and shouldn't come only from from seeing . . .

 

[Webers_Home]

.
It's surprising the number of Christians that I encounter online and in
Sunday school refusing to believe that Christ's crucified dead body was
restored to life. They resolutely insist that he came back from the dead in a
so-called glorified body instead of his original body. It's a mystery to me why
so many Christians have been deprived of the blessing the Lord spoke of at
John 20:29.
_

 

[Webers_Home]

.
This comment is off-topic, but I seriously think it's something that needs
saying from time to time.

Internet forums have given many of Christ's obscure followers a convenient
venue for sharing their time-won knowledge and experience with a
worldwide audience. For the world's sake, I highly recommend making an
effort to compose legible posts; neatly arranged, sensible, coherent, and
tidy.

Excessive bolding and italics, lack of adequate paragraphing, twitter spelling,
unnecessary emogies, wordy dissertations that just seem to go on and on
forever, horrible grammar, confusing mixtures of fonts and colors, and/or
shouting with caps and oversize letters, makes for tiresome clutter and
annoying graffiti that leave a bad impression.

Some people's posts resemble the obnoxious placards of worked-up
protesters and political activists; yelling, shrieking, and sometimes even
spraying spittle. They are beyond reason and objectivity in their desperation
to be taken seriously. Apparently they assume that if only they shout loud
enough, make themselves annoying enough, and hold out long enough;
maybe they'll get their point across and somebody will finally listen.

I rather suspect that some people regard forums as a canvas for painting
their comments instead of composing them. Well; that might be okay for
outsiders, they can be as messy as they want because their comments don't
matter anyway. But for those of us who honestly believe ourselves to be
representing God's son; it's unacceptable because it reflects on Christ and
makes him look like his followers are fanatical kooks.

● Phil 1:27 . . Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of
Christ.
_

 

[Elihoenai]

And Jesus chided Thomas for having to see with his eye - while praising those who believe without seeing.
No - we shouldn't be like Thomas because he showed a lack of faith..

Faith doesn't and shouldn't come only from from seeing . . .

Apparently, the Roman Catholic Inquisition is ongoing and we are on the receiving end.

Ian Paisley Oxford Union Debate 1967 (Clip)

 

[GerhardEbersoehn]

Only Thomas who feared not to say, Lord, we know not; how can we know?, "was not with them" while the real doubters were hiding.

 

[Joseph77]

Because of his unwillingness to believe Jesus had risen from the dead he is often called “doubting Thomas.”

Unwillingness?
Perhaps.
Do you agree Thomas is/was willing to believe Jesus risen from the dead when Thomas saw Jesus ?

 

[Joseph77]

This also is truth. (the statement, I don't know /didn't watch the video - already knew )

Apparently, the Roman Catholic Inquisition is ongoing and we are on the receiving end.

 

[Joseph77]

.
It's surprising the number of Christians that I encounter online and in
Sunday school refusing to believe that Christ's crucified dead body was
restored to life. They resolutely insist that he came back from the dead in a
so-called glorified body instead of his original body. It's a mystery to me why
so many Christians have been deprived of the blessing the Lord spoke of at
John 20:29.
_

(unverified, per se) But I think there is a "SCHOOL", or "SCHOOLS" (/churches)
including within catholicism, and outside of it but influenced by it,
that has taught for centuries the heresy of some other kind of body than reality of Scripture, or even of no body just a mist, resurrected ,

and if a person HEARS THAT FIRST, before they know better,
and if a person HEARS THAT FROM someone they trust (in any group/ anywhere),
then that is what the person believes.

It doesn't matter what Scripture says, or what God says, or what Jesus says -

they HEAR something ELSE FIRST, and believe it.

 

[Nancy]

After his resurrection Jesus appeared to the apostles. One of them wasn’t present.

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
John 20:24,25 ESV​

Because of his unwillingness to believe Jesus had risen from the dead he is often called “doubting Thomas.”

Thomas wasn’t the only one to have doubts about Jesus. John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod and he began to wonder if Jesus was really the Messiah.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
Matthew 11:2,3 ESV​

But I have never heard of John being called “doubting John.” Why do people respond so differently to Thomas and John?

Perhaps the reason is that when John is mentioned we think about his life before his imprisonment. The angel Gabriel foretold his birth. He was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. He preached a message of repentance and many believed him and were baptized. He even baptized Jesus. These events outweigh his moments of doubt while he was in prison.

Most people who have heard of Thomas know nothing about him but the fact that he doubted. The Bible doesn’t say much about him but there is one incident that I believe to be a better indicator of what he was like. John 11 tells of the death of Lazarus. Jesus and his disciples were in Galilee and Jesus decided they must return to Judea. Here was how most of the disciples reacted to this.

Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
John 11:7,8 ESV
​

Here is how Thomas reacted.

So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
John 11:16 ESV
​

This is not the response of a doubter; instead it shows that Thomas loved Jesus and was even willing to sacrifice his life for him. Thomas never doubted before the crucifixion. The Bible says nothing about his life afterward but tradition tells us he carried the gospel to India and died there as a martyr. He demonstrated strong faith both before and after this incident but we have allowed his doubts to color our perception of him. Here is a summary of his life taken from the site What Christians Want To Know — Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More .

Thomas got a bum rap. He was no more doubting than the rest of the disciples and the only reason he doubted and the others didn’t was because they had seen the resurrected Christ. When the women came back from the empty tomb and after seeing the risen Christ, the disciples also doubted. To me, there is no doubt that Thomas was a strong believer and a powerful missionary used by God to the glory of God.​

Ha, yes. Poor Tom...bad rap is right! To make Thomas the bad guy because of that one verse is pretty lousy exegesis
Very good points!

 

[Joseph77]

Ha, yes. Poor Tom...bad rap is right! To make Thomas the bad guy because of that one verse is pretty lousy exegesis
Very good points!

Today, billions do not believe.

They are without excuse,

as shown throughout all God's Word and Plan and Purpose in Jesus.

Thomas trusted, and believed. So he is saved.

Blessed are those who believe, trust, without seeing.

 

[Enoch111]

Thomas wasn’t the only one to have doubts about Jesus.

That should have said "about the resurrection of Jesus". And that is correct. Indeed there was NOT A SINGLE APOSTLE who simply believed Christ regarding His resurrection (as prophesied by Him), and then simply believed the report of the women who saw the empty tomb.

And if you study the matter closely Mary Magdalene was the biggest doubter of all, since even after the angels had told her about the resurrection, she insisted that someone had spirited away the body of Christ.

It was only after Christ appeared to the apostles (Thomas being absent) that they believed on the basis of "seeing is believing". The question remains: What in the world was Thomas doing when all the others were gathered together and he was absent? And why did he not believe their report, since there were far more than two or three witnesses? So it is justifiable to call him "doubting Thomas", although in the end he did a tremendous missionary work in India, and was also martyred there.

 

[CharismaticLady]

After his resurrection Jesus appeared to the apostles. One of them wasn’t present.

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
John 20:24,25 ESV​

Because of his unwillingness to believe Jesus had risen from the dead he is often called “doubting Thomas.”

Thomas wasn’t the only one to have doubts about Jesus. John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod and he began to wonder if Jesus was really the Messiah.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
Matthew 11:2,3 ESV​

But I have never heard of John being called “doubting John.” Why do people respond so differently to Thomas and John?

Perhaps the reason is that when John is mentioned we think about his life before his imprisonment. The angel Gabriel foretold his birth. He was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. He preached a message of repentance and many believed him and were baptized. He even baptized Jesus. These events outweigh his moments of doubt while he was in prison.

Most people who have heard of Thomas know nothing about him but the fact that he doubted. The Bible doesn’t say much about him but there is one incident that I believe to be a better indicator of what he was like. John 11 tells of the death of Lazarus. Jesus and his disciples were in Galilee and Jesus decided they must return to Judea. Here was how most of the disciples reacted to this.

Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
John 11:7,8 ESV
​

Here is how Thomas reacted.

So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
John 11:16 ESV
​

This is not the response of a doubter; instead it shows that Thomas loved Jesus and was even willing to sacrifice his life for him. Thomas never doubted before the crucifixion. The Bible says nothing about his life afterward but tradition tells us he carried the gospel to India and died there as a martyr. He demonstrated strong faith both before and after this incident but we have allowed his doubts to color our perception of him. Here is a summary of his life taken from the site What Christians Want To Know — Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More .

Thomas got a bum rap. He was no more doubting than the rest of the disciples and the only reason he doubted and the others didn’t was because they had seen the resurrected Christ. When the women came back from the empty tomb and after seeing the risen Christ, the disciples also doubted. To me, there is no doubt that Thomas was a strong believer and a powerful missionary used by God to the glory of God.​

Thomas walked with Jesus and listed to Him for three years and still doubted He was the "Resurrection and the Life."

 

[Joseph77]

Thomas walked with Jesus and listed to Him for three years and still doubted He was the "Resurrection and the Life."

SO DID HIS BROTHERS ! They were living with Jesus LONGER than the disciples !

 

[Joseph77]

Thomas walked with Jesus and listed to Him for three years and still doubted He was the "Resurrection and the Life."

After rising from the grave, and showing thousands, many thousands , of people He is Alive,

billions of souls on earth still perish for their unbelief.

 

[101G]

Thanks for the OP
bum rap for thomas? I don't know. but one thing for sure he has a lot of kinfolk alive and well today.

PICJAG.

 

[CharismaticLady]

Thanks for the OP
bum rap for thomas? I don't know. but one thing for sure he has a lot of kinfolk alive and well today.

PICJAG.

You mean like atheists and other religions who do not believe Jesus rose from the dead?