If
you or I express concern or reservation about a decision or action, someone
might tag us with a critical nickname.
They’ll say, “Oh, come on—don’t be a doubting
Thomas!”
That phrase is just half the story of
the great event in the life of the apostle Thomas. Today is his day on the calendar of
saints. Interestingly, this day also is
the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere
and the beginning of a cold and dark period on the calendar. A coincidence?
Doubting Thomas is the first half of the
event in John’s gospel (20:26-29). The
Risen Christ appears to the disciples on the day of the resurrection. Thomas was not there. Like any of us, he was running errands and
dealing with the business of life. The
Risen Christ is not present when Thomas returns. The disciples are overwhelmed with
excitement. Jesus is alive! Thomas, a true left-brained man, said, “Show
me!” The disciples can’t do that, but
try even harder to convince him to take them at their word. Thomas wants proof.
There is the Doubting Thomas. But the story does not end there.
A week passes, and the Risen Christ
appears again. He invites Thomas to test
the truth of the resurrection on tangible terms. At that moment, Thomas does not do the
testing. He does not demand other
evidence. He does not require other
witnesses. He simply cries out in
wonder, “My Lord and my God!”
At that moment, he is changed forever. No longer is he the Doubting Thomas. He now is the Shouting Thomas. He’s that
kind of person because he has faced his doubt—and the encounter with Christ has
erased all doubt.
Only God in Christ can cause that to
happen, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
For my legacy, I’d rather be known as a Shouting Thomas.
How about you?
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