"I'll believe it when I see it." - Thomas, Jesus's disciple
The Bible doesn't tell us much about Thomas. He was one of Jesus's twelve disciples, and his defining characteristic is that he doubted that Jesus rose from the dead (oof). Here’s the sitch as recorded by John:
“Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’
But he said to them, ‘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.’”
John 20:24-25 (NIV)
Once you get to know Jesus, it's easy to get irritated at Thomas. After walking with Jesus himself, watching him perform miracles and cast out evil spirits . . . AND raise someone from the dead . . . how could Thomas not believe that Jesus himself could be resurrected? Was it that far-fetched?
Let’s build in some perspective here, though: Jesus’s crucifixion cost Thomas his master, teacher, and friend. Thomas dropped everything to follow this man. His entire life centered around him. And yes, he did witness Jesus’s power and authority - both of which did not bail Jesus out of gruesome capital punishment.
Thomas was probably pretty shaken up and completely confused. Ever been there?
Thomas was also called "twin,” which is the exact translation of his name. Thomas is also referred to by the Greek nickname “Didymos,” which also means “twin.” There’s no clear answer as to why Jesus and the twelve disciples called him by this name (maybe he really did have a twin), but I can’t help but wonder if God wove this small detail into Thomas’s story as a nod toward the struggle between humanity and faith. No one has the right to judge Thomas in my book because we can look a whole lot like him when smacked in the face with adversity - just like his twin, really. When nose to nose with travesty, faith and hope are tough to cling on to.
Here's the cool part of Thomas's story: Jesus delivered.
“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’
Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’
Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”
John 20:26-29 (NIV)
Jesus, who just displayed the most powerful act of love ever in human history and literally went to hell and back to save our sorry butts, granted the request of a believer turned unbeliever live and in-person so that he would once again be known by the Father and know true love.
I encourage you to sit with this story a bit. I’ve been mulling it over for a couple of weeks now and come back to this question: If the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings went out of his way to restore the faith of a single doubting disciple by showing him his wounds, how much further do we as believers have to go to show Jesus’s love to those who need it? How do we show people Jesus’s scars in such dramatic fashion?
If I’m being honest, the reason why I turned to the story of Thomas the disciple is because of a different Thomas that was born two-thousand some-odd years later. He grew up Ellijay, GA and built a life in the same area. He’s a normal 22 year-old with a job and a girlfriend and a whole big, beautiful life in front of him. But stage 4 cancer hit him and his family like a ton of bricks. Thomas was diagnosed with GIST (a gastrointestinal stromal tumor), which is a very uncommon type of gastrointestinal cancer. As you can imagine, treating an uncommon cancer is extremely difficult and complicated, and, unfortunately, Thomas’s insurance does not cover the treatment he needs.
As I am typing his story, my anger for his situation is burning me up. I’m mad this has happened to Thomas. I am mad cancer exists and is hurting people so close to home. And I am mad that Thomas and his family are struggling to get the treatment he needs. But being mad changes nothing. Thomas needs help, and more importantly, he needs to see Jesus’s hands and feet.
I don’t know if Thomas is struggling with faith and doubt (that’s his business) but I do know that when my husband and I heard his story and retold the story to our board and key stakeholders, we all had the same reaction: We have to do something. So, we did.
About three weeks ago, we launched a rapid response campaign (Tough Like Thomas) to raise money for Thomas and his family to get the treatment he needs and make sure they are taken care of for the long road of recovery ahead. And y’all, within three days, we raised more than $15,000. Not only that, we receive the largest donation in 118’s history from a single donor. There’s no way around it: We were meant to step in and help Thomas.
The response from Thomas and his family has been beautiful. His mom is one of the liveliest, energetic, talkative people I have ever met. When she received the news, she was speechless.
We will never top Jesus's show of love and devotion to Doubting Thomas, but if we ask ourselves how we can love like Him and show His scars to the world, it’s by saying, “yes.” God will bless your obedience and amplify your works beyond belief. I am still in awe of how he has worked through the Foundation to love on Thomas. If you are stirred to do something for someone who is facing tragedy, do it and do it big. It may be your chance to change a doubter’s mind… or even your own.
We are still running the Tough Like Thomas campaign, and you can help. GIVE HERE
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