Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas said unto him, My Lord and my God John 20: 27,28.

Some things in life seem unbelievable. I am sure that you can likely think of something in your very own life, that if it were to actually happen, it would be so awesome and life changing, that it is easier to simply doubt. That way you don’t have to deal with the pressure of having your hope destroyed.

There was a time when the concept of a heavy plane flying in the air was unbelievable. But something inside of the Wright brothers would not let them give up. We can only imagine the risk they took and the battles they must have fought to get enough support to make their dream a reality. Yet today we can fly to the other side of the world in less than a day.

The same was true with Henry Ford. In fact, Ford’s personal associates did not desire to invest in the automobile industry. They were convinced that nothing could take the place of the horse. I thank God that Ford was not swayed by the opinion of the majority. But if he were here today, I sure he would witness that doubt would have made life so much easier.

Scientist have already split the atom, and I read recently of a group that boast of having cloned a human being. Man has become so great in his own eyes, until he doesn’t doubt anything anymore. But I believe that doubt can be healthy. It forces you to search out what is true. It makes you ask the hard questions and demand solid evidence. This is especially true when we are asked to believe something that will potentially change our life for the better. We have endured certain dilemmas for so long, that the thought of living without them frightens us.

Yes, doubt can be healthy. But when it comes to the spiritual side, doubt can be mistaken for unbelief. I think that this is a common mistake in Christian churches today. Many saints feel uncomfortable expressing their doubts, especially in the area of healing. They think that going to see a doctor about a health issue is an expression of unbelief. I feel that we should seek resolutions in any way we can, but we should never ever take our eyes off Jesus Christ. Unbelief is a chronic condition of the heart brought on by a slow spiritual deterioration, whereas doubt can disappear with a little insight or revelation.

Thomas was not afraid to express his doubt. He spoke what he actually felt within his heart, even though these things were not what everybody else accepted. All this means is that Thomas still had some questions. He wasn’t one hundred percent convinced. Whatever everybody else had experienced, Thomas couldn’t handle at this particular time. Because, to believe what he was being asked to believe was so incredible, awesome and wonderful, that it was too much to handle.

You see, Thomas wasn’t one to go along with the crowd. He didn’t just nod in agreement when he felt different. Every sermon that I hear on Thomas is a negative one. After this one week in his life, he is forever branded, "Doubting Thomas". But Thomas wasn’t a cynic, and his actions were not an expression of unbelief. He was working through perhaps the greatest period of grief he had ever experienced. He is an example to us that we should seriously judge spiritual things, even if we have to stand alone.

No matter how we feel about Thomas, and no matter what adjectives we use in our attempt to describe him, Jesus still called him to be an apostle. He was God’s personal intern commissioned to preach the gospel. It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t have other choices; and it wasn’t that Thomas talked Jesus into letting him tag along. Jesus chose him. And it came to pass in those days, that he went into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles Luke 6: 12, 13. Thomas was one of the twelve (see verse 150)

These men weren’t the brightest or the best. They were ordinary common people. But Jesus understood Thomas just like he understood Peter, James and John. Thomas spent a lot of quality time with Jesus; he actively listened to Jesus, and he witnessed his work directly.

I remember when Lazarus was sick, and Jesus wanted to go to Bethany to visit him. The disciples did not want Jesus to go because the last time he was there, he almost got stoned. This was a bad idea, and much too risky. You might even say it was suicidal. But Jesus went anyway. Thomas jumped up and said, "Let’s go with Him, so we can die with him" see John 1:16. Thomas had no doubt about where he stood with Jesus. He didn’t care how rough, tough, or dangerous it was, he was willing to stand to the end. Too many saints today are afraid of a little resistance. They want to be nice and not cause any trouble. I don’t want to be nice. I want to be saved. I want to follow Jesus wherever He leads me.

When Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples, He wanted to somehow prepare tem for His death. He said things like, "Let not your heart be troubled", and "I go to prepare a place for you." As beautiful as those promises were, it was too much for Thomas to grasp. He didn’t get it. The more he tried to make sense of it, the more confused he became. "Thomas saith to him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" John 14:5. In other words, Thomas needed the Lord to help him understand what he needed to do.

By the time we see Thomas after Jesus’ resurrection, it should be easier to understand why Thomas reacted the way he did. Going through the trauma of that crucifixion drained all those disciples spiritually and emotionally. At best their future was cloudy and empty. They assembled behind closed doors for fear of their lives. They had associated with a convicted felon. And now we see Thomas seeking resolve. If Jesus was dead, he needed to face it and go on. The last thing he needed was to jump on a roller coaster ride to nowhere.

Even though the other disciples said, "We have seen the Lord", Thomas wasn’t so sure. He saw how badly Jesus was abused on that cross, and he saw Him die. In addition to that, the disciples had been up a long time; they were tired and drained. They had been on the run for days. And now, maybe they were "seeing things". Thomas was at that point to where he could go no further. He needed to know for himself. He could stand on no one else’s faith but his own. It was time for his faith to grow.

When Jesus appeared to those disciples, Thomas wasn’t there. He needed to be, but he wasn’t. He didn’t hear Jesus say, "Peace unto you". He didn’t see Jesus breath on them and say, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost". When Thomas got back, he was met by a totally different group that asked him to believe beyond his ability.

Jesus made a special trip back to see Thomas. You see, Jesus can help an honest heart. The church world is so filled with fake faces, until we don’t know what to make of it. Jesus knew exactly what Thomas was struggling with. "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing John 20:27.

I don’t know if Thomas touched Jesus or not. But that encounter was enough to set Thomas free.

We don’t know Thomas for his faith, but he had great faith. When Thomas said, "My Lord and my God", he understood what the last three years really meant. He saw the secret to the mystery spoken by the prophet when he said, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder. And His Name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:6.

Having faith doesn’t mean we will never struggle with doubt. Expressing faith can be difficult sometimes. I like the song that says "God said it, I believe it, that settles it". But we will always have those situations where we need Jesus to be a little more personal. I am so glad that He is always willing to help us settle those difficult issues.