The Man Thomas

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to bring hope and encourage to the Body of Christ.

The Man Thomas

THOMAS was one of the twelve apostles. In the lists of the Twelve, which are arranged in three groups of four each, Thomas occurs in the second group (Mt. 10:2–4; Mk. 3:16–19; Lk. 6:14–16; Acts 1:13). He is linked with Matthew in Mt. 10:3 and with Philip in Acts 1:13. The name comes from Aram, meaning ‘twin’; John three times uses the Greek. version of it, ‘Didymus’ (11:16; 20:24; 21:2). The question whose twin he was cannot be answered with certainty. “Apostle” comes from the root world, which means to send out with purpose, a mission or a commission with the authority of the sender.

It is only in the Fourth Gospel that there are any personal references to Thomas. He was prepared to go with Jesus to the tomb of Lazarus and to possible death at the hands of the Jews (Jn. 11:16). He confessed himself unable to understand where Jesus was going when he warned the Twelve of his impending departure (Jn. 14:5). The chief incident for which he has always been remembered, and for which he has been called ‘Doubting Thomas’, is his disbelief in the resurrection. He missed the appearance of Christ to the other apostles (Jn. 20:24) and said that he needed visual and tactual proof of the resurrection (20:25). A week later Christ appeared again to the Eleven and he offered Thomas the opportunity to test the reality of his body.

Jesus sets up a great insight for us. Look at what John 20:21-22 reports. “Peace be with you! As the Father sent me, so send I you”. Jesus then breathed on the Apostles and said “Receive the Holy Spirit…” This act by Jesus possibly changed the course of the Apostles.

Thomas’ confession of faith, ‘My Lord and my God’ (20:28), marks the climax of the Fourth Gospel;The Scriptures declare that Jesus is God. This is the foundation of the Christian faith and is utmost importance for our salvation. Thank you Lord Jesus for your commitment to the Father’s Will making atonement for the sins of the world. Mark 1:11 (NKJV) Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”