John 14:5-7 says, “Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

John 20:24-31 says, “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 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 answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

While Judas was known for betraying Jesus, and Peter was known for denying Him, Thomas was known for doubting Him. Even before Jesus ever went to the cross, Thomas asked or said things that could have possibly reverenced his unbelieving mindset. John chapter 11 is known for the resurrection of Lazarus, even though Christ showed up four days later than anyone anticipated, which put everyone’s faith to the test. He had originally told the people that Lazarus was just asleep, but when the disciples did not quite understand his figurative speech, He just firmly said, “Lazarus is dead.” Jesus even stated that He was glad that all of the disciples were going with them so they could even furthermore believe in Him, but some of them were still blinded by their own natural thoughts and beliefs. Thomas was not looking for a supernatural miracle, and I really do not believe he said what he said as a proof of his willingness to be persecuted for Christ. If that was the case, he would have never forsaken Jesus at Calvary. Instead, he said, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” Jesus wanted them to go so that they would have a deeper foundation in their faith, but Thomas had the mindset of, “Well, if He is going to do something crazy or just go out in the open where the chief priests and scribes can finally stone Him to death, we might as well go with Him since we are His disciples.” In other words, Thomas had a bad attitude and a lack of spiritual maturity, which he would develop later on.

Your attitude can often shape other’s perspective of your Christianity. When you always have a bad attitude and demonstrate a lack of faith, joy and love, you live a lifestyle that nobody else wants to model after. However, when you have a good attitude and live a life that pleases God, you will most assuredly make a mark in people’s lives that they will never, ever forget! I heard a preacher say one time that the reason why the children of Israel were lost in the wilderness for 40 years was because of a bad attitude. A whole generation had to die out so that bad attitude could be cleansed out. Many churches stay stationary in their growth in number and spirit because of a bad attitude. Our light is to shine, not be hidden.

In John 14, you see another reflection of Thomas’ doubt and confusion. Jesus was talking about the secret descension, the rapture of the church. He was discussing how that He would come back and receive His bride unto Him, that where He is there will we be also. He is talking about receiving the church into heaven to be in his perpetual glory, which is why we will one day meet Him in the air at an hour when many do not expect. Even though Jesus has made it clear so many times concerning His death, resurrection and His ascending to heaven, Thomas illustrates another lack of faith. He said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way?” They were so use to Him being there in flesh that they had no clue what they were going to do when He was gone. They would be almost like lost puppies without any form of direction or truth. Thomas did not know where Jesus would be, and he did not how to walk in the way to find Him. He demonstrated a lack of a relationship with God, which is the #1 proof of someone not having faith! All we have to do is remember what the LORD has spoken and abide in it because He cannot lie. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Faith is not about seeing; it is about believing!

After all the disciples had forsaken Jesus besides John the beloved, and after He was crucified, He would resurrect three days later and eventually appear to His disciples. The first time He revealed Himself to them, Thomas was the only one that was not present. How come he was not there we will probably never know. The disciples would tell him the good news, but even after hearing the disciples’ testimony, in which in the mouth of two witnesses a word is confirmed, and after Jesus had said time and time again concerning His resurrection and rebuilding the temple in three days, Thomas still did not believe. He said, “Unless I see those nail prints, put my hands in those nail prints, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” That is like many of today’s scientists. They see the very handiwork of God, and they do everything in their power, without any success, to prove that God had no part of creation, yet their view is that the only way they will believe in God is if they see Him. They come up with all of this evolution and alien mumbo jumbo, and yet it is all foolishness in the sight of God. However, when Jesus appeared to them again, walking through the door, and greeted the disciples, He immediately called on Thomas to put his hands into His hands and thrust his hand into His side, and I firmly believe that when Thomas put his hand into the side of Jesus, he touched the heart of God. His response was, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus sought out to convince Thomas time and time again, but finally, his eyes were fully opened to the truth. The only way you can be martyred for the truth is if you stand for it, and he would later die for this cause. According to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Thomas “preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.” Ironic, isn’t it?

Because we believe in the sufferings and resurrection of our beloved Savior, we too are blessed! Even though we have not seen the nail prints and the hole in His side, we are blessed because we believe in them. If we still believe Christ was buried in the graveyard, we would have not hope, but because He has risen and sits on the right hand of the Father, we have an eternal hope. 1 Corinthians 15:19 says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” If we were only working for this life, we would have no purpose, but because we work for the future and eternity, we are blessed, and it all revolves around faith!