Known commonly as
Doubting Thomas, the apostle Thomas is remembered as the notorious skeptic who
demands proof of the Resurrection in the gospel of John. Unfortunately, within
Protestant communities the apostle Thomas is often thought of only as a prime
example of how not to act. With the exception Judas Iscariot, the
reputation and contributions of this apostle and saint have been marred over
the centuries above any of the other Twelve.
While Peter provides multiple examples of unfaithfulness, these examples
are usually coupled with examples of his contributions recorded in the Acts of
the Apostles and elsewhere. It is not so
with Thomas. Still, it is not that
evidence in support of Thomas does not exist, for certainly it does, but that
for some reason or another Christians ignore them. Therefore, in order to defend the reputation
of this faithful servant of the Lord, it is imperative that the modern Church
not only learns from the mistakes of Thomas, but also recognizes and imitates
his contributions.
According to
tradition, the apostle Thomas is the only apostle to travel outside of the
Roman Empire to spread the Gospel of Christ.
It is possible that he traveled to Syria as well. Consequently, Thomas likely covered a larger
area in his missionary journeys than any other apostle, including Paul. Today Christian populations in India praise
Saint Thomas for bringing the Living Word to their country. Ultimately, this missionary journey cost
Thomas his life, as the pagan priests in the areas of Thomas’ preaching ran him
through with a spear.
Despite the many
contributions of Luther, Calvin, and other reformers, the split with the
Catholic Church has lead to an unfortunate split with Church tradition within protestant
denominations. While some still hold to
these earlier traditions, many refuse to accept any tradition passed down
through the generations of Catholicism, unless that tradition is acknowledged
in the New Testament. Furthermore, the
milder approach to recognition of saints by Protestants may diminish the
importance of the saints’ contributions.
Simply put, the protestant effort to distance Protestantism from
Catholicism may result in the rejection of the traditions of the saints. Fortunately, the New Testament is not silent
on the positive nature and contribution of Thomas.
In the eleventh chapter of John’s gospel,
the apostle Thomas exhibits one of the most courageous attitudes of the entire
New Testament. Having witnessed the
attempted stoning of Jesus in Judea, the disciples are reluctant to
return. It is at this moment that Thomas
offers his bravado to his fellow disciples with the assertion, “Let us also go,
that we may die with him.” Apparently
this is all the encouragement the disciples need as they go with Jesus to Judea
to witness the resurrection of Lazarus.
Regrettably, this willingness to face death with Jesus is rarely
emphasized when the apostle Thomas is expounded upon.
Nonetheless, it is
imperative that this story be told.
Church tradition offers a saint who went to the ends of the known world
to spread the message of Christ, and was ultimately killed for doing so. If tradition isn’t enough for some, the very
gospel that presents Doubting Thomas also presents the Courageous Thomas who
alone is willing to face death with his Lord.
So it is that both tradition and Scripture give witness to a noble and
faithful servant who contributes more than an example of doubt and
unfaithfulness to Christians today.
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