Poor Thomas. Poor, poor Thomas. We have nicknamed him “Doubting Thomas”, and I think it is a most unfair nickname. He already has one, Didymus, which means “the twin”, but think of other nicknames people have received. Simon Peter—Peter, the Rock. That’s a good, solid, strong nickname. How about “the Beloved Disciple”? I’m pretty sure John gave himself that nickname, but it’s a good one. We still call John the Beloved Disciple today. Mary Magdalene is quite likely a nickname. For many years people thought it was Mary of Magdala, but archaeologists have failed to find a town called Magdala. Scholars have come up with the idea that it is “Mary Magdalena”, meaning “Mary the Tower”. They are all great nicknames, but “Doubting Thomas”?
For my sermon I am going to make an argument, and the argument is this: I am going to defend the proposition that we need to rebrand Thomas. No longer Doubting Thomas, but what can we call him? We’ll try to figure that out together.
For the evidence of this argument we are going to look at the three stories we have about Thomas. The first is from the story of the raising of Lazarus. That is the first time we learn anything about Thomas. Before they go to Bethany for Jesus to raise Lazarus, Jesus gets word that Lazarus is sick and that he should go and heal him. But Jesus says he is not going to do that. A few days pass, Lazarus has died, and Jesus says it is now time to go. The other Disciples think this is a crazy idea. He’s already dead, so what’s the point. And they remind Jesus that they tried to kill him the last time he was in Jerusalem. Why go back there? And Jesus said, it is good. We must go back for the glory of God. Thomas is the one who responds by saying, All right, Jesus, let’s go so we can die with you! That’s not very doubting, is it?
The second piece of evidence: the night before Jesus died, after the last Supper, after the Washing of the Feet, Jesus has a long, multi-chapter monologue of teachings, and Jesus says, in my Father’s house are many dwelling places or many mansions. He goes on to say, I am going to prepare a place for you, and you know the way. Thomas says, wait a minute. We don’t know where you are going. How would we know the way? And Jesus says, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light. Thomas is not doubting, he’s questioning, bringing up a point of order—we don’t have the information that you think we have, and we need that.
Now let’s fast forward to the first day of the Resurrection. It says all the Disciples are gathered together in a room, and Jesus shows up. Thomas is not there, so the other Disciples tell Thomas about Jesus’s appearance, and Thomas says, I’m not going to believe you until I see with my own eyes and touch with my own hands. That’s why we call him Doubting Thomas.
If so, the other Disciples should also be called “doubting”. We should have Doubting Peter and Doubting James and Doubting John - Doubting Beloved Disciple - because they had already heard that Jesus had been risen from Mary Magdalene. She saw Jesus and she told them, and they didn’t believe. The other Disciples have now seen Jesus, but Thomas hadn’t and didn’t believe, so why is he the doubting one when the rest of them aren’t?
The next week Thomas is there with them and he gets his opportunity to see Jesus. Jesus appears and says, you can have everything you want, Thomas. You can see me with your eyes, you can touch me with your hands. Did you notice that Thomas does not do that? In that moment Thomas simply says, my Lord and my God. He did not need the very thing that he claimed he needed, the basis of his so-called doubt. I’m not sure that is doubting as much as wondering, questioning, insisting on what everyone else got.
So what other names could we use for this Thomas, formerly known as The Doubter? How about Inquisitive Thomas? The one who raises his hand to ask the question, the one who says, I need more information. Maybe Inquisitive Thomas would be a good nickname for him.
How about Courageous Thomas? “We’re going to die? Fine. I’m in it with you, Jesus.” That requires some courage (with perhaps a bit of stupidity—Stupid Thomas?) It was courageous to stand up to Jesus when no one else does. It takes courage to be willing to die, and to stand up to Jesus, and to stand up to all his friends. They had all seen Jesus, but Thomas does not believe them. He doesn’t give in to the group, but says I want a bit more. He also has the courage to keep hanging out with the Disciples. The others had had the experience and Thomas didn’t feel like part of the group anymore, but he still goes on with them. He still holds on to the hope that he, too, will have that experience. He stays with the group, seeking, wondering, questioning. We can add doubting to the mix because of some of the things that were going through his head. But what Thomas did required some courage to stand up to his friends.
Courageous Thomas. Inquisitive Thomas. How about Faithful Thomas? Isn’t faith a meal peppered with a little certainty and uncertainty? He certainly has both. Isn’t faith peppered with questions and wonderings and seeking and longings and desires and needs? Isn’t faith showing up even when you haven’t gotten what you need, yet, keeping on that journey to learn and grow and seek? I think that is all a part of faith. Doubt and belief are both a part of faith. I think Faithful Thomas might be a nice name for him.
Inquisitive Thomas, Courageous Thomas, Faithful Thomas. It sounds like he is a good model of the faith for us in our faith journey. To have some courage when things are tough. To have some wondering, some questions, but to keep seeking and showing up. To enjoy those moments of certainty and confidence and not give up when we have uncertainty. It seems like Thomas might be a wonderful model with all of his complexity, and all the adjectives that we could give him. Thomas would be a good model for us in our faith.
AMEN.
