Wednesday
This week we are reflecting the life of the disciple Thomas.
Thomas was one of the 12 disciples in the Bible. Another name for Thomas was Didymus, which comes from the
Hebrew and Greek words both meaning 'the twin.' The Bible gives no clear indication of who the twin brother
of Thomas was. One historical
tradition claims that because their names are listed side by side in Luke 6,
the twin brother of Thomas was Matthew.
When morning came, he called his disciples to him and
chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named
Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who
became a traitor. –
Luke 6:13-16
Thomas wasn't one of the more well known disciples, but he
was popular enough to earn the nickname "Doubting Thomas." Even though Thomas earned a negative
label, he was not lacking in some very good qualities. He displayed great courage and loyalty.
When the other disciples tried to keep Jesus from going to Bethany to raise
Lazarus from the dead because of the danger from those in the area who had just
earlier tried to stone Him (John 11:8), Thomas said to them, "Let us also
go, that we may die with Him" (John 11:16). Thomas also asked Him one of the most famous questions,
which paved the way for one the most famous answers in the Bible.
“Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are
going, so how can we know the way?' Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” - John 14:5-6
We have already noted that Thomas had his struggles and that
he was not always a perfect and shining example of faith, but the truth is that
the disciples were all just common men, ordinary men. Seven of them are
fisherman, hard working, and rough in character. Most of them had brash and hard personalities, like
Peter. Many of them appeared to
lack deep spiritual insight, Like Philip and Nathanael, men who sought the Word
of God with all their hearts but at times failed the test they were presented
with due to a lack of faith or understanding. These are just common men. I want
to make sure we completely understand that Jesus didn’t choose men who were of
the elite, but of the common. This should encourage us and give us hope. If God can use these men, God can use
us too, despite all our weaknesses.
That’s a remarkable thought. God can use anyone for His
purposes. And this statement is not be taken lightly or taken in a patronizing
way. Think about that for minute.
Jesus didn’t choose the elite of the current society and the religious
system. He didn’t choose the Harvard grad with highest honors. He didn’t choose
men who were geniuses, the brainiacs of the day, but men who were uneducated
and untrained. They were
unrefined, like blocks of stone waiting for the “Da’ Vinci”, so to speak, to
chisel them out and refine their rough edges into something that reflect His
glory.
These are the men that Jesus chose. It’s no wonder that the Scriptures plainly teach that God “opposes
the proud but gives grace to the humble.” These are not men of elite status. I marvel at the words of
Paul when he writes in 1 Corinthians 1:27 that “God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the
world to shame the things which are strong.” Those are wonderfully encouraging words to hear.
Jeff Frazier
Posts
2 comments:
It would not have been Da Vinci that would have carved out the rough stone, but rather MICHELANGELO!
Ah, yes thank you for pointing that out. Michelangelo is the much more famous sculptor. Good to see you are reading these blogs with care!
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