Season 5 - Episode 25
To listen to an audio version of this post, visit www.covenantchurch.ca/podcasts/covenant-weekly.
I’m grateful for Jon Dart’s reflection on the gospel according to John 11:1-44 this past Sunday. This morning, I’m going to highlight something and someone that he just didn’t have time to explore. You know, sometimes, someone says or does one thing and it sticks with them for the rest of their life. And often, that one thing is either blown out of proportion or gets reported on incorrectly. As a result the person gets stuck with an unfair or unjust label. I think that is true of one of Jesus’ disciples who stands out in John 11. I’m going to consider him briefly in this Covenant Weekly for February 24, 2026.
Most people with a bit of knowledge about Jesus’ disciples are familiar with the big three - Peter, James, and John - and the disciple who betrayed Jesus, Judas. People likely also know Matthew because he wrote one of the gospels. Beyond those, possibly the next known disciple is Thomas, largely because of how he’s presented at the end of John’s gospel. In John 20, Jesus appears to most of his disciples after his resurrection. Thomas isn’t with them. When Thomas hears the report that Jesus is alive, he says, ““Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” That initial skepticism about the resurrection of Jesus has come to define Thomas to many both inside and outside the church. The moniker “Doubting Thomas” has come to be applied to anyone who struggles to believe. It doesn’t seem to matter that a week later, when Jesus appeared to his disciples, Thomas gave the first powerful testimony of faith proclaiming to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” He is marked, seemingly forever, as Doubting Thomas.
But in John 11, Thomas had another significant role. In the story, when Jesus initially didn’t respond to Mary and Martha’s message for help, his disciples were totally fine with it. You see, the last time Jesus had been near Jerusalem the Jewish leaders tried to kill him. Because of this, when Jesus finally decided to go near Jerusalem, the disciples objected. “But Rabbi, a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” They didn’t want to go and they didn’t want Jesus to go.
When they realized that Jesus was going regardless of their objections, we see Thomas’ leadership within the group. He looks at his fellow disciples and simply says, ““Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
In that moment, Thomas wasn’t doubting. He wasn’t cowering. He was all in with Jesus to the point of death. His example here raises a few questions in my own mind.
The first question is, how strong is my loyalty to Jesus? Church history is filled with men and women who chose death over denying Jesus and his call to sacrificial love. From the early church, through the radical reformation, and even in the past 125 years of our Canadian BIC history, saying yes to following Jesus led people to be ready to die. But Thomas is really the first example of those willing to sacrifice their life for following Jesus. It is true that he didn’t really know what Jesus was up to, but that doesn’t negate his love for and commitment to Jesus.
After Jesus ascended back to the Father, Thomas committed his life to sharing the good news and message of Jesus. He travelled east to India, and potentially as far as China, planting churches full of people who came to trust in Jesus along with him. Syrian Christian tradition says that on the orders of a local king, in a city on the eastern coast of modern day India, Thomas was killed by a spear while praying. He died for being a faithful follower of Jesus. His life and sacrifice serves as an inspiration and example to us.
A second question Thomas prompts in me is, are there people that I am labelling or judging based on one thing, when God is doing something far bigger in them and through them? It could be that I’m writing people off because of a failure - or even a perceived failure. It is easy to leave little to no room for redemption - or even accurate understanding - because I’m too committed to my current understanding. On the flip side, it is just as easy to leave wisdom and discretion at the door when people look and act like I think they should. Thomas’ example is a reminder that we are all bigger than one impression, action, or assumption. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to embrace and consider all of the complicated mess in ourselves and each other!
Because Thomas was willing to die with Jesus, he ended up seeing and celebrating life as a witness to one of the most profound miracles Jesus did - the raising of Lazarus from the dead! Our journey with Jesus may involve making hard decisions and going into difficult situations, but what we gain in staying with Jesus will be more than worth it.