So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Then Thomas (also known as Didymus ) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭11:14-16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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For all of the flack Thomas receives for his doubting mind, I fear we fail to recognize his heart.

Jesus is looking to show his love and reveal his power—a strength greater than even death. His hope is that the glory of the God will shine through the raising of Lazarus, so that they might believe.

And indeed it is necessary: Thomas clearly lacks belief. It’s his expectation that not only will Lazarus remain dead, but that they are all going to die! It is so remarkably faithless, especially before this Jesus who has shown him again and again his power and divinity. We should rightly examine our hearts for similar doubts: do we doubt the power of the Gospel today? Do we struggle to have expectation that God will be at work in our ministry? Do we cast doubt on the promises he’s made to us?

Surely we do. We fall into the errors of Thomas daily. But I think there is something positive to acknowledge in Thomas all the same: his death-defying commitment to his Lord.

Even when the statements of Jesus don’t seem to add up in his head, his commitment to the person of Jesus is steadfast. He is ready to die for his Jesus. That is the powerful commitment to him we gain when we spend time with him. Even when we aren’t full of faith, may we have the connection to Jesus and the committed love for him that keeps us moving forward into even where doubt prevails.