The apostle Thomas was a faithful disciple. In fact, when Jesus wanted to go to Bethany, upon hearing his good friend Lazarus was ill, his disciples objected. “‘Rabbi,’ they said, ‘only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?’” (John 11:8). Thomas, however, had a different opinion. He says in verse 16, “Let’s go, too – and die with Jesus” (John 11:16).
A variety of historical records and traditions indicate that the apostle Thomas brought the gospel east to Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians (modern-day Iran and Turkmenistan), Bactrians (modern-day Afghanistan), and Margians (modern-day Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). It is then said Thomas traveled to India in AD 52. He was later martyred there. According to Syrian Christian tradition, Thomas was run through with a spear on 3 July in AD 72. He was buried in Mylapore in southern India. St. Ephrem, a poet, recorded that Thomas worked miracles in the Indian city of Edessa.
However, we know him by the nickname he would be remembered by throughout history – Doubting Thomas. Yes, regardless of how deeply committed to his Master Thomas was or how willing to lay down his life for Jesus, we remember that moment when a resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room. Thomas didn’t happen to be there and replied to this news with, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side” (John 20:25). That moment of doubt, weakness, uncertainty, follows him into history.
It seems unfair, but that’s what humans do. You could do ten thousand things right throughout your life. Everyone remembers that time you messed up. Doubted. Questioned. Made a mistake. No matter how successful President Nixon’s administration may have been. All he will be remembered for is Watergate. President Clinton had two pretty successful terms but all we remember is his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky.
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). We are all called to love our neighbors as ourselves. “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13). Keeping no record of being wronged means not bearing a grudge. Not holding one’s past against them. If our teenager bangs up the car and we forgive him/her, we cannot six months later when we are angry about something completely different suddenly bring up, “No, I don’t trust you. Look what you did to the car when I trusted you with that!” What that shows is that we haven’t truly forgiven them. We are still holding a grudge. Keeping a record of their wrong.
Forgiveness is one of the hardest things for a Christian to do. Yet, as Paul wrote, “the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).
Is there someone you need to forgive? Today’s as good a day as any. Don’t make someone who hurt you be defined by their mistake for all time. Don’t make a doubting Thomas out
of them. If there is confession and repentance, there should be nothing else stopping us from forgiving. After all, if we want our sins to be forgiven, we need to practice what He preaches.
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