Discipleship and the Life of Jesus
Unlikely Multipliers
We’re going to look at discipleship in the life of Jesus through one of Jesus’ followers named Thomas. Thomas may be one of the more overlooked disciple-makers in the Bible. Let’s begin in John 11:1–16:
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 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.”
Notice Thomas’ zeal—he’s willing to go to Judea and risk being killed for Jesus’ sake!
Next, read John 14:1–6:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
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.
Here Thomas is portrayed as confused and unable to grasp Jesus’ point.
Next, read John 20:20–25:
After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “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.”
This takes place immediately after Jesus’ resurrection. At this point, the zeal has totally faded, and now we see why Thomas has received the nickname that he’s most known by: “Doubting Thomas.”
Finally, let’s read John 20:26–29:
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Thomas finally sees the resurrected Christ, puts his hands in his side, and believes. Once he finally believes, Thomas cries out, “My Lord and my God!” This cry was more than just an excited acclamation of faith.
An ancient historian recorded the fact that the emperor Domitian—who was no friend to Christians—demanded to be referred to as “Our Lord and Our God.” Additionally, we’ve found the remains of what NT Wright calls a “positively enormous statue of Domitian” in the ancient city of Ephesus, which is where many believe the book of John was written.
Thomas took the propaganda of the mighty emperor, in the shadow of his statue, and applied it not to Domitian, but to Jesus Christ. So what does all this mean?
John is telling us—through Doubting Thomas—that Jesus is above everything, even the mighty emperor Domitian. He’s using Domitian’s own slogan to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ. He’s also showing us that in that moment, something fundamentally changed in Thomas.
His commitment to Jesus was once as unpredictable as the waves on the ocean. Now, he’s seen the risen Lord—and has placed him above all else.
We don’t hear from Thomas again in the Bible (aside from a couple brief mentions of his name). However, we can be sure something big changed for him in that moment. Why? Because apparently Thomas traveled east and planted a church in India which still exists today.
The Syrian Christians of India trace their history back to this apostle, who left all he knew to travel to a distant land and make disciples. 2000 years of a disciple making legacy: not bad for a doubter, is it?
Do you doubt your ability to disciple someone? What does Thomas’ story have to say about that?
Have you had a “my Lord and my God” sort of moment, where you finally surrender everything to God?
If you have no idea who you might disciple, what specific kinds of prayers do you need to start praying regularly?