Doubting Thomas A Biblical Idiom

Source: Wikipedia.org
Iconostasis of Transfiguration
church, Kizhi monastery,
Karelia, Russia

Doubting Thomas: A Biblical Idiom

Blessed are those who have not seen but still believe.
Blog Post by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com

One of the tricky parts of learning a language foreign to you is that in everyday conversation you will not pick up on common sets of words which have cropped in that mean something to people comfortable with local vernacular language. These are known as idioms.

Idiom: a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.

Doubting Thomas is an idiom based on the biblical story that took place after Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, rose from the dead.

Doubting Thomas: A skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience (source: Wikipedia.org)

 In everyday life, holding back on believing something without firsthand experience that is trustworthy is most often a very good policy.

When it comes to the spiritual realm of Christian faith, however, belief and faith without trust are impossible.  I will qualify this statement with the fact that I believe spiritual experience, though unexplainable and misunderstood by those who do not believe, does provide assurance of the reality that Jesus Christ lives.

John 20: 24-29 NLT   One of the twelve disciples, Thomas was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “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.” Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” 

1 Peter 1: 8-9   Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The facts are present and true:  Jesus was crucified.  He died.  His tomb was empty because he didn’t stay dead. He appeared and walked, talked and ate with his disciples. 

It is quite ironic that people who believe in ghosts, psychics, reincarnation, and a whole lot of other stuff refuse to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the love of God, the Father.