How much criticism and scolding has that famous twin, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, suffered for his skepticism down through the ages? I’m speaking of course of “Doubting Thomas.” See? We regularly call him a disparaging name and know exactly of whom we are speaking. Even in the secular world, a doubting Thomas is a skeptic who must have everything proven before believed.

I bet Thomas forever wished he had not slipped out the night Jesus appeared to them behind closed doors. If he had been present he would have been just like the others who “rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:20) I see it another way however; I think everything went exactly as planned.

We often think Jesus was chiding Thomas when he said: “‘Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.'”(Verse 27) Instead, I think Jesus was being kind to come back when Thomas was present with the group eight days later. He understood how far fetched the resurrection sounded and didn’t mind proving himself–or providing a lesson for future generations.

Aren’t we kind of glad there is someone in scripture with the kind of skepticism most of us have felt at one time? As much as we ridicule Thomas, aren’t we glad for his honest human emotions? Don’t we secretly identify with him, especially before we came to know that Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life?

How many people have taken comfort in the story of Thomas? Thousands. So from the vantage of eternity, does he mind the “D” word before his name? I doubt it.