Thomas

by Joey Davis

"Unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." ( John 20:25)

Thomas was nobody's fool. Although today he is often referred to as "doubting Thomas," he was using all the best evidence available to him in order to decide about the validity of the resurrection claim.

You see, Thomas had seen crucifixions before. He understood the agony and humiliation. But there was one thing that stuck out in his mind more than anything else; he had never spoken to, or seen, a "crucifixion survivor." Every time that a body was taken off the tree, it was completely and undeniably dead.

After all, death is final! And in Thomas' mind's eye, there was no room for discussion. And one thing is clear, crucifixion still left as permanent a mark on the Savior as it did on Thomas.

Later, Paul would write these words, "I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. . ." ( Galatians 2:20) What a striking statement. We say it so often and hear it with such frequency that we sometimes ignore the power in the message.

"I have been crucified with Christ!" We have cleaned this statement up to appease modem theology. We see being crucified with Jesus as simply being baptized and giving up a life of sin. . . at least the part other folks see. But this statement cuts deeper than that. Being crucified was not just a slap on the wrist or a thorn in one's finger. It carried with it the ultimate cost of one's life. Along with this, it carried with it the connotation of extreme suffering.

Those who have truly been crucified with Christ are people who have endured the excruciating pain of killing old habits, severing unhealthy relationships, and dying to one's own personal will. It is a total commitment of one's life. This is not an easy process and is always painful. It means committing oneself to a faithfulness that will stand alone against the world and die for God's truth if necessary.

The next time that you hear the quoting of Galatians 2:20, remember Thomas. Remember his difficulty believing and realize that after he experienced his own crucifixion on the day he touched the resurrected body, he never quit telling the story of the risen Savior. No suffering or cost was too great! Fox's book of Martyrs tells us that he was murdered in the streets of Calamina, India because he wouldn't stop preaching Jesus and Him crucified.

Have you been crucified with Christ?