It is high time that someone stood up for a person who may be the most falsely maligned individual in all of history. For two thousand years people have ridiculed him and besmirched his good name. In fact, seldom is he ever recalled at all without people adding the insult of calling him Doubting Thomas. Today I am here to speak up for this constantly slandered soul. I now proclaim that Thomas, also known as Didymus, may well be the most honorable of all the disciples that were hand picked by the Master.
Yes, I know that other than Judas Iscariot, Thomas is the only one of the twelve looked down on by the world. But the world has bought into a lie. Yes, he had an incident we consider to be beneath a true follower of Jesus, because he was said to have doubted, but consider the facts. The Lord Himself had instructed His inner circle not to be taken in by false christs. In fact, our Savior had told them plainly, “If anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.” Matthew 24;24. So Thomas was just obeying his Teacher. And which of us did not require convincing before we accepted the truth. Maybe it was at our mother’s knee that we made the decision, but it was because she convinced us. And if we were adults when we were born again, I am sure you will agree that we didn’t decide willy nilly. Jesus wanted our belief to be sure so that it would be steadfast. Yes, Thomas wanted proof, just as we did, but more importantly, because Jesus had told him to demand it.
But what kind of man was this Thomas. I submit that he was the most courageous of the bunch. Decide for yourself what kind of man he was. At one point Jesus had announced that He was going to raise Lazarus, in the area where the mobs were looking for Him to kill Him. The other eleven warned Jesus not to go by saying, “But Rabbi, a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?” John 11:8.

“Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” John 11:16.  To me, Thomas, above all the rest, had guts. Give Peter and John all the accolades you will, but when it came crunch time, Thomas was the type of man you would want by your side. Yes, Thomas was a man’s man.
And on that day when Jesus came back to show Himself to Thomas, did Thomas hesitate? Not for a second. He saw the wounds. He instantly knew for sure it was the real Jesus and not an impostor that the Lord had warned him about, and immediately he said words that to this day send chills down my spine. Thomas fell to his knees and said, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:28.
After the most noble of them all uttered those haunting words, did Thomas ever once flinch from what his Master had asked of him? Not on your life. Thomas headed out and served our Lord Jesus by steadfastly preaching about our Savior in what is now Iran, Iraq, and India. He must have worn out several pairs of sandals trying to save as many people he could from eternal destruction.

Thomas was devoted beyond what any could hope for who today so self righteously malign him and think of him only as a doubter. And in the end Thomas remained loyal and noble. You see, this object of our scorn died a gruesome death, loving and serving his friend, his Master, and his Lord. The non believers in Madras, India, set him on fire trying to get him to deny Jesus. When, in excruciating pain, he would not budge on his story they finally and mercifully put him to death by spearing him with a javelin. How many who scoff are equal to that task? How many who unthinkably disparage him are worthy to untie his now blood soaked sandals? I can just imagine this hero of a man, as his charred and agonizing body was being run through with that spear. I can see him look up with adoration and utter through his pain, ”I am yours, ‘My Lord and my God.”
Doubting Thomas, my foot! We should all give this giant of courage, obedience, and honor, the highest respect possible, beyond virtually any human who ever lived. To me, Thomas is a hero among heroes. Doubting Thomas, my foot. This was a true man’s man.