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	Thomas the Revelator   I'm petitioning for the redemption of Thomas' good name. A faithful follower of Christ, one of the 12, an original apostle, and one found worthy of a martyr's death for the Lord Jesus. Does this sound like the description of a Doubter? God forbid! The 12 were shaken to their core after the death of their Messiah. Their dear friend Judas, by transgression, had fallen, hung himself, and been sentenced "to his own place" (Acts 1:25). Peter had denied "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt. 16:16). Peter's denial (John 18) of his Lord and his own apostleship is so great that when the angel, at the tomb of Jesus' resurrection, in Mark 16, announces that He has risen, he tells Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus to "go your way and tell his disciples AND Peter..." Needless to say at this point that the remaining 11 (Peter included) are shaken. The next view we have of Christ's disciples is 10 of the remaining 11 locked up for fear of the Jews (John 20:19) and Jesus miraculously appears to them and reveals himself as risen from the grave. Thomas is absent and as a result of his lack of revelation he doubts what he hopes to be true. It's obvious that Thomas had great hope that his beloved Savior had truly risen for "after eight days again his disciples were within and Thomas (was) with them..." (Jn 20:26). Let's not forget that Thomas only DOUBTED and he doubted only once. If any apostle were to be stereotyped negatively for their lack of faith then surely it would be Peter who didn't just doubt but denied and denied thrice. But God rich in mercy rushes to restore those of us who have fallen. In Jesus' appearance to a doubting Thomas he makes available the proof Thomas had demanded. "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe" -- Thomas (John 20:25) There is never a record of Thomas actually accepting the invitation of the Lord to take hold of his scars. All we know for certain is that this man who is wrongly deemed a doubter beheld his Savior and received such revelation that he became the first since the prophets of old to assign the title of God to Jesus. His encounter with his risen Lord prompts him to declare unto Jesus, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). Fenis Jennings Dake says of this statement, "This is not a mere exclamation, but one of the plainest and most irresistible testimonies of the deity of Jesus Christ".  What mighty revelation!  We should never assign to great men a label of temporary failure. God is our restorer and our identity is in the risen Son of God! It would equally be a shame to only know Christ in his death and not in his resurrection. Both are true but He is most truly known by that latter of the two. We should always be quick to assign this same privilege to all who come to know Him also.  It was rightly said by St. John Chrysostom (Archbishop of Constantinople in the 4th & 5th century) that, "Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles, toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations." Oh that we would all be like Thomas the Revelator!  If you have failed in serving Him there's good news --- God is pursuing you with great revelation in His nail scared hands
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