John 11:5-8,11-14,16 NASB95
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. [7] Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” [8] The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?” [11] This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” [12] The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” [13] Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. [14] So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, [16] Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
Just recently, before this story recorded in John 11 Jesus had been in Jerusalem and healed a man on a Sabbath who was born blind. As a result of that as well as His conversation with the Pharisees they were seeking again to seize Him, but He alluded their grasp. John 10:39. Because of that, when Jesus informed His apostles that they were going to Judea to see Lazarus, His disciples became afraid and were against the idea because they knew the Jewish leaders were seeking to have Jesus killed. Eventually Thomas said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
That’s quite an act of leadership, courage, and devotion on the part of Thomas. Why therefore, isn’t Thomas remembered for this event? Why isn’t he remembered as “Faithful Thomas,” or “Devoted Thomas,” or even “Courageous Thomas?” Why is he always referred to as “Doubting Thomas?” Is it because John 20 tells us that Thomas said he wouldn’t believe unless he could see and put his finger into the wounded hands of Jesus and his hand into the wounded side of Jesus? As I quoted above in Luke 24, all the other apostles were also shown the wounds of Jesus and invited to touch Him so they would believe. None of them are referred to as “Doubting John,” or “Doubting Peter,” etc. Again, why Thomas? That story about Thomas calling the other apostles to follow Jesus into Judea, even to die with Him if necessary, is recorded only in John’s Gospel. I believe the Holy Spirit put that story in John’s Gospel because He wanted us to know the kind of disciple Thomas was. God was honoring him. When we think of Thomas, we should always think of him as “Faithful Thomas.” He was not “Doubting Thomas,” though he did have his moment of doubting just like the rest of us do. It is so important that you don’t allow the enemy to label you because of some moment or season in your life when you did not get it right spiritually. God sees all the moments of faithfulness you’ve walked in. He sees all the longings in your heart for Him, and He counts them as the real you and as genuine affection. He sees you for who you really are, the righteousness of God in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21.