16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
I like people who are willing to jump in and get involved. But sometimes that willingness is not coupled with knowledge. Thomas did not understand what was going on with Lazarus, who had died several days earlier, and whom Jesus would raise from the dead. Jesus just told him that Lazarus would be ‘woken up’ from death. This is outside their experience; Thomas doesn’t know how to process this news. But, he doesn’t want to be left out of the action. If Jesus is involved, then the action must be good. So many people today want to stand at the edges and not get involved. They want to ‘test the waters’ before they jump in. They want to know everything before they get involved. They want life on their terms, but life doesn’t happen on our terms. Life happens. Good and bad happens. And the Lord wants to work in each and every moment of this life. He jumped into history which we celebrate at Christmas. He jumped into sin’s domain and solved it on the Cross. Jesus calls us to community. Thomas wanted to be part of the community. He wanted to be where the action was. He didn’t want to be left out in the cold. In what ways are you holding back, unwilling to get involved? You have been feeling the tug to jump in, but you are standing safely at the edges, waiting for someone else to step up.
The Arnold Journey 