孪生子多马
约翰福音十一章1至16节
1有一个患病的人，名叫拉撒路，住在伯大尼，就是马利亚和她姐姐马大的村庄。
2这马利亚就是那用香膏抹主，又用头发擦他脚的，患病的拉撒路是她的兄弟。
3她姊妹两个就打发人去见耶稣说：“主啊，你所爱的人病了。”
4耶稣听见就说：“这病不至于死，乃是为神的荣耀，叫神的儿子因此得荣耀。”
5耶稣素来爱马大和她妹子并拉撒路，
6听见拉撒路病了，就在所居之地仍住了两天。
7然后对门徒说：“我们再往犹太去吧！”
8门徒说：“拉比，犹太人近来要拿石头打你，你还往那里去吗？”
9耶稣回答说：“白日不是有十二小时吗？人在白日走路，就不至跌倒，因为看见这世上的光；
10若在黑夜走路，就必跌倒，因为他没有光。”
11耶稣说了这话，随后对他们说：“我们的朋友拉撒路睡了，我去叫醒他！”
12门徒说：“主啊，他若睡了，就必好了。”
13耶稣这话是指着他死说的，他们却以为是说照常睡了。
14耶稣就明明地告诉他们说：“拉撒路死了。
15我没有在那里就欢喜，这是为你们的缘故，好叫你们相信。如今我们可以往他那里去吧！”
16多马，又称为低土马，就对那同作门徒的说：“我们也去和他同死吧。”
信息分享
头三卷福音书仅在列出门徒名字的经文中提及多马。约翰则有四个场合提到他，后两次是在基督复活之后。
今天选读的经文只记载多马说了一句话，但就像他在其他场合的发言，我们可以透过它来认识他。
经文记载拉撒路病重，他的两位姊姊非常担心，打发人去请耶稣立即过来帮忙。但基督却延迟了两天才起行，而且还说要先到犹大。
众门徒听见基督要去犹大，都慌张起来，他们既担心基督的安危，但同时也可能为他们自己的安危担忧！但一番简单对话之后，置身其中的多马突然说：「我们去吧！那么我们便可以与他同死了！」彼得通常都代表众门徒发言，但这次却给多马抢先了。
多马的话好像很悲观，然而，这句豪言壮语，却是这位完全效忠于耶稣基督的门徒的肺腑之言。
而且，这句话也起到了鼓励的作用。它激动了其余那些跟从基督的门徒，让他们作好准备，面向那不可知的未来。
今天有许多信徒像多马一样。他们似乎对任何事物都表示怀疑，可是，当他们决定了自己的立场，他们便能对其他信徒产生鼓励的作用。今天，有没有人正需要我们的鼓励呢？
THOMAS THE TWIN
John 11: 1-16
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days 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, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”
13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
Message
The first three Gospels mention Thomas only when giving the list of the twelve disciples. John brings him into the picture on four occasions, the last two after Christ's resurrection.
Our reading today quotes Thomas as making only a one line statement but it reveals much about him, as do the other remarks he made.
Lazarus was extremely ill and his anxious sisters sent word to Christ, hoping He would come at once to help. But Christ stayed where He was for two more days and then announced He was going to Judea.
The disciples were immediately alarmed. They feared for Christ's safety and possibly their own too! But after a brief conversation the man in the background, Thomas, spoke up. “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Peter was usually the spokesman. This time it was Thomas.
His words sound pessimistic, but they were brave words, spoken out of a heart fully devoted to Jesus Christ.
They were obviously encouraging words. They stirred the rest of the disciples who fell in behind Christ, ready to face the uncertainty which lay ahead.
There are many Christians today like Thomas. They can seem to question almost anything, but when they take a stand they are a real encouragement to fellow believers. Is there someone we could encourage today?