Real doubt searches for the light; unbelief is content with the darkness.

疑惑促使你寻找光明；不信让人沉溺于黑暗。

Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. John 20:25

我非看见祂手上的钉痕，用指头探入那钉痕，又用手探入祂的肋旁，我总不信。-约翰福音20章25节

 We know him as Doubting Thomas (see John 20:24–29), but the label isn’t entirely fair. After all, how many of us would have believed that our executed leader had been resurrected? We might just as well call him “Courageous Thomas.” After all, Thomas displayed impressive courage as Jesus moved purposefully into the events leading to His death.

多马常被称为“多疑的多马”（见约翰福音20章24-29节），但这外号对他并不公平。试问有谁能真正相信，死人能复活呢？我们不妨叫他“勇敢的多马”，因为当耶稣不顾危险，前往耶路撒冷时，多马展现了无比的勇气。

At the death of Lazarus, Jesus had said, “Let us go back to Judea” (John 11:7), prompting a protest from the disciples. “Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” (v. 8). It was Thomas who said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (v. 16).

那时拉撒路死了，耶稣说：“我们再往犹太去吧！”（约翰福音11章7节）门徒都反对：“拉比，犹太人近来要拿石头打祢，祢还往那里去吗？”（8节）只有多马说：“我们也去和祂同死吧。”（16节）

Thomas’s intentions proved nobler than his actions. Upon Jesus’s arrest, Thomas fled with the rest (Matt. 26:56), leaving Peter and John to accompany Christ to the courtyard of the high priest. Only John followed Jesus all the way to the cross.

多马虽有这个心意，但却办不到。耶稣被捕的那一夜，多马和其他门徒都离弃祂逃走了（马太福音26章56节） ，留下彼得和约翰陪基督进入大祭司的院子。最后，只有约翰一路跟随基督，直到祂被钉十架。

Despite having witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:38–44), Thomas still could not bring himself to believe that the crucified Lord had conquered death. Not until Thomas the doubter—the human—saw the risen Lord, could he exclaim, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus’s response gave assurance to the doubter and immeasurable comfort to us: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (v. 29).

虽然多马目睹拉撒路从死里复活（约翰福音11章38-44节），他却不信被钉十架的主战胜了死亡。其实许多人就像心存怀疑的多马一样，非得要亲眼看见复活的主，他才肯说：“我的主，我的上帝！”（约翰福音20章28节）耶稣回答多马的话使他获得确据，也带给我们无比的安慰。祂说：“你因看见了我才信，那没有看见就信的有福了！”（29节）

Father, teach us to act on what we do know about You and Your goodness, and trust You in faith for what we don’t know.

天父，求祢教导我们活出祢的样式和祢的美善，并能信靠祢去面对一切未知的事。

John 11:1-16New International Version (NIV)

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

整理：于姊妹