Is it not interesting the way a nickname can stick to a person? An uncle of mine, now long deceased, was nicknamed “Fat.” As a small boy he was grossly overweight and cruel neighborhood children hung that moniker on him. “Hey, who is the big kid out on the playground?” “Oh, that’s Fat Casteel.”

The puzzling part of the story is that as an adult my uncle was not particularly overweight, yet he retained the nickname. Friends and family always called him Fat. It is curious how a nickname becomes a permanent part of a person’s identity.

Something similar happened to Thomas, one of Jesus’ apostles. Since biblical times this close follower of our Lord has been known as Doubting Thomas. As there were reasons for my uncle to be called Fat, so there were reasons for Thomas to be called Doubting. …