From Doubting to Believing
“Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn’t with the others when Jesus appeared to them. 25 So they told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas said, “First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won’t believe unless I do this!” 26 A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples 27 and said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!” 28 Thomas replied, “You are my Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said, “Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!”
John 20:24-29
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We continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, to rejoice with the disciples, and to pray that we become an Easter people; people of the resurrection, people who know that death does not get the last word and that life is stronger than all the forces of death. The implications of Resurrection Sunday are immeasurable as their inspiration continues beyond their initial experiences.
Resurrection Sunday reminds us that our anxiety about death is abated. We are reminded in the words of Jesus, “Do not cling to me, for I have not ascended to the Father; but go tell my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17) Let go what you can’t keep, to embrace what you cannot lose. We are found by a purpose that propels us forward into the future with faith and hope. Go tell my disciples, tell others about your experience.
Consider what it means for you to let go of what you can’t keep, so you can embrace what you cannot lose.
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On the second Sunday of Easter, the two on the road to Emmaus reminded us how unmet expectations result in disappointment and discouragement. We get frustrated like those disciples when our expectations are not met because the Lord has not dealt with the situations of our lives as we had hoped.
We like those two on the road to Emmaus are limited by faulty understanding; to them the Cross spelled failure. Jesus exposes them and us to an appropriate interpretation of reality about God’s presence in human affairs, even those that are devastatingly horrific. They had confused their own expectations with the hope God was offering and became blinded by their grief as we are often blinded.
But thanks be to God, the Lord delights us with a marvelous discovery. The Lord was with them, leading them through their discouragement to discover what God was offering, to get them through what they thought was the end, so they could see it was the beginning of starting over with renewed courage, faith, and hope.
Consider how your unmet expectations about what you hope the Lord will do can shape your understanding of how and what you believe.
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Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn’t with the others when Jesus appeared to them. 25 So they told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas said, “First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won’t believe unless I do this!” John 20:24-25
One persons’ experience, Mary, ignites the possibility for others; the disciples to whom she goes and shares. A few disciples have their encounter like Mary and believe. The same day a couple of persons have their encounter that convinces them that life survives what threatens existence. The group keeps expanding. We have the women and the disciples, including the two on the road to Emmaus. However, one of the disciples was not present with the others. This person had missed what the others experienced and to him, it was like this rumor of life which sounded like an idle tale.
We continue on this third Sunday of Easter with a person who goes from doubting to believing. Notice the sequence from Mary’s testimony, to the disciple’s experience, to the two on the road to Emmaus’ testimony, back to the assembled group of believers with a person who has doubts because he has missed what the others experienced. His name is Thomas.
Because of his hesitancy in believing the disciples’ report about seeing the resurrected Christ, Thomas has been referenced throughout the centuries as ‘doubting Thomas’. He has become symbolic of one who is a skeptic. Thus people who are hard to convince are sometimes called a ‘doubting Thomas’.
Consider what it would take for you to believe that death rather than extinguishing life expands existence to be more encompassing of reality in all of its fullness.
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Wednesday, April 21, 2021 |
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26 A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples 27 and said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!” John 20:26-27
We know very little about Thomas. The references to him are rather minimal. Thomas along with Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot appear without reference to the circumstances of their call to follow Jesus. The first mention of his name is when our Lord chose the twelve and sent them out in pairs.
All that we learn from the list is that he was paired with Matthew, the tax collector. This association supplies our first glimpse of Thomas. In the list of the twelve, we presume that the Lord paired individuals based on his assessment of who would be best suited to be together, given what the Lord intended to accomplish. Altogether, there are eight verses in the New Testament in which Thomas is mentioned, four of which are in the list of the disciples.
We are indebted to the fourth gospel for the few but interesting particulars we have about Thomas. John saves Thomas from obscurity and makes him a real person by recording three things about him that help us get a glimpse of his character. John gives us three sketches of Thomas. It should be noted that in John’s gospel that characters are led to faith with different experiences and varying degrees of belief.
In John 11:16, after learning of Lazarus’ death, Jesus resolved to go to Bethany. The rest of the disciples sought to dissuade Jesus from going into Judea because of the threat of the religious leaders who were plotting to kill him. Thomas spoke up saying, “let us go that we may die with him!” What Thomas suggests reveals his fearless devotion to Christ. He counted no sacrifice too great to demonstrate his love and loyalty. Thomas is the forerunner of those followers who have embraced the claim of the Lord with all that it means. You see Thomas was fearlessly devoted to Christ.
In John 14:5, Thomas is in the last supper room where the Lord has gathered his disciples around him. It was a sorrowful occasion for the idea of Jesus leaving them lay on their hearts heavily. Jesus speaks to their troubled hearts in those words that have become immortal, “let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.” While the Lord spoke comfortingly of his return to the Father, Thomas could not understand fully what Jesus was saying and questioned him. “Lord we do not know where you are going and how can we know the way.” Here is a person who is honest about what he doesn’t understand.
In John 20:24 and 28, we have Thomas in the text for our reflection today where he goes from doubt to belief and ends with a confession of faith. At the first meeting with the disciples, Thomas was absent. This was on Resurrection Sunday in the evening. Now eight days later Thomas is enticed by the excitement of the disciples’ declaration to the extent that he joins them. We do not know why Thomas missed that first Lord’s Day with the others. What we do know is that he was not afraid to doubt and ended up believing. Thomas merely asked for the same experience of the others in order to come to the conclusion they had reached.
Consider an experience you have had that led you to believe initially in the Lord and another experience where you were honest about what you did not understand.
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But Thomas said, “First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won’t believe unless I do this!” John 20:24-25
Thomas provides insight as to how we get from doubting to believing. Firstly, you have to make yourself available to receive what you need to believe. Thomas was present eight days later, the next first day of the week having missed the first Lord’s Day experience. While he missed the first meeting, the excitement of the report of his fellow disciples was enough to pique his curiosity about their experience. No doubt he began to lament missing the first meeting, wishing that he had been there so that he too could have had a firsthand experience rather than a second-hand report. There is no substitute for the authority of personal experience.
It is said that “experience is the best teacher,” however, an experience doesn’t necessarily have to be undergone personally, but can be learned through others as well. Over a century later, the Roman author Pliny the Elder in (A.D. 77) wrote, “Experience is the most efficient teacher of all things.” The Roman historian Tacitus simply said, “Experience teaches.” The earliest English rendering appeared in 1539 as “Experience is the mother of prudence.” Someone else has said colloquially, “Someone else’s experience is the best teacher.”
How much many miss who make only an occasional, sporadic, irregular appearance when believers gather. Thomas missed the meeting. When he was told what he missed, he was doubtful. Whatever kept him from being there was punishment enough when he discovered what he missed. He missed the peace the Lord imparted, the proof they received, the power they were given through the Holy Spirit, and the joy that the disciples received.
You know how it is when someone tells you about what you missed. “Child you missed it.” You began to feel awful because you permitted all sorts of things to keep you from being there. Now you are told that you really missed it. When you missed your opportunity, just make yourself available to receive what you need to believe.
It seems as though the other disciples went and found Thomas and for the next week he has to consider what he missed. However, Thomas decided to hang around the disciples. All we know is that he was available to receive what he needed to believe. Availability is the key. We are told that lessons learned from experience are the most lasting.
Consider what it means to make yourself available to receive what you need to believe.
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26 A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples 27 and said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!” John 20:26-27
Secondly, you have to be persistent about settling your doubts. Thomas merely wanted to experience what the others had experienced. He was being persistent about settling his doubts. He knew exactly what it would take. He was persistent about that issue. “I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won’t believe unless I do this!”
The proof you require will be made available. Jesus has told his disciples on an occasion “seek and you shall find.” You have to be persistent about finding the evidence you need. In the case of Thomas, he has to wait with those who experienced what he missed. Maybe you need to tarry around those who have already experienced what you are seeking, to alleviate your doubt.
What do you need to see to believe? What experience do you need in order for you to believe? What needs to happen in your life for you to have faith in the activity of God as demonstrated in Christ? Tarry around those who have already come to know what you are seeking. You too can discover what they have discovered.
Thomas was granted his request with the caveat “Do not doubt but believe.” (John 20:27) Seeing you won’t believe if you want to doubt. You can explain away what’s real and true, discrediting any experience you desire if you doubt. Thomas had to be persistent about settling his doubts. He was not told how to do it but that as he experienced the proof he said he needed to believe and not doubt.
Consider what it means to be persistent about settling your doubts.
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28 Thomas replied, “You are my Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said, “Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!” John 20:24-29
Thirdly, you must take responsibility for making your profession of faith. Thomas has the privilege to witness what he missed. We too have the opportunity to embrace what we have missed. Thomas went from doubt to belief, to a confession of faith. He called Jesus his Lord and his God. Now that is a first. Jesus had been called the Son of God, the expressed image of God, but not God.
The final verse of the scene is a bit tricky. One could take it as a rebuke of Thomas, whose faith is dependent on seeing in contrast to those who believe without seeing. The faith of Thomas and his coming to faith through seeing is not discredited. After all, the basis of his faith is not different than it was for the rest of the disciples. What you have here are two ways to come to faith. One way is through seeing; the other is through the testimony of others. Believe by the facts of your own experience. Belief grows vital when it is proven in our own experience. Yet, Christ tells us that there is faith that is even bigger than experience. It is a faith that can dispense with tangible proof and visible evidence; that believes heroically even when there is no obvious and immediate confirmation.
I am not going to remind you of all that you believe from what you’ve been told without seeing. Those whose words you take as truth because you trust them. There’s the key. Trust is always a part of faith. The actions and decisions we make are all predicated on what we believe and who we trust. Trust and belief go together.
You can come to faith through an encounter with the risen Christ or you can come through the hearing of the testimonies of witnesses who have gone before.
Consider what it would take for you to make a profession of faith about your discovery of experiencing the reality of the presence of the Lord in Christ in your life.
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Conclusion
Imagine how your experience can be an opportunity to pique someone else’s interest in considering the possibility of what faith in what God has done in Christ. Experience is always centered on trust. Those you trust. Erick Erickson cites that the first stage of human development is trust versus mistrust. Imagine how that continues throughout the course of our lives. We listen to those we trust. We build relationships with them and embrace what they tell us because they are credible, reliable, and trustworthy.
Believers are willing to trust the wisdom of the ages about the Lord’s presence in history as articulated in the Judeo-Christian heritage. There is a long list of credible reports that have been substantiated throughout history.
The lyrics of the hymn It’s Real captures what happens when persons make themselves available to receive what they need to believe and are persistent about settling their doubts.
O how well do I remember how I doubted day by day, for I did not know for certain that my sins were washed away. When the spirit tried to tell me, I would not the truth receive. I endeavored to be happy and to make myself believe.
O it’s real. It’s real. I know it’s real. Thank God the doubts are settled, for I know it’s real.
He’s so real, real in my soul today. He has washed all of my sins away. Jesus’ love just bubbles over in my soul.
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