You've Got to Show Me

You’ve heard the expression and probably used it rather disparagingly, “He’s a doubting Thomas?” Have you ever thought about Thomas and what kind of man he was? I’d like to consider him this morning and see what we can learn from his penchant for skepticism.

Paryer

Mark 3:13–19 NLT

13 Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. 14 Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, 15 giving them authority to cast out demons. 16 These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter), 17 James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot), 19 Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

Thomas was an apostle. He was chosen as one of the twelve. Did you know that he was known by a different name as well? His nickname was “Twin” or Didymus in Greek. We can tell from different accounts in John mostly that he knew Jesus well and loved Him devotedly.

John 11:16 NLT

16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

John 14:1–5 NLT

1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

And the infamous quotation,

John 20:24–25 NLT

24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

If we were to give a label to the previous and generation that we are know in we might say that it’s the “Doubting Thomas Generation”. At no time in earths history has it been harder to believe, and so hard not to doubt. The impact of skepticism has crumbled solid and logical ways of thinking all around us and the moral foundations of life in general are coming unglued.

This idea of doubt affects us personally as well doesn't it. Who among us hasn’t fought with doubt at sometime in there life? It’s like the women, when asked if she was religious, said, “Yes, I have touched of it from time to time.” We’ve all had trouble with it. Either that or your lying to yourself. I’m always a bit dubious of the person that says “I have always believed; I never have doubts.” That kind of experience is to shallow: it hasn’t touched life at it’s deepest points.

If you’ve every looked at the Bible and Job in particular, you’ll see that a number of the patriarchs didn’t come by faith easily. Solomon in the Ecclesiastes presents some real problems with respect to belief. The writings of Habakkuk were probably included in the Bible for the basic reason—they fling questions at God.

So are you a doubting Thomas? If you are, don’t hesitate to admit it. I’m not pointing fingers by any means. No ridicule here. Thomas was Jesus’ friend and follower. Jesus named him an apostle and never took that away. I think he has some answers for us. In fact he might have the answer for most of the problems of our century. I don’t think we should look on him as someone who failed, but rather look at him as someone who conquered, succeeded, who came out on top, and a man with a tremendous ability to question. . There nothing wrong with having questions. In fact, a questioning mind my well be an evidence of a higher level of thinking.

Do we believe that God can answer our questions? A man was known to have said, “I would be afraid to attend a university because I am afraid questions would be raised that I would not be able to answer and I would lose my faith.” He was told, “You don’t have much confidence in God’s ability to answer questions, do you?”

God can answer our questions. If you have doubts, I believe those doubts can be used as stepping stones to belief. If people of this day and age find it so easy to doubt, and so difficult have faith, then they and we need to careful look at Thomas. If they and we do then we will find our answers to the doubt that plagues us as he did. Thomas had a mind that didn’t come by faith easily and a mind that had to wrestle with the things of life. He needed to be shown. We have that mind today. We have been taught to question.

I’ve read were young men and women were asked what concerned them about there lives and the question of doubt keeps coming up. “I can’t believe”, “Tell me how I can believe” “I have so many doubts about life.” Our answer should be, “That’s wonderful that you have doubts. That’s good!” “Now we have a starting place!”God has answers for those who ask. Nothing is impossible for God, but I wonder if it’s even futile for God to give an answer to a man that never asks questions.

I’m glad that Thomas had questions, because it shows us it’s OK to have questions. The deeper the question, the stronger our faith will be when God ,through our study, gives us the answers we need. God is waiting willing an ready to show us those answers. When we demand facts and proof that’s a good thing. The difficulties arise when people settle and are satisfied with the easy answer and when they don’t ask questions of there own. If we just go on repeating other peoples questions and never look within ourselves for the things we need to know, then ours will be a second hand religious experience.

New Madras in India there is a mountain called Mount St. Thomas. The legend in that area is that the apostle Thomas came there in the first century and preached the gospel, and many believers trace their history back to that event. Sometimes there’s quite a bit of fact in legend. Thomas recieved answers to his doubts and took his answers far beyond his own borders to show what he had learned to other. What could we do if we take our doubts and give them to God and Thomas did? We so limit ourselves in our finite way of thinking.

Thoughts will probably come that, “Wait a minute, I’ve always heard people speak of Thomas in a condescending manner. Here your trying to build him up.” No man should be elevated beyond his position and purpose in life, but we can gain lessons from it. Through his doubts and the seeking for answers, he had the result of a higher level of faith that he had previously had. He wasn’t driven from the group, he was still accepted. Peter and John didn’t chastise him because he wasn’t convinced at that point. It was ok for him to work out his faith as he needed to. We should remember this lesson when dealing with others.

You may have met people that ask question and then run even as others are still praying. You know, like the kid that will go up to a door and knock and then run and hide before the person come to the door. Don’t we do that when we pray? We ask a question of God and then run to where we think we should go without waiting for God’s response.

Don’t be afraid to doubt and ask questions. Just make sure you stay around to receive His answers. If we haven’t recieved answers to our questions, maybe it’s because we are not taking enough time to to wait and listen for those answers.

Even though Thomas had doubts, he wanted to believe. God may have prompted those doubts and questions to bring Thomas to a fuller experience of His love. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that God knew that we would need to see this in an apostle so that our doubts wouldn’t condemn us. If you have questions to ask God - have a disposition to receive the answers. Thomas did he had a will to believe. Just like the ruler that asked for healing for his child. “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.

A great professor, one who made a tremendous contribution to American academic and religious heritage, was speaking to a group of Harvard students on the question of doubt. In his discussion William James said, in effect: You are having trouble, some of you young men here in Harvard, trouble with sanctification, trouble with justification, trouble with omnipotence and all of this. The resolution to all of your problems is the will to believe.

Do we have the will to believe? Do we really want the answer? If you look at different discussions with students of the years, you become impressed that most just want you to know how smart they are by asking questions. They are not all interested in the answers. They like doubting. Thomas gives us a great example in that he had the will to believe.

In the 14th chap of John Jesus was speaking to the disciples about heaven:

John 14:1–4 NLT

Thomas came back with a question that seemed to express his doubt.

John 14:5 NLT

5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus didn’t chastise Thomas. He went on to give him the answer.

John 14:6 NLT

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

At this point Phillip asked what appears to be a second hand question and maybe not a questoin that was his personally.

John 14:8 NLT

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Notice the different way Jesus replies to Phillip vs how He responded to Thomas.

John 14:9–11 NLT

9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

Thomas was not rebuked that way. Thomas apparently asked a sincere question and got a straight answer. Our Lord will always know a sincere question vs a “smart” one. During Jesus’ trial, He had nothing to say to all the dishonest searchers, but he had a lot to say those who asked sincere questions.

The world we live in, this generation and the ones coming have and will have questions and doubts. We can learn from Thomas. Ya, he was straight up front and requested proof for his questions. But he asked because he wanted to believe. Do we have that will? Do we want to believe? If we set ourselves earnestly to the task of wanting faith and desiring answers, God has them. He can satisfy every level of intellect and every doubt. But once we voice those doubts, don’t run off to something else. Stay and listen to the answers God can give us.

Thomas had other attributes as well. He was courageous. His bravery probably ranked right up there with peter. If you remember Jesus and His disciples had just left Jerusalem and trouble was brewing in the city. Jesus group was fearful for His safety. There was talk of death for Jesus. It was then that Jesus received word that Lazarus was sick, but Jesus waited. The disciples wondered what Jesus would do. They had all sorts of reasons why they shouldn’t think about going and several voiced them.

John 11:14–15 NLT

14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

Desire of Ages Chapter 58—“Lazarus, Come Forth”

Thomas could see nothing but death in store for his Master if he went to Judea; but he girded up his spirit, and said to the other disciples

John 11:16 NLT

16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

That took a lot of courage. Apparently even Peter wasn’t ready to say that. Thomas’s life is worthy of consideration. I don’t think we have given enough credit to Thomas as a Christian body of believers. We’ve been talking about doubting and the willingness to believe. I think we need to connect courage to this thought process. It will take courage to not follow everyone else’s line of reasoning. We must have the answers in our lives that satisfy our needs. We must have the courage to doubt and then ask God for the answer. I think you will agree with me that there are to many cowards in this world when comes to standing what you know is right. I have been there and I still fight it all the time and yes I still fail. Thomas was willing to die for his Lord. Are we willing to do the same?

Jesus asked Thomas to be an apostle because of the character traits that he had and He didn’t try to change them. It’s concerning that a large number of Christians are satisfied to be church members without a demonstration of what Jesus can do for them and others. Thomas wanted a demonstration and that’s a good thing. He had doubts, but he also had that inner conviction that there was an answer for those doubts and was looking for that answer. Are we looking for the answers to our doubts?

It’s interesting to me that Thomas was not with the rest of the disciples the first time Jesus appeared to them. It would give the idea that he was going through a despairing time on his own. Maybe trying to work out his feeling and who he was now after experiencing Jesus crucifixion. The disciples,

John 20:25 NLT

25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

Maybe he was saying “I want this report to show something I can believe. If it’s not then I’m not going to deceive myself. I will work out this problem in my own way. He had to be going through a great despair of his own. He had to have proof. He wouldn’t just believe what other said. Sometimes it take that kind of despair for the Lord to reach us. It’s OK to doubt and reach out from the depths to the only one who can change us and show us the answers.

John 20:26–27 NKJV

26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

Imagine with me for a second the change that must have come over Thomas as he stood there in front of Jesus. Can you see the awe, the recognition, the doubt that falls from his face as he beholds his risen savior?See the joy come over his face as he looks into the eyes of his friend, companion and teacher.

He went down to his knees, bowed his head and said, “My Lord and my God.”

John 20:29 NLT

29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

We all have doubts. It’s part of the sinful world. We are human and by that acknowledgement sinful. These doubts come into our minds. What me must not do, is let those doubts fester and grow. We must go searching for the answers. Thomas went to the upper room hoping that what the others had said somehow might be true, wasn’t yet willing to believe. Jesus did not overwhelm Thomas with reproach, nor did He enter into controversy with him. He revealed Himself to the doubting one.

When we have doubts we need to go down on our knees and ask our Lord for evidence through his word to convict us and elevate our faith. Then when have let wipe the doubts from our mind, we can bend the knee and say with Thomas, “my Lord and my God”.

Related Media

Related Sermons