Out of Doubt...Faith

I know that Thomas doubting is has always seemed to be a big part of this text and I agree that it is, in a way, important. What I feel is equally as important as his doubt though is the pure and simple fact that Thomas wasn’t there on Easter evening when Jesus did appear to the disciples the first time. Because if we want to talk about doubt, let’s not point fingers at Thomas, let’s point fingers at all the disciples. Every single disciple left Jesus after the garden of Gethsemane. Peter and another followed him but then Peter denies him. We don’t hear anything about the disciples in much detail until Mary tells Peter and the other disciple that Jesus rose from the dead, and the two of them go and see for themselves. It tells us the other disciple believed, but then it also tells us that they returned to their homes. If they believed, why did they not run and tell everyone? Why did they not tell the multitudes who were following Jesus that he had risen from the dead? Why do we find all of them locked in a house together, not doing anything? Why didn’t the other disciples run to the tomb also, or if they didn’t, why didn’t Peter and the other disciple tell them that they found the tomb empty?

So, yeah, Thomas wasn’t there that night, and because of that he wants to hear, see, and feel Jesus the same way the others did. Thomas may have had his doubts, but I don’t see any way that we can put his doubt, his hesitancy, his wanting proof seem above, or make it any greater than all the rest. Do you really think that Peter would have acted any differently had the roles been reversed? Had it been Thomas at the tomb and there Easter evening and Peter missing out on it? Truly, can we honestly say that we are any different?

A while ago I saw on twitter a post that was freaking people out. The post was a video of a a conifer forest in Quebec, Canada. As you watch the video it looks like the ground is breathing deeply. You can see the ground rise up and then lower down again as if the earth were taking deep breaths. How many of you are going to take my word for it and how many of you are going to go home and look for the breathing forest in Quebec? To quell the curious minds out there: what happens is the wind picks up and the conifers act as sails on a boat and get pulled by the wind, when you combine that with shallow but wide root systems that create massive pockets just under the ground, it makes the appearance that the ground is breathing. But had I not explained that I bet that you all would have a hard time believing that a forest actually looked like it was breathing the same way a human body does.

When you change the thought from a forest breathing like a human body to a man dying and rising from the dead, even if you are told that is going to do just that, I think we can all sympathize with Thomas, not scoff at him, when he wants proof. In fact the other disciples get the very proof Thomas wants! I bet the only reason Thomas asks to touch his wounds is because Jesus offered freely to do that very thing with the other disciples. It’s not like Thomas is making some outrageous claim to be able to see and touch his wounds, he just wants want the other disciples were already given.

Which is why I think it’s so important for us all to have different ways to experience and grow in our faith. Some of us need visuals, some of us need to dig real deep into the stories, some of us need to travel to the Holy Land and see for ourselves. I believe Lee Strobel who wrote the book, The Case for Christ, does a great job of offering evidence through interviews to essentially have a court case to determine if Jesus is who he says he is. It is also important for us to do that for people who have yet to come to faith, or for people who may be returning to faith, who may have had doubts and would like to continue on their journey of faith. We need to be there for those people and lift them up and help them.

I believe strongly in helping people grow in their faith, whether they are 96 and have been sitting in a church for 96 years or if it is a person’s first time. We need to be like Jesus and help them grow in their faith and walk with them along their journey. After Thomas sees Jesus the very next thing he does is he confesses that Jesus is his Lord and God. As he comes from this place of doubt and the sorrow from death and confesses that Jesus is Lord and God, we can see Jesus response in 1 of 2 ways. First, we can see it as a question that seeks to put down Thomas which is why I think for some reason he has come to be known as doubting Thomas; second, we can see it the way that the NIV translates it as a statement. Saying that because you have seen me you have believed, and blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.

I believe the second way is intended. Why would Jesus go through all this showing of himself to the disciples and then again to Thomas if not to give Thomas his faith back? If we see it that way then when Jesus tells Thomas to stop doubting and believe I see it as a moment of joy for Jesus and Thomas. I almost read it as Jesus smiling and laughing. Telling Thomas that he knows how much he has been through, he knows the sorrow and the doubt he has just experienced and he’s sorry he had to go through it, but that doesn’t have to happen anymore. Thomas cast your doubt away and believe and thank God that you have seen me and believe; thank God that you have called me Lord and God. Thank God that you will be able to bless others with your mission that shares with those who haven’t seen me and that through you they will come to believe.

All of this doubt and faith then culminates in the final part of the gospel today. John tells us that there were lots of other signs, which is the word John uses throughout the gospel for what Jesus does, but they aren’t in the book. But these stories, including this story of Thomas and the other disciples moving from sorrow and doubt into faith when they see Jesus are all here…they were all written down so that those of us who do not physically see Jesus, who did not walk with Jesus will come to believe in him and through that believing we will have life in his name. The very purpose of this book is so that when we feel like Thomas or the others we can turn these pages and we can see what God has done through Christ Jesus and we can renew, deepen, strengthen our faith, and share our faith as Jesus tells them. That we are all given the gift of the Holy Spirit to go out into this world and give life to this world, to give peace to this world, and through all of that they will know and joyfully proclaim My Lord and my God! Amen.