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As I was reading over today’s Gospel lesson, in preparing this sermon, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame linebacker Jim Marshall. The mere fact that he is in the Hall of Fame is testament that he was a great player. He was an integral part of the old “purple people eater” defense. Which is considered to be one of the greatest defenses of all times. But despite all of his great accomplishments on the field he will always be remembered for a mistake that he committed on the field. It came against the 49ers. A 49ers player fumbled the ball. As Marshall saw the ball slip out of the 49er player’s hands he ran over and picked up the ball. He ran triumphantly towards the end-zone. This was a rare moment for a linebacker to experience the type of glory that is usually reserved only for receivers, running backs and quarterbacks. As he crossed the goal line he turned around, expecting to find his teammates congratulating him on a great play. Instead he saw the opposing team members laughing and sarcastically congratulating him while his own teammates remained speechless. He had ran to the wrong end-zone. Instead of scoring a touchdown for the Vikings he scored a safety for the 49ers. Ever since that day that single play is what people remembered about Jim Marshall before they remembered any of his other accomplishments. I don’t even know who won the game, but it doesn’t matter because the outcome will never overshadow that one play.
The apostle Thomas was unfortunately cursed with the same sort of dubious legacy. Despite all of his accomplishments as a disciple he will always be known for the moment when he demanded to see tangible evidence of Christ’s resurrection. We don’t know that much about Thomas. He did have a reputation as a bit of a pessimist. When Jesus heard that his friend Lazarus had died in Bethany He announced that He would go there. John 11:16 points out that Thomas’ reaction was to assume that He was going there to mourn. In that verse Thomas is quoted as saying “Let us also go that we may die with him.” Nevertheless he was certainly not the only disciple with doubts. And, pessimistic as he might have been, Thomas certainly was not short on courage. He loved Jesus as much as any of the disciples and was willing to go to Jerusalem and die with him while the other disciples seemed hesitant and afraid. He was a committed follower of Christ who traveled all throughout the middle east spreading the Gospel. He died a martyr’s death when a pagan mob in India speared him to death and threw him in an oven. Yet despite this, he will always be remembered for one moment of weakness. To this day people of all faiths and even people of no faith are familiar with the expression “doubting Thomas.” And why was he stuck with this dubious distinction? Because he had something that we all have, doubts. And he had the courage to express those doubts.
In verse 24 of today’s text we read that Thomas was not with the disciples the first time they actually saw the resurrected Jesus. In verse 19 and 20 of today’s text we learn that the first time they saw Jesus after the resurrection they were hiding from Jewish authorities.
Nevertheless what a magnificent moment that must have been. The same Jesus they had just seen crucified days earlier now stood before them. For some reason Thomas wasn’t there. When the disciples tell him he doesn’t believe them. He responds to them with “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 it.”
It wasn’t until a week later that Thomas had the opportunity to see Jesus like the disciples had. This was no doubt a long week for Thomas. He had a week to reflect on the words of doubt that he expressed. He must have heard repeated stories of Jesus’ resurrection from all sorts of people. Certainly the thought must have crossed his mind, if Jesus has appeared to all these people why hasn’t He appeared to me? All kinds of questions and doubt must have come into his mind.
But finally a week after His initial appearance in front of the disciples Jesus appeared to Thomas. It was a similar situation as the first appearance. They were all hiding from the Jewish authorities behind locked doors when Jesus made His appearance. Verse 26 says “Though the doors were locked Jesus came and stood among them and said “peace be with you.”
One cannot help but wonder how Thomas must have felt at that moment. Part of him must have been expecting a severe scolding for his doubt. But Jesus doesn’t treat an honest seeker like that. In the Old Testament Isaiah writes of the coming Messiah “a bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench.” Jesus does not want to reject anyone who seeks Him.
Jesus recalls the conditions that Thomas had put on his believing that Jesus had been resurrected. He says to Thomas “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Apparently the sight of the risen Christ was enough for Thomas because from every indication he did not perform the test. Thomas was apparently so overcome with love and devotion that all he could say was “My Lord and my God.” Jesus than urged him to stop his doubting and to start believing. In a moment of time he had gone from doubt to faith.
So how does Thomas’ story apply to today? Well, in the next verse Jesus tells Thomas “Because you have seen me you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” With This, Jesus was preparing His disciples for the coming generation of people that wouldn’t have the benefit of seeing Him in the flesh. Although we don’t have the benefit of being able to see Jesus in person we do have all the proof we need in the words of the Bible and the testimony of believers. We are all individuals and we all have experienced different journeys which lead to our faith. In many ways we are still on that journey. That’s why there is nothing to worry about when we find ourselves with doubt. Doubts can lead to a stronger faith. Lee Strobel, C.S. Lewis and Josh McDowell are all respected Christian authors who were once atheists and came to Christ as a result of an attempt to disprove Christianity.
Lee Strobel writes of his experience in his book “The Case For Christ.” “I plunged into the case with more vigor than with any story I had ever pursued. I applied the training I had received at Yale Law school as well as my experience as legal affairs editor of the Chicago Tribune. And over time the evidence of the world-of history, of science, of philosophy, of psychology-began to point toward the unthinkable.”
In his attempt to de-bunk Christianity he came to realize the truth of the very thing he was trying to disprove. All throughout the scriptures there are accounts of people who had doubts. Abraham doubted that Sarah was to be the mother of the promised child; Moses doubted his ability to lead; Peter doubted as he walked on water etc. Having doubts puts us in good company.
It’s important to understand that there is a difference between doubting and unbelief or that there is a difference between doubting God and rejecting Him. God wants us to trust Him. He would like us to be so convinced of His character and goodness that it will just become second nature for us to trust Him. The book of James reminds us “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” There is no denying that doubts are a barrier to effective faith. But we are all in the process of growing in our faith and in our walks with the Lord and doubt is a part of that process.
There are times when doubt often pops up in our spiritual growth. This can occur when biblical truths are difficult to understand such as the trinity, God’s sovereignty etc.; Or when we hear about things that we think should never happen such as the holocaust; or things that we think should happen such as healing, opportunities etc.; or when we’re in pain. In these times we must go to God for answers but it’s not always easy.
What do we call somebody who never doubts anything. We don’t call them wise, we call them gullible. We call them suckers, marks, whatever. Doubt can be the predecessor to faith. Such was the case in today’s Gospel lesson. The doubt that Thomas had lead to the declaration of faith that Thomas expresses in verse 28 of today’s Gospel text when he says “My Lord, My God!” Thomas knew that to call anyone God who actually wasn’t was an act of blasphemy. But in that room when he sees that what the disciples said was true his doubt gives way to faith when he declares his heart, allegiance and life belong to Jesus.
One of the biggest things about Christianity that non-Christians are turned off by is the self-righteous nature of a few Christians. While we certainly don’t want to downplay the love, grace and salvation of our Lord and savior. Maybe we should learn to embrace our doubts a little more. If we saw doubts as tools that we could use to increase and strengthen our faith maybe non-Christians wouldn’t see us as self-righteous. Maybe instead of acting like we have all the answers we should focus more on admitting that we don’t have all the answers but we do know where those answers can be found; by studying the word, through prayer and fellowship with other Christians and any other ways we can think of to get closer to the Lord.
Doubt can make us grow in our faith in several ways. One of those ways is by making it a more fervent faith. Doubts can lead to us becoming bolder disciples. After Thomas had seen the resurrected Jesus in the flesh he went to India to preach the Gospel. India is a place where many Gods were worshipped. Thomas went into this country that embraced several Gods and claimed Jesus to be the way, the truth and the life. He paid the ultimate price of his own life and died a martyr’s death in Madras, India.
Doubt can also strengthen our faith by helping us to make our faith more personal. A growing movement in the church today is the belief that a true follower doesn’t need proof. That if we wanted to be true followers we would simply take the scriptures on faith. This is a little dangerous. This is the way that people sneak falsehoods into the scriptures. This is the way that cults get started. A little healthy doubt forces us to check the facts that we are given. Once we have answered any questions that we might have personally it’s only natural that our faith will become more personal.
The story of Thomas shows what our reaction should be to the risen Christ. Thomas embraces Jesus as his risen Lord and God. Chuck Colson has said that most folks today don’t have a problem accepting that Jesus rose from the dead; They have a problem accepting that something that happened 2000 years ago could have any relevance for their lives today. But it does. It really does. If it didn’t happen then Christianity has lost it’s very foundation. But since we know it did happen, then we know Christianity is correct and we can all be saved from the penalties for our sins, we can all be saved from death. All we have to do is accept the gift of salvation that was made possible through the price that Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. Wouldn’t it be foolish to turn such a wonderful gift down?
The first step we should take in overcoming doubt is to look at ourselves. We should try to discover why these doubts have arisen in our heads. Some doubt is based in a real desire to know, while other doubts are merely an attempt to rationalize sinful behavior. We see it all the time. A husband cheats on his spouse, claiming that she never loved him to begin with. When we find ourselves doubting we should ask ourselves if our doubts are based in a true desire to know or if it is based in a stubborn heart that will not submit to the will of God.
When times of doubt arise we should be willing to make a thorough examination of the evidence. The evidence is out there if you are willing to look for it. Whenever you find something difficult to believe, check it out. There are books on apologetics, personal testimonies, religious teachers you can talk to along with of course the most powerful means we can use to find truth; the Word itself, prayer and fellowship. God can withstand any honest inquiry. In verse 30 and 31 of today’s Gospel text John writes “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God and that by believing you may have life in His name.” John tells us that his whole purpose in writing his Gospel was so that we would have the evidence that leads to faith.
Somewhere along the lines the notion that being a Christian meant relying less on our brains and more on just blind faith was created. That’s not so. God gave us minds to use. We should weigh the evidence like we would weigh any other evidence. When somebody buys a car wouldn’t you say it would be wise for them to research the market and research the reliability of any car that they might be interested in buying? Shouldn’t we have at least the same amount of scrutiny with our salvation?
Thomas had the benefit of seeing Jesus in person. Sometimes our doubts can be answered by simply looking at Christ. The world would have us believe that Jesus was merely a great teacher or prophet. They lump him together with such men as Gandhi, Buddha or Cofucious. But as Christians we know that as great as those men might have been to put Jesus in the same category is an understatement. It is not seeing Him as the magnificent savior that He is. Some doubts might seem more believable when we consider the magnificence of the one who is saying them.
We can’t prove there is a place in Heaven prepared for us, but Jesus who has returned from the dead has said that there is. We know that we can count on Him whenever we need Him because He has made that promise and He doesn’t lie. We may feel like we have no right to claim a spot in Heaven but He promises that He will not lose EVEN ONE of those the Father gave Him.
When we consider the prophecies that came true in Jesus’ lifetime it’s easy see the magnificence of Christ. It’s been said that 332 distinct Old Testament prophecies came true in Jesus’ life. I won’t go into the details of those prophecies but Jesus himself made some predictions that continue to come true. Jesus said “When I am lifted up, from the earth will draw all men to myself.” This was a truly amazing prediction. Who could have seen that a person crucified as a criminal could have drawn millions of people to Him? The cross gives hope to millions of people and brings them to Christ.
Jesus said to the disciples “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This prophecy has been fulfilled. The disciples of Jesus continue to spread the Gospel all over the world and keep bringing more people into Christ’s kingdom.
Doubt is very real and it’s important that we acknowledge it as such. We need to look at our own lives and figure out where doubt is in our lives. Which issues do we struggle with? We need to examine the evidence. Despite what some people might say, the evidence is out there. But I’m not just talking about physical evidence. We should also be alert for spiritual evidence. We should figure out how the Holy Spirit is active in our lives. We should look not only for the evidence that exists here on earth but we should look to Christ Himself to clear away our doubts. But we need to be willing to stop doubting. We need to be like Thomas, in that we need to be willing to embrace Jesus as our Lord and savior. After Thomas saw Him, Jesus then said in verse 29 “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Now certainly there probably were people back then who heard of Jesus’ resurrection and believed it without seeing Him in person but more than likely He was adressing those believers of future generations who wouldn’t have the benefit of seeing Him before His ascension. We need to accept the challenge that Jesus made to Thomas; the challenge to “stop doubting and believe.” That is what this Easter season is all about. Jesus really did rise from the dead and we really are saved from our sins and He really is the living Lord. That truly is a reason to celebrate. Amen