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Faith or Doubter John
20:19-29
When I watch movies, I find myself asking, "Is that a good guy or a bad
guy?" You see, Hollywood generally portrays its characters as either
good guys or bad guys, and you have to understand which character is
which if you’re going to understand the story line. The good guys always
wear white hats, shoot straight and always tell the truth. Bad guys
always wear black, never shoot straight, lie through their teeth, and
they never have a single redeeming feature. In Hollywood, most everyone
is either a good guy or a bad guy.
But that’s not the way things are in real life. We still have the good
and the bad, but most folks are a mixture of the two. Even the best of
people have feet of clay; even the worst of people have an occasional
good quality.
Even our Christian lives are lived in a struggle between these two sides
of our nature. There is the one side that calls us to follow God, to
have fellowship with Him, and to obey His commandments. The Bible calls
this side of our nature "the spirit." But there is another side of us
that seeks to rebel against God and his commands; the Bible calls this
side of us "the flesh." That struggle goes on constantly. Our spiritual
growth and maturity as Christians doesn’t stop the struggle; it only
increases the number of victories that we win.
One of the problems that we face in this struggle, though, is that we
sometimes think that we’re the only ones who feel that way. We look
around at other people, other Christians, and we may see no signs of
such a battle going on in their lives. We feel so intensely that battle
between flesh and spirit raging within us, but we don’t see that
struggle in anyone else. Everyone else seems to have it all together
spiritually.
Christians, no matter how mature, are pretty much like ducks swimming in
the pond. On the surface we may appear to be calm and passive, but
underneath we’re all paddling like mad, struggling with our faith and
our feelings, torn between what we know is right and what we’re tempted
to do.
I think it’s important for us to admit that. I think sometimes people
who aren’t Christians get to know us and they say, "I don’t fit in with
this group. They’ve got it all together and I’ve got so many struggles.
They would never understand!" Or sometimes a new Christian has these
feelings and feels guilty because nobody else seems to.
So I think it’s important for us to admit that, to one degree or
another, we all walk a tight-rope of sorts between strength and
weakness, between faith and doubt. Like ping-pong balls, we bounce back
and forth between the two extremes, some days feeling very strong and
adequate, other days wondering how God puts up with the many ways that
we disappoint him.
And so we all struggle with the ups and downs that we experience in our
spiritual lives. As we look to the scriptures, we find an apostle who
experienced the same sort of struggle, Thomas.
Somewhere, hundreds of years ago, somebody began referring to Thomas as
"Doubting Thomas." But I don’t think that the picture the Bible paints
of Thomas is one of a doubter at all. In fact, the greatest single
statement of faith in Jesus as deity comes from the lips of this man.
Faith or Doubter: Thomas
As we look to the scriptures, we find that there’s not an awful lot that
we know about Thomas. We do know that he was one of the twelve apostles,
that he also went by the name of Didymus, which means "the Twin". Thomas
didn’t belong to Jesus’ close circle of friends, and he doesn’t stand
out as a leader of the apostles. But he does, however, stand out in
three different episodes recorded by John. I think these three incidents
in Thomas’ life tell us something very interesting about this man -- and
perhaps something about ourselves as well.
Loyalty John 11
The context here involves the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus had just
received word that his good friend Lazarus was very sick. When he heard
that, Jesus was on the west side of the Jordan River and some distance
from Bethany which was where Lazarus, Mary and Martha lived. When Jesus
heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days.
Then he told his apostles that Lazarus had died, and that they would now
go to Bethany.
If you remember Jesus had reached a point in his ministry where it had
become dangerous for him to move from place to place. His enemies were
out to kill him, and that was no secret. In John chapter 8 and then
again in chapter 10, the Jews picked up stones and tried to kill Jesus.
That opposition had centered around Jerusalem, and now Jesus was
contemplating a trip that would take him within two miles of that city.
It was a dangerous trip, and his apostles recognized that fact. But
listen to the words of the man that we call the Doubter. In John 11:16,
Thomas said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
The trait that we see in Thomas here is loyalty. Here was a man who had
no doubt waited his whole life for the Messiah, and Thomas was convinced
that he had found him in Jesus. He was determined to cling to the Christ
with every fiber of his being even if that meant his own death. Because
of a loyalty based on a strong faith, Thomas was able to say, "Come on
guys, let’s go die with Him!" That’s loyalty.
Imperfect Faith John 14
The context here is shortly before the crucifixion of Jesus. After Jesus
predicted the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter and his own death
on the cross, Jesus soothed his friends with some of the most beautiful
words of scripture: "Let not your hearts be troubled; you believe in
God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you
to myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you
know, and the way you know." (John 14:1-4).
Again and again, Jesus had told his apostles where he was going, but
they still didn’t understand. They didn’t understand how he was going to
the Father, and they certainly didn’t understand the way by which Jesus
was going, because that way was the cross. At that moment the disciples
were confused and bewildered.
And, again, it was Thomas who spoke up. Thomas was the kind of person
who was far too honest and far too earnest to be concerned with any
vague and pious expressions. So Thomas expressed his doubts and his
failure to understand. He said, "Lord, we do not know where you are
going, and how can we know the way?" John 14:5.
I think to a large extent Thomas’ question was a sign of his loyalty. He
didn’t want Jesus to leave; he was willing to follow Jesus anywhere. He
says, in essence, "You tell me where you’re going and I’ll be right
there with you." Thomas had a deep loyalty for Jesus, a loyalty based on
faith. And that loyalty comes to the surface every time we meet Thomas.
But his statement of loyalty was also a statement of an imperfect faith.
He was confused. He didn’t understand. He missed the spiritual beauty of
Jesus’ statement and in effect asked the Lord for a road map with the
route marked in red. We see "the faith of the doubter" -- faith mingled
with doubt. And we see ourselves mirrored in Thomas.
Faith or Doubt John 20
We finally come now to our text, the most familiar passage about Thomas
-- "Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when
the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the
Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ’Peace be
with you.’ Now when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his
side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord....But Thomas,
called Didymus, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said to him, ’We have seen the Lord.’ But
he said to them, ’Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and
put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his
side, I will not believe.’" John 20:19-20, 24-25.
Remember last week we discussed that Mary Magdalene discovered the empty
tomb of Jesus. Peter and John also witnessed that empty tomb. Then after
the apostles left, Jesus appeared to Mary. She told the apostles about
this appearance. Then, later that day, as ten of the remaining eleven
apostles were together behind locked doors, suddenly Jesus appeared to
them. He showed them his hands and his side, and the apostles were
overjoyed to see that it was true -- Jesus was alive!
But there was one apostle missing. Thomas wasn’t present. We don’t know
why. We can speculate all day as to why Thomas wasn’t with his friends.
We can assume that he wasn’t there because he had no faith -- he had
totally given up and deserted the apostles.
We could also suggest that he wasn’t there because his faith was greater
than the rest. They were there in hiding because of fear. Maybe Thomas
wasn’t afraid, and therefore he didn’t fit in with his former
associates! All of these ideas are simply speculation. The point of the
matter is that he wasn’t there.
Of course, the other apostles were very quick to tell Thomas about their
experience with the risen Lord. Now we come to the doubting part of
doubting Thomas. Thomas wasn’t willing to accept their testimony about
the resurrection. He told his friends that he wouldn’t believe until he
could see for himself. Until he could see and touch the scars, he
wouldn’t believe. So he remained in his disbelief for a solid week until
Jesus appeared to him.
But why wouldn’t Thomas believe? Lets not be too hard on him, I think we
need to realize that Thomas wasn’t asking for any further proof than had
been already offered to the other ten apostles. In verse 20, when Jesus
appeared to the ten apostles, he offered them his hands and side as
proof. So when Thomas said, "I won’t believe until I see it," the proof
he was looking for was no different from what the others apostles had
already had.
But I think there’s another consideration to be made in defense of
Thomas. In Matthew 24, Jesus warned His apostles to be very careful when
people made claims about His appearance. "Then if anyone says to you,
’Look, here is the Christ!’ or ’There!’ do not believe it. For false
christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders,
so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect." Matthew 24:23-24.
It’s entirely possible, maybe even likely, that when Thomas heard that
Jesus had appeared, he thought about that warning. And his reluctance to
believe the message of the resurrected Lord may have been tied to his
insistence upon believing Jesus. Thomas could have been thinking, "Jesus
warned me about such reports; I didn’t think, however, that my own
buddies would be taken in so quickly." It is more than possible that
Thomas’ statement of doubt is also a statement of great faith.
Whatever his motivation for disbelieving, it was his reaction when he
confronted Jesus that is especially impressive. "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!’ 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.’ And Thomas answered and said to him, ’My Lord and my
God!’ Jesus said to him, ’Thomas, because you have seen me, you have
believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
John 20:26-29.
Thomas was driven to his knees before Jesus when he realized that it
really was Jesus. He fell down before Christ and exclaimed, "My Lord and
my God!" Nowhere in all of scripture is there a greater statement of
faith, and it comes from the lips of the man that we call "Doubting
Thomas"!
I heard about a man who was driving his sport utility vehicle when he
came to a detour sign that read, "ROAD UNDER REPAIR." Now this guy’s got
an SUV. He’s not going to let a little construction stop him. So he
throws it into 4-wheel drive, drives around the sign and gets through
the construction site with no problem. His success continued for about
20 miles until he came to the absolute end of the road, beyond which
there was a huge gorge with no bridge.
The guy had no choice but to turn around and retrace his route back to
the detour sign. When he approached the back side of the same
construction sign, he read what someone had written on the back of sign:
"WELCOME BACK STUPID."
I’m sure glad that’s not the way Jesus welcomed back Thomas. Jesus meets
Thomas and his doubt with openness and love. I can even picture Jesus
smiling; smiling to the point of being near laughter because of the look
of surprise and joy on Thomas’ face when he finally sees that Jesus is
truly risen.
Once again, the loyalty of Thomas shines through. He’s now convinced
that the good news of the gospel is true -- Christ is risen! Thomas is
once again ready to follow Jesus anywhere and put his life on the line.
Faith or Doubter: Us
It’s not wrong to doubt. Doubt is a natural part of life. Frederick
Buechner once wrote: "Were there no room for doubt, there would be no
room for faith, either."
Sometimes our doubt even leads to faith.
In every recorded episode of the life of the apostle Thomas, there is a
mixture of loyalty and doubt. His faith was always present, and it was
always directed at the right focus -- Jesus Christ. But, at the same
time, that faith was always incomplete, always imperfect. Thomas had a
unique way of expressing confidence and doubt at the same time. But even
in his doubt, that underlying loyalty to Christ was still there. It was
that loyalty that made him a great servant of God. It’s what makes him
such a great example for us.
I don’t suppose that I need to document the assertion that each of us
has an imperfect faith. There are too many examples that come readily to
mind that demonstrate that fact to us:
The Lord says, "I’ll give you a way of escape," yet we still stumble and
sin and then try to justify our weakness by saying, "I just can’t help
it."
The Lord says, "Take no thought about tomorrow," and not only do we
spend a great deal of time giving thought, but that thought drifts into
worry and anxiety just as He knew it would.
The Lord says, "Nothing can separate us from the love of God...," and
yet we spend so much time wondering how God could possibly love us.
The Lord says, "Lo, I am with you always...," and yet we fail to serve
him and his church because we don’t feel that we really have anything to
offer.
We betray all too often the imperfection of our faith, and we know it.
We know that we disappoint our Lord because we disappoint ourselves.
It’s so easy to look at the proof of our weak faith and become
hopelessly discouraged. We have failed the Lord so often, too often.
And here’s where the example of Thomas comes in. I think Thomas shows us
the great difference between "imperfect faith" and "faithlessness".
While his confidence in the Lord wavered from time to time, his loyalty
never did. Now he didn’t always know how to translate that loyalty into
ways of thinking and acting, but that loyalty and love were always
there, even when he had his doubts, even when he didn’t fully
understand.
You see, the obedient faith that saves is not a perfect faith. It’s not
flawless faith without doubts and fears. It is rather a loyal faith. It
is a faith that accepts Christ as its center. And while the expression
of that faith may stumble and stagger a bit, it never loses sight of its
center. That’s the "faith of the doubter". That’s the lesson of Thomas.
I mentioned earlier about those who are not Christians who are a bit
intimidated by what they seem to see in the church. I’ve known a lot of
people who said, "I’ll become a Christian as soon as I get my life
straightened out." And I think what they mean by that is that they have
struggles in their lives and Christians don’t seem to have them so they
want to wait until the struggles disappear. And they never will.
And I think a lot of young Christians fall away discouraged because they
thought that becoming a Christian would take away all the struggles, all
the temptations, all the desires to do the things they wanted to do
before they became Christians. And it doesn’t. Maturing as a Christian
doesn’t take away the struggle; it merely means that we’ll win the
victories more often.
I don’t know what the situation with your faith is this morning. It may
be that you’re struggling with doubt, struggling with things you don’t
understand. There’s nothing wrong with that, nothing to be ashamed of.
Our faith needs to go through those sorts of struggles before it can
grow. May we all pray with the father in Mark 9:24, "Lord, I believe;
help my unbelief." That is the faith of one who struggles, but it’s the
only kind of faith we’ll ever know.
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