Should We Doubt Thomas?
Sermon
The View from the Cross
Cycle B Gospel Text Sermons for Lent and Easter
John's gospel has traced the development of unbelief, which culminated in Jesus' enemies crucifying him. Conversely, John also traced the disciple's development of faith that was now coming to a head with doubting Thomas. You will remember that the disciples were affirming Jesus' resurrection to Thomas but Thomas was not buying it -- not just yet. He wanted bodily proof of Jesus' risen state. The reappearance of Jesus a week later provided the opportunity Thomas wanted. Jesus miraculously entered a room with locked doors and asked Thomas to go ahead and touch him. This was a right-in-your-face challenge to Thomas.
Thomas' response to Jesus after having touched him is a high point of the gospel. I say that because Thomas was a skeptical man confronted by the evidence of Jesus' resurrection. He announced that Jesus is God in the flesh!
This Sunday after the Big Sunday -- I want to spend a few minutes with the disciple history has named, often in a negative way, "Doubting Thomas."
First of all, I think we really need to ask ourselves is this doubt on the part of Thomas is to be viewed as a negative characteristic of Thomas himself, or should we see it as a positive attribute of this man? It seems that Thomas had an inquiring mind that needed to see the truth to believe what he had been told. We must remember that once he saw verification he was more than willing to believe the truth. Thomas, like any rational person, had questions and needed to have those questions answered. He just needed to see the truth for himself. You must admit you have questioned the resurrection yourself, and if you have not, let me suggest you have missed a meaningful part of your faith journey.
I think that the doubt Thomas expressed shows us how much he struggled with the questions of life and how honest a man he really was. Thomas wanted to know the truth and his doubt gives evidence of, not a lack of, faith -- a desire to have a faith founded in fact, not hearsay.
I think it is instructive here to recognize that Thomas is mentioned more than once in John's gospel. We should consider that John is the only gospel writer that bothers to mention him at all, other than being listed as one of the disciples.
The first mention we find is in John 11:16. But let's look a bit earlier beginning at 11:7 and running through to verse 16:
Finally after two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go to Judea again." But his disciples objected. "Teacher," they said, "only a few days ago the Jewish leaders in Judea were trying to kill you. Are you going there again?" Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight every day. As long as it is light, people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. Only at night is there danger of stumbling because there is no light." Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up." The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, that means he is getting better!" They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was having a good night's rest, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. Then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I am glad I wasn't there, because this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Come, let's go see him." Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go, too -- and die with Jesus."
-- John 11:7-16 NLT
You may recall that the last few times that Jesus had been in Judea things had gotten a bit difficult. The Jews had tried to seize and kill Jesus so there was good reason why the disciples were not too eager to go back there to see Lazarus. However, here we see a good example of what Thomas is really made of. Thomas knew that Jesus was going back, no matter the possible consequences. Jesus was going to go to his dead friend Lazarus. The statement that Thomas makes here is a courageous one. He was willing to follow Jesus in this case even if it meant death. He was putting into action what Jesus had taught them when he said in Mark's gospel,
Then he called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen. "If any of you wants to be my follower," he told them, "you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the good news, you will find true life."
-- Mark 8:34-35 NLT
Thomas was willing to follow Jesus no matter what. He wanted to do the will of God and if this meant death then he was willing to take it. This doesn't sound like a man who is filled with doubt, a man who has questions with no answers. An honest appraisal here will tell us that Thomas, although he could see potential danger, was willing to go on, even in the face of death.
The second mention that we find of Thomas is in John 14:
"Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there." "No, we don't know, Lord," Thomas said. "We haven't any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."
-- John 14:1-6 NLV
These verses from John once again show that Thomas is not satisfied with the easy answers to life's complex questions. It shows a side of Thomas that is so very much like we ourselves. How often have we tried to teach our children that when you do not know the answer to a question, never be ashamed to ask for clarification? So it seems that one of the most repeated statements ever uttered by our Lord was prompted by Thomas's honesty. Thomas is an inquiring mind. He was not satisfied with what others took for granted. And he was not afraid to say so. This is brought to such clarity when he says to Jesus that he really does not know how to get to where Jesus is saying he should go. "How can I know the way?" Is that not exactly the question we are asking by being a part of this community of faith?
Although the two readings we just went over do not help identify Thomas as a person of doubt, they do set the tone for what he said in our gospel reading for today. Let's look again at verses 24-29.
One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 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." Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway."
-- John 20:24-29 NLT
It is easy to see where we get the nickname doubting Thomas because even Jesus says, "Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" That was enough to birth the title, "Doubting Thomas."
For clarification, we need to take a quick glance at the whole story. We know that Mary Magdalene was the first witness to see Jesus. She then told the disciples. But when we see the first appearance of Jesus to the disciples, they were hidden away in the upper room -- afraid they were next! Let's be honest, women were not exactly to be believed by the men. Here is the truth of the matter. Jesus first appeared to a former hooker and then she told this group of fairly typical Jewish men that their Lord was not really dead but that he had risen. You don't think they questioned what she was saying? I would think that there might have been some doubt in their minds and one of the only differences between Thomas and the rest of Jesus' followers is that Thomas had the guts to speak up.
Thomas was not with them when Jesus arrived and so he wanted some proof. He was not an eyewitness as were the others. There was doubt in his mind but I don't think it was a doubt in his Lord. Maybe it was a doubt in the others. Remember an entire week had passed when this happens. Thomas needed a faith founded on fact that he himself had discovered. He just could not take anyone's word for it but had to see for himself and when he did he did not doubt but was a very faithful disciple.
His reaction to the risen Christ is also very profound as he addresses him as God. He says, "My Lord and my God." A powerful truth comes out of Thomas here. He knew that when he saw the risen Lord, he truly was encountering God. I don't think that he would ever forget that.
I know at times we really can identify with Thomas. We have doubts and we want to know something for ourselves. Sometimes no one's word is good enough, we just need to see and know for ourselves. Is this not having faith? I don't think so. What faith is greater: the one that never doubts or the faith that doubts and investigates and believes? We see examples throughout history of people who doubted and some even went as far as to try to disprove Christ. Sometimes the people who doubt the most and then come to belief are the most energetic Christians and love to tell others about what they have found.
When we have doubts or when we hear about doubting Thomas, let's remember that he was so much more than a doubter. He was one who needed to find out for himself, needed to search for the truth, and needed to believe not because of other people's words but because God revealed it to him. We can trust others but let us search. Let us be like Thomas in his dedication to Christ, in his desire to really know for himself this risen Lord. I think Thomas really fits what Josh McDowell once said, "My heart cannot rejoice in what my mind rejects."
In closing I would go back to John 20:29, when Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway." The last sentence, the very last word, should leave the message embedded in our hearts. It should be clear in our memory. It should be received as simple, clear, and unforgettable. Who has the last word and what is it to be? Another gospel writer may have left things differently with some moralizing observation but not John. True to the inspiration that informed this gospel, that word has taken up residence in John's heart and soul, John gives the last word to the Good Shepherd who has laid down his life for his friends. The Son of God brings this story to its conclusion with his beatitude concerning spiritual seeing. Standing in the midst of his disciples in whom he had breathed his very self, he pronounces this once and for all blessing, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway."
And what is the ground for believing? John's entire gospel is a rejection of any ground of believing outside of Jesus himself. "Come and see" is Jesus' invitation to us all. Jesus stands in the middle of the disciples and Jesus stands in our midst as well and invites us all to join him in his ministry to the world. Truth be told, John's gospel is to be read and savored for us just as it was for Thomas who had questions.
This puts the Christian experience into proper perspective. It gives us in one short but succinct verse the whole message of John's gospel to us, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway." Amen.
Thomas' response to Jesus after having touched him is a high point of the gospel. I say that because Thomas was a skeptical man confronted by the evidence of Jesus' resurrection. He announced that Jesus is God in the flesh!
This Sunday after the Big Sunday -- I want to spend a few minutes with the disciple history has named, often in a negative way, "Doubting Thomas."
First of all, I think we really need to ask ourselves is this doubt on the part of Thomas is to be viewed as a negative characteristic of Thomas himself, or should we see it as a positive attribute of this man? It seems that Thomas had an inquiring mind that needed to see the truth to believe what he had been told. We must remember that once he saw verification he was more than willing to believe the truth. Thomas, like any rational person, had questions and needed to have those questions answered. He just needed to see the truth for himself. You must admit you have questioned the resurrection yourself, and if you have not, let me suggest you have missed a meaningful part of your faith journey.
I think that the doubt Thomas expressed shows us how much he struggled with the questions of life and how honest a man he really was. Thomas wanted to know the truth and his doubt gives evidence of, not a lack of, faith -- a desire to have a faith founded in fact, not hearsay.
I think it is instructive here to recognize that Thomas is mentioned more than once in John's gospel. We should consider that John is the only gospel writer that bothers to mention him at all, other than being listed as one of the disciples.
The first mention we find is in John 11:16. But let's look a bit earlier beginning at 11:7 and running through to verse 16:
Finally after two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go to Judea again." But his disciples objected. "Teacher," they said, "only a few days ago the Jewish leaders in Judea were trying to kill you. Are you going there again?" Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight every day. As long as it is light, people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. Only at night is there danger of stumbling because there is no light." Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up." The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, that means he is getting better!" They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was having a good night's rest, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. Then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I am glad I wasn't there, because this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Come, let's go see him." Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go, too -- and die with Jesus."
-- John 11:7-16 NLT
You may recall that the last few times that Jesus had been in Judea things had gotten a bit difficult. The Jews had tried to seize and kill Jesus so there was good reason why the disciples were not too eager to go back there to see Lazarus. However, here we see a good example of what Thomas is really made of. Thomas knew that Jesus was going back, no matter the possible consequences. Jesus was going to go to his dead friend Lazarus. The statement that Thomas makes here is a courageous one. He was willing to follow Jesus in this case even if it meant death. He was putting into action what Jesus had taught them when he said in Mark's gospel,
Then he called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen. "If any of you wants to be my follower," he told them, "you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the good news, you will find true life."
-- Mark 8:34-35 NLT
Thomas was willing to follow Jesus no matter what. He wanted to do the will of God and if this meant death then he was willing to take it. This doesn't sound like a man who is filled with doubt, a man who has questions with no answers. An honest appraisal here will tell us that Thomas, although he could see potential danger, was willing to go on, even in the face of death.
The second mention that we find of Thomas is in John 14:
"Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there." "No, we don't know, Lord," Thomas said. "We haven't any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."
-- John 14:1-6 NLV
These verses from John once again show that Thomas is not satisfied with the easy answers to life's complex questions. It shows a side of Thomas that is so very much like we ourselves. How often have we tried to teach our children that when you do not know the answer to a question, never be ashamed to ask for clarification? So it seems that one of the most repeated statements ever uttered by our Lord was prompted by Thomas's honesty. Thomas is an inquiring mind. He was not satisfied with what others took for granted. And he was not afraid to say so. This is brought to such clarity when he says to Jesus that he really does not know how to get to where Jesus is saying he should go. "How can I know the way?" Is that not exactly the question we are asking by being a part of this community of faith?
Although the two readings we just went over do not help identify Thomas as a person of doubt, they do set the tone for what he said in our gospel reading for today. Let's look again at verses 24-29.
One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 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." Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway."
-- John 20:24-29 NLT
It is easy to see where we get the nickname doubting Thomas because even Jesus says, "Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" That was enough to birth the title, "Doubting Thomas."
For clarification, we need to take a quick glance at the whole story. We know that Mary Magdalene was the first witness to see Jesus. She then told the disciples. But when we see the first appearance of Jesus to the disciples, they were hidden away in the upper room -- afraid they were next! Let's be honest, women were not exactly to be believed by the men. Here is the truth of the matter. Jesus first appeared to a former hooker and then she told this group of fairly typical Jewish men that their Lord was not really dead but that he had risen. You don't think they questioned what she was saying? I would think that there might have been some doubt in their minds and one of the only differences between Thomas and the rest of Jesus' followers is that Thomas had the guts to speak up.
Thomas was not with them when Jesus arrived and so he wanted some proof. He was not an eyewitness as were the others. There was doubt in his mind but I don't think it was a doubt in his Lord. Maybe it was a doubt in the others. Remember an entire week had passed when this happens. Thomas needed a faith founded on fact that he himself had discovered. He just could not take anyone's word for it but had to see for himself and when he did he did not doubt but was a very faithful disciple.
His reaction to the risen Christ is also very profound as he addresses him as God. He says, "My Lord and my God." A powerful truth comes out of Thomas here. He knew that when he saw the risen Lord, he truly was encountering God. I don't think that he would ever forget that.
I know at times we really can identify with Thomas. We have doubts and we want to know something for ourselves. Sometimes no one's word is good enough, we just need to see and know for ourselves. Is this not having faith? I don't think so. What faith is greater: the one that never doubts or the faith that doubts and investigates and believes? We see examples throughout history of people who doubted and some even went as far as to try to disprove Christ. Sometimes the people who doubt the most and then come to belief are the most energetic Christians and love to tell others about what they have found.
When we have doubts or when we hear about doubting Thomas, let's remember that he was so much more than a doubter. He was one who needed to find out for himself, needed to search for the truth, and needed to believe not because of other people's words but because God revealed it to him. We can trust others but let us search. Let us be like Thomas in his dedication to Christ, in his desire to really know for himself this risen Lord. I think Thomas really fits what Josh McDowell once said, "My heart cannot rejoice in what my mind rejects."
In closing I would go back to John 20:29, when Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway." The last sentence, the very last word, should leave the message embedded in our hearts. It should be clear in our memory. It should be received as simple, clear, and unforgettable. Who has the last word and what is it to be? Another gospel writer may have left things differently with some moralizing observation but not John. True to the inspiration that informed this gospel, that word has taken up residence in John's heart and soul, John gives the last word to the Good Shepherd who has laid down his life for his friends. The Son of God brings this story to its conclusion with his beatitude concerning spiritual seeing. Standing in the midst of his disciples in whom he had breathed his very self, he pronounces this once and for all blessing, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway."
And what is the ground for believing? John's entire gospel is a rejection of any ground of believing outside of Jesus himself. "Come and see" is Jesus' invitation to us all. Jesus stands in the middle of the disciples and Jesus stands in our midst as well and invites us all to join him in his ministry to the world. Truth be told, John's gospel is to be read and savored for us just as it was for Thomas who had questions.
This puts the Christian experience into proper perspective. It gives us in one short but succinct verse the whole message of John's gospel to us, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway." Amen.
