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From Doubting To Believing
1 Peter 1:3-11;
John 20: 19-31
April 3, 2005 (1st Sunday After Easter)
The Rev. Kong Namkung
One of my learning attitudes is to learn from others. I look at others’ good and bad sides. When I find something good in others, I try to adapt the good thing into my life. When I find something bad in others, I begin to see myself in the mirror of the person and find out about myself by asking, “Do not have that kind of undesirable thing in me?” rather than judge others. If I have something undesirable, then I ask God to cleanse me with His Spirit. If I do not have, which is rarely happen, I pray for the person.
Today we will study Thomas and how Jesus reached him out and gave him an assurance of the His resurrection. I pray that you and I may see ourselves in the mirror of Thomas.
Have you ever doubted about heaven, have you doubted about the crown of life that you will receive in heaven? or have you ever wished you could actually see Jesus, touch him, and hear his words? Are there times you want to sit down with him and get his advice? Thomas wanted Jesus’ physical presence because he doubted the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He said, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” (John 20: 25)
Before we go farther, I want to talk about Thomas. Who is Thomas? He was one of the twelve (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18, etc.). It is very interesting to note that from the circumstance that in the lists of the apostles he is always mentioned along with Matthew, who was the son of Alphaeus (Mark 3:18), and that these two are always followed by James, who was also the son of Alphaeus. He was also called Didymus (John 20:24), which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name. We do not know his family background, his educational level, social status, his profession, his habits and hobbies. But we have some information about Thomas from the Bible.
There are more mentions about Thomas in the fourth Gospel than any other books in the Bible. For example,
1. He was present at the raising of Lazarus. John 11:16. He was a companion of Jesus Christ.
2. He has Loyalty to Jesus. John 11:16, “and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him. Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him.” I think he was a faithful friend to Lazarus.
3. He asked Jesus the way to the Father’s house. John 14:4-5, “You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” He is very thoughtful person. If he had a question, he would ask it even when no one else would.
4. He was absent when Jesus first appeared to the disciples after the resurrection. John 20:24-25
5. He was skeptical of the resurrection. John 20: 25
6. He met Jesus after the resurrection. John 20: 26-29
7. He dwelt with the other apostles in Jerusalem. Acts 1:13-14, “And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaus, and Simon Zealots, and Judas the brother of James.
8. He wrote a book, apocryphal book, The Acts of Thomas, uses the literal meaning of his name (“twin”) in making him the twin of Jesus Himself! But my opinion is that you and I are twin to Thomas. Thomas and we are in the same boat. We are doubting and questioning too.
In this light, Thomas, so often remembered as “Doubting Thomas,” deserves to be respected for his faith. He was a doubter, but his doubts had a purpose—he wanted to know the truth. Thomas did not idolize his doubts; he gladly believed when given reasons to do so. He expressed his doubts fully and had them answered completely. Doubting was only his way of responding, not his way of life.
Why do people doubt?
1. Satan raises doubts within us. §Genesis 3:1-6 Satan tried to doubt Jesus’ own identity by saying, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” Jesus is the Son of God. But Satan said, “If you are the Son of God.”
2. We demonstrate a human perspective only. §Luke 1:18
Although our glimpses of Thomas are brief, his character comes through with consistency. He struggled to be faithful to what he knew, despite what he felt. At one point, when it was plain to everyone that Jesus’ life was in danger, only Thomas put into words what most were feeling, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16). He didn’t hesitate to follow Jesus.
We don’t know why Thomas was absent the first time Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection, but he was reluctant to believe their witness to Christ’s resurrection. Not even ten friends could change his mind!
Some people need to doubt before they believe. If doubt leads to questions, questions lead to answers, and the answers are accepted, then doubt has done good work. It is when doubt becomes stubbornness and stubbornness becomes a life-style that doubt harms faith. When you doubt, don’t stop there. Let your doubt deepen your faith as you continue to search for the answer.
In the Bible there are countless doubting people. For example, Genesis 17:17 Abraham and Sarah doubted when God told him he would be a father in old age. Exodus 3:10-15 Moses doubted when God told him to return to Egypt to lead the people. The Israelites doubted the presence of God when they faced difficulties in the desert. Judges 6:14-23 Gideon doubted God who told him to a judge and leader of Israel. Luke 1:18 Zechariah doubted when told he would be a father in old age.
I think it is a human nature to doubt about what we do not see, touch, and whatever that is beyond our imagination and our ability to understand. We can doubt without having to live a doubting way of life. Doubt encourages rethinking. Its purpose is more to sharpen the mind than to change it. Doubt can be used to pose the question, get an answer, and push for a decision. But doubt was never meant to be a permanent condition. Doubt is one foot lifted, poised to step forward or backward. There is no motion until the foot comes down.
When you experience doubt, take encouragement from Thomas. He didn’t stay in his doubt, but allowed Jesus to bring him to belief. Take encouragement also from the fact that countless other followers of Christ have struggled with doubts. The answers God gave them may help you too. Don’t settle into doubts, but move on from them to decision and belief. Find another believer with whom you can share your doubts. Silent doubts rarely find answers.
What do we learn from today’s scripture? There are two lessons.
1. Jesus does not reject or rebuke Thomas’ doubts that are honest and directed toward belief. Jesus wasn’t hard on Thomas for his doubts. Despite his skepticism. Our gracious Lord, Jesus, did not leave his disciples with doubt. But the risen Christ came to Thomas and showed himself to him. Jesus said, “Shalom.” The Bible says, “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” (Ps 103:10)
2. It is better for us to doubt out loud than to disbelieve in silence. When we doubt to believe, we are moving forward. When we are silent with disbelief, we are moving backward.
Thomas doubted the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He loved to touch and see the risen Christ. God’s plan is wiser. He has not limited himself to one physical body; he wants to be present with you at all times. Even now he is with you in the form of the Holy Spirit. You can talk to him, and you can find his words to you in the pages of the Bible. He can be as real to you as he was to Thomas. Some people think they would believe in Jesus if they could see a definite sign or miracle. But Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” (John 20:29) But if you still doubt, I want to tell you that we have all the proof we need in the words of the Bible, the testimony of all believers, and Jesus’ presence in your life. How could the disciples experience so many of Jesus’ miracles and yet be so slow to comprehend who he was? They had already seen Jesus feed over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish (Mark 6:35-44), yet here they doubted whether he could feed another large group.
Sometimes we are also slow to catch on. Although Christ has brought us through trials and temptations in the past, we don’t believe that he will do it in the future. Is your heart too closed to take in all that God can do for you? Don’t be like the disciples. Remember what Christ has done, and have faith that he will do it again. So go forth from this place and share the risen Christ with others. Peter Marshall said, “Let us never live another day as if Jesus were dead.” My beloved, brothers and sisters, He is risen! He is risen indeed! Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Benediction
1 Peter
1:3-11
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great
mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that
can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, 5 who through
faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that
is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all
kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith — of greater worth
than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved
genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is
revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though
you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your
faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that
was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11
trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of
Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and
the glories that would follow.
NIV
John 20:19-31
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were
together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among
them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his
hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending
you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive
them, they are not forgiven."
24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples
when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "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."
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them.
Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace
be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed
are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which
are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have
life in his name.
NIV
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