You can find the video here: https://www.facebook.com/RichlandNaz/videos/346512876396071
John 20:24-31
So – I really dislike – I immensely dislike the name we give Thomas , Doubting Thomas. I don’t think it to be fair. Peter and John get to see the empty tomb, Mary gets to run into Jesus in the garden and give Him a hug. All the other Disciples get to see Jesus for themselves and they believe. And we get on Thomas’ case Because he wasn’t there and tells them he’s not going to believe it till he sees Jesus and touches His wounds. It’s just not fair – not fair. Let’s read and hear what happened.
John 20:24-31 (NIV) Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 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.”
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!” 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.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
I want you to notice here that often times we get on Thomas’ case for something we probably shouldn’t. I want to deconstruct this here a bit.
First is that I don’t believe that I’ve found a definitive Scripture telling us Thomas’ doubting was sinful. I’m fairly certain that we don’t get on Mary’s case for thinking that Jesus’ body was stolen instead of resurrected. So the idea or thought that doubt is sinful is not accurate by biblical standards.
I am however, going to say this. What we do with doubt is what matters – and where we go with our doubt matters. Now, John has talked about and we have seen other examples in this account of the Gospel of the idea that seeing is believing – and Jesus doesn’t discredit that in what He says in response to Thomas.
In fact Jesus appears, I believe, simply for Thomas’ benefit. He appears in front of everyone else and invites Thomas to do exactly what Thomas had said he needed to do to believe. And when you think of Thomas’ initial response, how many of us wouldn’t demand some kind of proof that someone had risen from the dead?
When Jesus responds, He offers to Thomas exactly what Thomas had declared he needed to believe. And then, I believe without chastising His Disciple, Jesus adds a blessing for those who believe and don’t see, for those who will come to believe in Him after He ascends to heaven.
What does this teach us today? I believe that when our faith needs to be strengthened we can ask God to show Himself to us in a way that is affirming and strengthening.
And that brings me to this conclusion. When we doubt our faith, we have a source – no we have THE SOURCE of all sources – the Word of God. This is why I’ve said it’s not a bad thing to have doubt. Where do you go searching for answers? That is probably the most important part of this story – Thomas went to Jesus. He went to THE SOURCE and that is what we all need to do.