Faithful Doubts
John 20: 19-31
I have often wished I could talk with Thomas. Thomas, that stalwart disciple of Jesus, who followed him for three years, who was there at the feeding of the thousands, who was in the front pew at the Sermon on the Mount, who dined with Jesus and the risen Lazarus. Thomas, the follower of Jesus, one of the twelve who made up Jesus inner circle. Thomas, the disciple around whose neck history has hung the sign: Doubter.
Can you imagine the dynamics among the disciples concerning the genesis of this description?
“Thomas,” said one of the disciples, “where in the world have you been? You just missed him.”
“Missed who?”
“Him! Jesus! He was right here just a little bit ago.”
“Right! Jesus is dead. And we're in hiding. But he knew the secret knock so you guys let him in.”
“We didn't let him in. He just appeared in the room, right over there, beside the cooking pot.”
“Jesus just appeared? Sure.”
“No, he did! You just missed him.”
Thomas missed him. Thomas said, “When I see the nail holes in his hand and put my finger in them, when I put my hand in the wound on his side, that's when I'll believe he was here and I missed him.”
The scriptures don't tell us what Thomas felt. But do you get the sense, as do I, that Thomas went away from that encounter disillusioned? I think he did. I think he went away disillusioned and, perhaps, more than a little angry.
It's easy to forget exactly where Thomas stood in the pecking order of the disciples. There's not much said about him in the gospels. But when something was said it's important and it gives us a sense of the dedication of Thomas and the love he had for his Lord. It was Thomas who just three weeks before had declared his intention to die with Jesus. Remember! The disciples were telling Jesus not to go to Jerusalem because it was dangerous and they might kill him. It's Thomas who puts the backbone in the disciples: “Let's go, too, that we might die with him.”
“Jesus just appeared. Sure!”
“No, he did. You just missed him.”
Thomas loved Jesus. And Thomas was close enough to Jesus to challenge him. At the Last Supper it's Thomas who says to Jesus, “Lord, we don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about. How can we possibly know where you are going or how to follow you there after you are gone.”
And now Jesus was dead. Oh, Thomas had not seen the birth certificate, but he'd heard from those who'd witnessed things and Thomas knew that Jesus, whom he had fervently believed was going to bring in his kingdom, was dead. Thomas was brokenhearted; Thomas was angry; Thomas was at a loss to find any meaning in life.
The great theologian Frederick Buechner once said, “Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don't have any doubts you are either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.”
We have doubts. It's foolish not to have empathy with Thomas.
And after experiencing the week we have just passed through, I'm sure there are many who are as disillusioned today as Thomas was then.
In Alabama, a tornado that was a mile wide stayed on the ground for hours. That same storm system spawned another one that obliterated the town of Ringgold, exactly thirty-three miles from where we sit.
In Ringgold this morning there are people who are not going to church. There are people who are sorting through the rubble that used to be their life, looking for anything that will reaffirm the efforts of a lifetime have not been in vain. There are people in Ringgold this morning sitting on the trunk of a downed tree looking out over what used to be, who are not only disillusioned but a wondering, after a lifetime of going to church, praying daily, following the teachings of Jesus, where was God when that horrible funnel cloud reached down and destroyed whole towns and sucked away the lives of hundreds.
Our community is filled with disillusioned and doubting people today. Maybe some of them are in this sanctuary right now. We have all been brought up against the reality of how fragile is our life on this earth. We have all been reminded of what's important. And we have been reminded of what is not important.
Thomas came back to the Upper Room a week later. Jesus came back that day, too. Jesus said, “Peace be with you.” And then he invited Thomas to put his finger in his palm and his hand in his side.”
“My Lord and my God.” Jesus then points out Thomas, as well as the other disciples, believe because they have seen and that those who have not seen but believe are blessed.
Dr. Thomas G. Long tells of a time he was pronouncing the benediction at a church where he'd been the guest speaker. He said, “The peace of Christ be with you all.” And immediately one little girl shouted, “He already is!”
I want to tell you something today and I want you to tell it to everyone you know who has been effected by last week's devastation: In that week between Thomas missing Jesus and his finally seeing him, the peace of Christ was already with him. And in that time between today's disillusionment and tomorrow's determination the peace of Christ is already with us. And even in the times of our doubt, the peace of Christ is with us.
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i also need to remember that~~thank you
Posted by: wondering.......... | May 09, 2011 at 05:27 AM