We have been talking a lot lately about the differences between faith and knowledge. Where does doubt fit in to the Christian walk. Here are thoughts from a sermon I preached a few years ago about doubting Thomas. Check it out.
John 20:24-31
You know, you can call me a rebel without a clue if you want, but I think that the disciple Thomas – known to church tradition as “Doubting Thomas” has received a bum rap. In church tradition, Sunday School, even VBS, Thomas is portrayed as a villain. But let’s look at the story.
The Crucifixion was a very ugly event, and very disheartening to Jesus' closest followers. The disciples very afraid in the upper room (gathered to lick one another’s wounds) – the crucifixion was not what they expected. It was not what anyone expected. They felt abandoned, maybe even a little betrayed. Thomas, for whatever reason, was not with the disciples when they saw Jesus after the resurrection. All he wanted was the same experience that the other disciples had. No more, no less.
Can doubt and faith co-exist in the human heart? This is an important question. For anyone living in the real world today, no matter how strong their faith, doubts must occur. When we consider all that goes on in our world, how can we not have doubts? So often the power of God and the redemptive love of Christ seem so distant from the world in which we live, it would almost seem insane not to have at least the occasional doubts. This has been true of some of the great religious leaders in history.
And that is why, I propose an alternate reading of the story of Thomas this morning. Not one that vilifies him for having doubts, but instead one that sees in his story a model for how we deal with the inevitable questions that all thinking people must wrestle with. Thomas experienced doubt, and that is true. I mentioned previously that Jesus turned out to be not what anyone expected or hoped for – he was beyond human imagination. And perhaps Thomas felt a little abandoned. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt in the deep recesses of your heart that God had left alone to survive in this cruel world alone? If you have, you are not alone. Doubt has a long tradition in the Christian faith. In fact, I would like to go even one step further – I would like to show how doubt was not only a part of Thomas religious experience, it was also a part of his faith tradition. The psalmist expressed the doubts of the people of Israel (read Psalm 22:1-5 for a specific example). Jesus quoted this psalm from the cross. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? We have all felt that way at one time or another, haven’t we? We have all prayed to God for something at some point in our lives – we have shared with God how we would define success or victory. And we have been disappointed with God’s response. In my years of ministry, I have heard a multitude of stories that have caused people to doubt God’s grace and presence in their lives. Usually related to their desire for their life and God’s seeming unwillingness to accommodate those desires.
Doubt, as you might expect, is defined in technical terms as, “To be undecided or skeptical about; to tend to disbelieve; distrust, to regard as unlikely.” And this definition is sufficient – as far as it goes. But, I want to suggest to you this morning that in terms of the life of faith, doubt has a deeper, more meaningful expression. The question for Christians is not whether we will be skeptical or distrustful about the truth of God. The real question is how do we believe in the power of the resurrection in the midst of the trials and tribulations of life? How do we declare with our lives that Christ is risen when the idea of resurrection itself is contrary to our expectations? That is the dilemma that Thomas faced. It is not that he doubted God’s power to raise Jesus, for he witnessed Jesus raise Lazurus. Thomas' struggle with the idea of the Jesus’ resurrection was that it completely redefined the way that he understood the power of God. This was an entirely new way to understand the way that God related to his people.
And that is the challenge of faith – overcoming our need to define how life should be and allowing God redemptive work to occur.
This past weekend, a group of people went down to Mexicali to do some work at the Methodist Church in that city. This was my first time with LOTC. A few doors down from the church we were staying at is a place called the Hotel Nuevo Pacifico. I was warned before we arrived that prostitutes use this bar to conduct their business. I tought I was prepared. However, when we arrived at the church, I saw a young woman, not more than 14 years old, standing in the doorway of the bar,with a faraway look in her eyes. She was dressed to accentuate her physical traits. At first, I felt a bit like Thomas, struggling to believe in the authority of a loving God in the midst of such human tragedy. And then I realized – that girl was Thomas, trapped in her own fear and loathing and the life that resulted – waiting for someone, anyone, to make real to them the power of the resurrection. They were waiting for someone to reveal to them – as Christ did for Thomas – the true power of the hope of the resurrection. I did not know how to respond.
Can doubt and faith co-exist in the human heart? Of course they can. We have all experienced doubts; we have all felt abandoned by God. And our doubts can serve as an invitation – a wake up call of sorts – to bring us to the place where we present our doubts before God. For resurrection does not occur once we have overcome our doubt, it occurs in the midst of our doubt. Resurrection does not occur once we have achieved a certain level of holiness – it is the gift from God that makes us holy. Resurrection does not mean no doubt – it means new life. And that is the experience that Jesus invites us to - every day of our lives. He invites to allow the power of the resurrection to transform our lives, to make of them something new, even in the face of our doubts. The invitation is there for us all. Jesus is waiting to reveal himself to us as the resurrected Christ. Will toy present your doubt to him? Will you allow him to redefine how you understand what is important and meaningful? Will you follow Thomas to the upper room?
