Considering Doubt
Text: John 20:19-31
After being in this pulpit for more than six years now, I’ve made the point on numerous occasions that the disciple Thomas has never gotten a fair shake. He has long been branded the “doubter” the unfaithful one who had to see and touch in order to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. We’ve taken this message that doubt is a sign of failing faith, and that we must be blindly loyal, and never ask any questions ever. Many of us were raised that way, let’s be honest.
For years we have used him as an example of how we should not doubt, but how we should simply believe stuff at face value, without asking questions. In Sunday school I was always one who asked all kinds of questions, much to the chagrin of my church school teachers. Not so much that they felt that I shouldn’t ask questions, but it was the kind of thing that if it wasn’t in the lesson plan, they’d be out of their depth. Sometimes the story of Thomas was brought up, because Thomas was put in such a bad light that nobody wanted to be a “doubting Thomas.”
But that does not do a bit of justice to Thomas. Not at all… because we’ve latched onto this one small component of the story and made that out to be the major point, the central focus, the one lesson that’s been drilled into our brains for much of our lives. Yet that is not the point that Jesus or John for that matter is trying to make.
Unfortunately, that branding has really kept us from learning anything from the story other than “Shut up and believe what we tell you.” We’ve gotten to the point that we have come to believe doubt is a sin. To put it simply, it seems as though there is no room for doubt within the church. And sadly, I have heard it said that if you are a person of faith, then there is no need to doubt. In their minds, to doubt is wrong. So like I said, Thomas gets a bad rap…but an undeserved bad rap.
That having been said, Thomas is portrayed in the gospel of John as one who asks questions… It’s not just in this passage alone… In earlier in the gospel, the questions he asks sets up the famous response from Jesus… “I am the way, the truth, the life.” Think about it, if Thomas never asked any questions how would we know any different? How would we learn something about God’s relation to us in Jesus? His questions lead towards revealing something more about who Jesus is, and expanding our understanding of God. Without his doubt and skepticism we would not have these opportunities to learn. We would be much worse off for it.
As much as Thomas is branded as a doubter, it’s not a fair label. Amongst the disciples he was probably one of the most loyal. In the first of the three places he is quoted in the Gospel of John, when they head towards the home of Lazarus, he expresses a willingness to go with Jesus, even if it means the powers-that-be might catch and kill them. If anything, Thomas was not afraid to die… after all, he wasn’t there on that first day of the week huddled in fear. Why? Because he wasn’t afraid to be out on the street… when everybody else was! Thomas was brave and loyal… but those are two qualities that are often completely overshadowed by this thing called doubt.
At no point is Thomas ever excluded or shut out because of his skepticism… despite how it sounds in English, Jesus does not even really reprimanded for not believing what the other disciples told him. Jesus simply says to him that his conditions are met, that he can believe… but that it’s not necessary for everyone to have the same personal experience that Thomas did in order to believe.
But Thomas is still very much an example to us. We don’t realize how critical a role he plays and that in fact he is truly an example to all of us.
So many of us are used to thinking of Thomas as “the doubter” and thinking of doubt as sin, that we miss the fact that Jesus does not reprimand him for his doubts. On the contrary, Jesus takes seriously what Thomas has said he needs to enable him to believe, and offers him just what he needed. Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt any longer, but believe.” (John 20:27).
And then Thomas answers him... and what does he say?
“My Lord and my God!”
It is the one statement made about Jesus in the entire gospel of John that isn’t debated. It’s less a discussion than it is a moment of revelation. Thomas’ skepticism has come through to a moment of clarity where he is able to proclaim something that nobody else is able to make. He gets it. He comprehends what has happened in a way maybe even more profound than those around him. Yet he would not have had that same profoundly deep revelation if he hadn’t walked through his own doubts to this point.
The lesson that we learn from Thomas is that Doubt is NOT the opposite of faith. Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is the opposite of faith, not doubt. It is not sinful to be asking questions. On the other hand, fear betrays a lack of trust in God, and in what God is doing. Buying into fear, and letting it rule our lives is not trusting God. Keep in mind that when the disciples first encounter Jesus without Thomas, they are huddled together out of fear. Thomas is out walking the streets. He may have doubts, but he certainly did not fear. Jesus has to say to the disciples on several occasions, “Do not be afraid!”
Like I said last week, Easter means that we do not have to be afraid anymore. We don’t have to be afraid of the questions… because in asking the questions we may well have that moment of clarity, where we can truly have the same revelation that Thomas makes, and see God working in our lives.
The problem is, we don’t know exactly when we will have that moment of clarity after having traveled through our own doubts. For Thomas it came when he encountered the living Christ with the community gathered together on the first day of the week. For most of us, it’s not going to be that obvious… maybe what we need to do is to not be afraid of asking questions… but at the same time not be afraid to open our eyes and see Jesus right in our own midst. I take it with a great deal of comfort, that in spite of whatever doubts we might have, God still loves us… and telling us we don’t have to be afraid anymore.
Amen.
After being in this pulpit for more than six years now, I’ve made the point on numerous occasions that the disciple Thomas has never gotten a fair shake. He has long been branded the “doubter” the unfaithful one who had to see and touch in order to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. We’ve taken this message that doubt is a sign of failing faith, and that we must be blindly loyal, and never ask any questions ever. Many of us were raised that way, let’s be honest.
For years we have used him as an example of how we should not doubt, but how we should simply believe stuff at face value, without asking questions. In Sunday school I was always one who asked all kinds of questions, much to the chagrin of my church school teachers. Not so much that they felt that I shouldn’t ask questions, but it was the kind of thing that if it wasn’t in the lesson plan, they’d be out of their depth. Sometimes the story of Thomas was brought up, because Thomas was put in such a bad light that nobody wanted to be a “doubting Thomas.”
But that does not do a bit of justice to Thomas. Not at all… because we’ve latched onto this one small component of the story and made that out to be the major point, the central focus, the one lesson that’s been drilled into our brains for much of our lives. Yet that is not the point that Jesus or John for that matter is trying to make.
Unfortunately, that branding has really kept us from learning anything from the story other than “Shut up and believe what we tell you.” We’ve gotten to the point that we have come to believe doubt is a sin. To put it simply, it seems as though there is no room for doubt within the church. And sadly, I have heard it said that if you are a person of faith, then there is no need to doubt. In their minds, to doubt is wrong. So like I said, Thomas gets a bad rap…but an undeserved bad rap.
That having been said, Thomas is portrayed in the gospel of John as one who asks questions… It’s not just in this passage alone… In earlier in the gospel, the questions he asks sets up the famous response from Jesus… “I am the way, the truth, the life.” Think about it, if Thomas never asked any questions how would we know any different? How would we learn something about God’s relation to us in Jesus? His questions lead towards revealing something more about who Jesus is, and expanding our understanding of God. Without his doubt and skepticism we would not have these opportunities to learn. We would be much worse off for it.
As much as Thomas is branded as a doubter, it’s not a fair label. Amongst the disciples he was probably one of the most loyal. In the first of the three places he is quoted in the Gospel of John, when they head towards the home of Lazarus, he expresses a willingness to go with Jesus, even if it means the powers-that-be might catch and kill them. If anything, Thomas was not afraid to die… after all, he wasn’t there on that first day of the week huddled in fear. Why? Because he wasn’t afraid to be out on the street… when everybody else was! Thomas was brave and loyal… but those are two qualities that are often completely overshadowed by this thing called doubt.
At no point is Thomas ever excluded or shut out because of his skepticism… despite how it sounds in English, Jesus does not even really reprimanded for not believing what the other disciples told him. Jesus simply says to him that his conditions are met, that he can believe… but that it’s not necessary for everyone to have the same personal experience that Thomas did in order to believe.
But Thomas is still very much an example to us. We don’t realize how critical a role he plays and that in fact he is truly an example to all of us.
So many of us are used to thinking of Thomas as “the doubter” and thinking of doubt as sin, that we miss the fact that Jesus does not reprimand him for his doubts. On the contrary, Jesus takes seriously what Thomas has said he needs to enable him to believe, and offers him just what he needed. Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt any longer, but believe.” (John 20:27).
And then Thomas answers him... and what does he say?
“My Lord and my God!”
It is the one statement made about Jesus in the entire gospel of John that isn’t debated. It’s less a discussion than it is a moment of revelation. Thomas’ skepticism has come through to a moment of clarity where he is able to proclaim something that nobody else is able to make. He gets it. He comprehends what has happened in a way maybe even more profound than those around him. Yet he would not have had that same profoundly deep revelation if he hadn’t walked through his own doubts to this point.
The lesson that we learn from Thomas is that Doubt is NOT the opposite of faith. Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is the opposite of faith, not doubt. It is not sinful to be asking questions. On the other hand, fear betrays a lack of trust in God, and in what God is doing. Buying into fear, and letting it rule our lives is not trusting God. Keep in mind that when the disciples first encounter Jesus without Thomas, they are huddled together out of fear. Thomas is out walking the streets. He may have doubts, but he certainly did not fear. Jesus has to say to the disciples on several occasions, “Do not be afraid!”
Like I said last week, Easter means that we do not have to be afraid anymore. We don’t have to be afraid of the questions… because in asking the questions we may well have that moment of clarity, where we can truly have the same revelation that Thomas makes, and see God working in our lives.
The problem is, we don’t know exactly when we will have that moment of clarity after having traveled through our own doubts. For Thomas it came when he encountered the living Christ with the community gathered together on the first day of the week. For most of us, it’s not going to be that obvious… maybe what we need to do is to not be afraid of asking questions… but at the same time not be afraid to open our eyes and see Jesus right in our own midst. I take it with a great deal of comfort, that in spite of whatever doubts we might have, God still loves us… and telling us we don’t have to be afraid anymore.
Amen.
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