This morning the focus of our attention is drawn not to Jesus, but to the apostle Thomas and his response when his friends say we have seen the Lord. Thomas as you probably know replies with great doubt— I imagine Thomas kind of pompously announcing “well unless I see the mark of hands and put my hand in his side-- I will not believe.
The other day when I told Caden about Thomas and his request to put his hand in Jesus side he responded with was a quick—he said, “Eww—why would he do that?”
Because of the story today and Thomas’ questions about the resurrection –Thomas has become known as “doubting Thomas.”
In fact we have even popularized the term “doubting Thomas” and use it in everyday lingo. We use it to describe someone who is skeptical, who will not believe something without proof. We call that person a doubting Thomas.
Of course in reality we all have moments when we are doubting Thomas.
When you say to your wife did you lock the door? And she says yes—but you go check the door anyway. I’m afraid to say--Doubting Thomas.
When someone tells you something good- but you’re skeptical and say, “ uh, I want to see it with my own eyes—doubting Thomas.
Thomas’ doubt is only momentary—when Jesus arrives and Thomas sees him--- His doubt washes away— he pronounces with great faith--“My Lord and My God!”
Tradition tells us that doubting Thomas became a great exemplar of the faith—tradition says that Thomas brought the Gospel to as far away as India—In fact, there are Christians in India who call themselves “Mar Thoma Church” because they believe that Thomas, Thoma brought them the Gospel.
I would imagine – that when we are 100 percent honest with ourselves—there are times when doubt creeps in, Maybe sometimes we scratch our heads and doubt that God exists. Maybe sometimes we doubt the resurrection. Maybe we look at all the suffering, all the bad things that we do to one another and wonder how could a loving God exist and allow these things to occur.
Doubts exist in our lives our faith. And maybe that’s not a bad thing—because doubt can sometime be an impetus for exploring our faith and our questions more deeply—doubt sometimes propels us to drop to our knees in prayer what’s going on here—give me something, God. Doubt might drive us to tear into our bibles study Holy Scripture more in depth—doubt may drive us to ask questions and wrestle with answers.
Just the other day we had a very mature conversation at our dinner table about why a loving God might allow bad things to happen. And that conversation in some way sprang from a doubt that one of us had.
William Irwin a philosophy professor from King’s College wrote an amazing article this week for the New York Times entitled God is a Question, Not an Answer.” 1
One of the things that Irwin writes about in his article is that we all exist along a “continuum of doubt.” Irwin postulates that sometimes we might slide closer along the continuum toward certainty about the existence of God while at other times we might slide in the other direction. And that is all right to be less certain.
What Irwin says is important that “we respect anyone who approaches question[s] honestly and with an open mind. And that respect begins with ourselves that we no longer beat ourselves up for our doubts, we don’t feel guilty and we don’t beat each other up for what might look like a lack faith— it’s alright to have doubts.
If we can embrace Irwin thoughts then perhaps doubt is not an enemy of our faith but perhaps doubt is something that might in fact strengthen our faith or deepen our relationship with God —but I think doubt can only be of assistance when we wrestle with and tear into it-- when engage it honestly.
I think we have we take our doubt to prayer—we have to cry out to God or shake our fist and say “Lord I believe help my unbelief. We have to ask the questions and wrestle with those questions. I also think that we have to have holy patience with ourselves and the other. That God works in God’s time and not our own time. I also think we have to embrace that one of the qualities of God is that God is hidden
Irwin says that God doesn’t make it easy to know that he exist.s Irwin says God is “deus absconditus.”
I guess Bertrand Russell a famous philosopher was once asked if he met God on judgement day how would he respond about why he didn’t believe in God. Bertrand responded, “You gave us insufficient evidence.”
God’s presence is not always obvious and sometime faith takes leaps—that sometimes we will have to trust that the door is in fact locked and that we cannot check that door for ourselves. Jesus even alludes to that hiddeness at the end of the Gospel when he says blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. That on this side of life we don’t get the whole picture—that’s simply part of faith.
I just hope that on the other side—we get a few more answers.
God may often be hidden and we may have doubts—I think the Gospel today helps us to see that it is alright to have doubts—for Jesus doesn’t call down lightning bolts or chastise Thomas for unbelief, but rather Jesus reaches out his hand in love and says look here—He lifts up his shirt and say look her. Jesus reminds us that God cares and that maybe God is a question and that our faith grows as we wrestle with our doubts and wrestle with God--- but we just have to wrestle with our doubts. We have to ask the questions—because without the questions there cannot be answers.
AMEN
1 http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/26/god-is-a-question-not-an-answer/?_r=0
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