Verse:
So the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.
Thought:
As far as he knew, it was all over and he found he understood
less and less. His teacher was gone, his strength diminished.
Thomas was beside himself, maybe that is why he was not around when Jesus
returned to the disciples. Later, Thomas was told Jesus was back, and
instead of words of excitement coming from his mouth, we hear the words of
hurt and doubt. Unless .... , I will never believe. Friends, this
is doubt, but never mistake it for disbelief. Doubt is the bridge from
disbelief to faith. Doubt and faith are like brothers and sisters, close
but extremely different. Doubt is hope. Disbelief is no.
Doubt is an open door. Disbelief is a door locked.
Hear the Good News, Christ is a matter of faith. Like Thomas, we
too struggle with knowing, understanding and experiencing His as we would
like. So often, our head and heart are locked up in a battle of what is
right, what is true and what makes sense. Following His resurrection,
the disciples were a mess. They had followed and been the beneficiaries
of the physical manifestation of God upon the earth, God in their midst.
And like a storm which appears out of no where, their teacher, was taken from
them, Jesus' presence and life. Certainly the disciples were aware of
the increasing conflict, but they believed they were in the presence of The
Messiah. This was their faith. Their head and their hearts were
working together until He was taken. They had moved from faith to
doubt. Thomas, who knows where he was. Upon the death of Jesus, he
may have been to the point of disbelief. Here we are.
Whether or not we are at a place of doubt, disbelief or faith, we must
understand there is movement from each of these places. This movement is
based upon our experience of Christ. Two extremes are illustrated in
both Peter and Thomas. Peter knew who Jesus was, yet he did not know
what to believe after Jesus' death, yet upon hearing of the empty tomb, he
ran, with John to see, to believe. Thomas, upon hearing of the risen
Christ, demanded more. Perhaps Peter had gone from belief and faith to
doubt, while Thomas had gone from faith and hope to disbelief. When the
two heard the good news, Peter went from doubt to faith and hope, finally
experiencing assurance through the experience. Thomas, on the other
hand, goes from disbelief to hope, but he still needs more. Who knows
where we are all at in our understanding of Jesus. There is something we
must understand as we shape our faith and hope. Our foundation of
Christ, our experience with
Christ is really three things:
It's A Mystery - We are not expected to fully understand, just believe. (1
Cor 2:11)
It's Relational Thomas needed the touch, the sight, the experience, that
is how we are wired.
It's Active Go, and I will meet you. (MT 28:10)
Be children of hope and of Faith.
Prayer:
Gracious God, I want to praise You, because of Jesus I have hope for life and living. I do believe, please help my unbelief. You are so difficult to understand, but then I have a hard time understanding myself. Strengthen my faith, that I might be able to share You with others. Thank You for all You have done and all You continue to do. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Grace & Peace
David Banks
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