Tonight’s family service looked at the subject of doubt and faith.
‘Doubting Thomas’ is perhaps unfairly known as the disciple who doubted Jesus’s resurrection (see John 20:24-29), and it seems he struggled with pessimism, melancholy and doubt. What is so encouraging, however, is that Jesus’s group of disciples included so many different personalities and all were valued and loved by Him.
Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them after the resurrection, and he struggled to believe this incredible story. Jesus did not reject him for his doubt, however, but gave him the opportunity to see and experience his presence for himself. Doubt in itself is not the end of the world; what matters is that we learn to bring all our doubts to God and move from doubt to faith. We don’t have to suppress doubt and pretend it’s not there; we have to be as open and honest as Thomas was, but we also have to be like Thomas in that when God speaks to us, we have to be prepared to change.
God is not scared of our questions and the Bible encourages us to be open, honest and real as we approach God (see Ps 13:1-2; Ps 89:46; Hab 1:2-3). He may not always answer our questions (as Job discovered!), but a real, personal encounter with God as experienced by both Job and Thomas is enough to move us from doubt to faith.
Thomas is traditionally believed to have sailed to India in AD 52 to spread the Christian faith, and is believed to have landed at the port of Muziris, where there was a Jewish community at the time. He is believed to have been martyred there and is known as the ‘apostle of India’… not a bad epitaph for someone we usually refer to as ‘Doubting Thomas’!
Next week, several of us will be in India ourselves, experiencing a mission trip for the first time. And whilst I’m not saying that Thomas ever went to Bangalore, the mere fact that there is a thriving church today in India is partly down to the fact that Thomas was transformed from a doubting, pessimistic, fearful man into a faith-filled believer who was prepared to leave his comfort zone and preach the gospel to people who had never even heard of Jesus Christ. There is no limit to what God can do with our fearful, doubting hearts. When we encounter God in His majesty and power, in His brokenness and mercy, when we see God afresh as Thomas did, we too can be transformed. All of us can be used by God in ways that defy logic, astound our questioning hearts and bring glory to God. As we bring our questions and doubts, our hurt and confusion to God, He is able to meet with us in ways that have repercussions all down through history. Doubt doesn’t have to have the last word. Faith can rise. As Jesus said to Thomas, so He says to us: ‘Stop doubting and believe.’ (Jn 20:27) When we do this, God will do far more than we can ask or imagine!