What if Thomas Had No Doubts?

“But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 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.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” John 20:24-29

I have preached and preached on the idea of Thomas’ questioning of the events in the Upper Room on the day of the resurrection of Jesus. For whatever reason, Thomas was not with the other disciples. He obviously had another place to be – or he was so afraid that he just could not join the other disciples when they gathered that evening. But his absence puts the church on the path that I would say today has had a significant impact on the church. Our churches today are split on many issues: Baptism, Holy Communion, Biblical interpretation, revelation, and practice to name just a few. One of the more difficult splits, even within my own congregation, is the split between what I call the “Black and White” believers, and the “Grey” believers. The “Black and White” believers are the ones who believe everything they read in the bible because, well, it is in the bible. They do not want statistics and interpretations from archeology, carbon dating, and the like – the bible is the truth directly recorded from the hand of G-d – and there is no room for doubt. The “Black and White” believers stand with the ten disciples in the Upper Room who saw Jesus and celebrated. The “Grey” believers are the ones who read the bible, see the discrepancies that exist, listen to other voices and interpretations, give some space for the advancement of understanding of and in the world around us, and are seeking for more information, because, well they have some doubts. The “Grey” believers stand with Thomas in the Upper Room and say “I want to put my fingers in the nail marks”. What if Thomas didn’t doubt the other ten – believed them when they said they had seen the “Risen Lord”?

Well, if Thomas did not doubt their witness, he may not have been there the next Sunday as well. He may have simply believed their description and moved on with his life. If that were the case, we would have not that wonderful exchange between Thomas and Jesus – where Jesus says “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe”. For you see, Jesus blesses both kinds of believers. He blesses the faith of Thomas who needed more proof, and he blesses those who do not need more information. But the questions of Thomas give the “Grey” believers hope and encouragement that questioning, seeking and doubting are OK. Actually, it has been my experience that having questions and doubts leads people to a deeper faith.
I envy those who simply believe because it is in the book. Jesus blesses those who have not seen, or needed proof, and believe. But my faith journey has been more substantial because my mind does not work that way – like Thomas, I need more. And I feel blessed by the journey and the process.

Pastor Dave