Now
Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The
other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
So
he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my
finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not
believe.”
And
after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.
Jesus
came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then
He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach
your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be
unbelieving, but believing.”
And
Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20: 24-28)
 |
| http://andersontgraves.blogspot.com/2014/04/blessed-are-doubters.html |
On Resurrection Sunday evening, Thomas was off doing his own
thing while all the other disciples where holed up in a locked room afraid that
the either the Temple guards or the Romans were going to come get them, too.
When the other disciples finally found Thomas and told him
about Jesus appearing to them, Thomas said, “Yeah, right.”
And Peter was probably like, “Nah,
Thomas. For real. I saw Him with my own eyes. I touched His hands where the nail prints
where. Andrew put his hand in the spear
wound in His side. At first we thought
it was a ghost or something. But He ate food right in front of us.
You gotta believe us.
It was Jesus, alive and in the
flesh.”
And Thomas said, “I ain’t gotta believe YOU. I’m not just gonna take your word for
something like this. “
Thomas had questions.
Thomas had doubts. Thomas wanted answers and assurances that didn’t
depend on his grief-crazed friends who had collectively betrayed, denied, and
abandoned Jesus, AND called the female disciples crazy when they came Sunday
morning with the first story about a resurrection.
It was Mary Magdalene,
Joanna, Mary the mother of
James, and the other women with
them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them
like idle tales, and they did not believe them. (Luke 24: 10, 11)
We fault Thomas for his doubts.
I think we need to cut Thomas some slack.
Because John 20: 26 says that 8 days later Thomas was with
the other apostles in Galilee when Jesus showed up again.
A week later, why was Thomas with a bunch of guys he didn’t
believe.
Thomas wasn’t with the disciples despite his doubts.
Thomas was with the other disciples BECAUSE OF his doubts.
Thomas spent the next week with the other apostles because
Thomas was seeking answers to his questions about the resurrection.
Thomas walked from Jerusalem to a rallying point in Galilee because
Thomas had doubts was seeking certainty.
Thomas
Thomas was a skeptic who was willing to be convinced IF his
believing friends could lead him to a place where he would encounter Jesus for
himself.
I appreciate Thomas.
I like Thomas.
I was Thomas.
I didn’t come to Jesus in a church. I wasn’t led to salvation by a preacher.
I repented of my sins and received Jesus as my Lord and
Savior because two of my peers listened to my skeptical questions and acknowledged
my agnostic doubts. They didn’t just
shove clichés down my throat and order me to “have faith.” They opened the scripture to me and led me to
where I could find the answers for myself.
They walked with me and let me walk with them as they walked in the way
of Christ.
And all of the spiritually empty years I’d spent in church,
that was all I’d wanted----- I’d been asking but no one had answered. I’d been seeking but no one had been willing
to help me find. I’d been knocking and
every one had told me to stop making so much noise.
They said, “You don’t question God.”
I replied, “I’m not.
I’m questioning you.”
“ I need to touch Him for myself. Until then, there’s no way I’m just going to
take YOUR word for it.”
Thomas went a whole week and many miles out of his way. He went everywhere his believing friends
went---- because the skeptic in church is in church to lose his
skepticism.
But he/ she isn’t just going to take your word for it.
Take time to listen, hear, and answer the doubters who keep
coming to you with questions.
Walk holy before the doubters and invite them to walk with
you to church, to Bible study, and to a coffee shop where you can just talk
about whatever.
Study. Prepare. Pray.
And LISTEN.
You might just lead a Thomas (or an Anderson) to the place
where he can encounter Jesus for himself.
Truth is---- that’s what they really want.
---Anderson T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer and
consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.
Rev. Anderson T.
Graves II is pastor of
Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of
the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization
(SAYNO) and director of rural leadership
development for the National Institute for Human Development (
NIHD).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
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Montgomery, AL 36116
