Be Honest About Your Doubts
Thomas said to him, “Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:5-7)
One of the most maligned characters in Christian history is the disciple identified in today’s key passage as Thomas. His name is often prefaced with the adjective “doubting” which describes the way in which he constantly appears in Scripture, questioning or voicing his uncertainty about the plans of Jesus Christ.
The problem with Thomas isn’t that he’s unwilling to fight and die for Jesus. Christian tradition shows that he is. The issue is that he just needs everything proven or explained to him, because until he is convinced, he is not going to blindly go along.
What I like about Thomas is that he’s not ashamed to express his doubts. When Jesus foreshadows His departure and says that His disciples know the way to where he is going, Thomas responds, “Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
I do not know why Thomas didn’t know the answer to that question. Perhaps he missed class that day, like he missed Jesus’ appearance in John chapter 20 after Jesus’ resurrection, leading Thomas to proclaim, “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.”
But whatever the reason, at least Thomas had the courage to express the uncertainty in his mind and the fear in his heart. At least he had the temerity and boldness to express his reservations, rather than feeling like he had to put on a front just to be a disciple in Jesus’ circle. He wasn’t afraid to be honest about how he felt and what he was going through, and neither should we.
We could all learn a lesson from Thomas in that we shouldn’t be ashamed to have doubts. But when we have those doubts, we should bring them to our Heavenly Father and ask Him to give us the faith we need to overcome the doubt.
One of the most maligned characters in Christian history is the disciple identified in today’s key passage as Thomas. His name is often prefaced with the adjective “doubting” which describes the way in which he constantly appears in Scripture, questioning or voicing his uncertainty about the plans of Jesus Christ.
The problem with Thomas isn’t that he’s unwilling to fight and die for Jesus. Christian tradition shows that he is. The issue is that he just needs everything proven or explained to him, because until he is convinced, he is not going to blindly go along.
What I like about Thomas is that he’s not ashamed to express his doubts. When Jesus foreshadows His departure and says that His disciples know the way to where he is going, Thomas responds, “Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
I do not know why Thomas didn’t know the answer to that question. Perhaps he missed class that day, like he missed Jesus’ appearance in John chapter 20 after Jesus’ resurrection, leading Thomas to proclaim, “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.”
But whatever the reason, at least Thomas had the courage to express the uncertainty in his mind and the fear in his heart. At least he had the temerity and boldness to express his reservations, rather than feeling like he had to put on a front just to be a disciple in Jesus’ circle. He wasn’t afraid to be honest about how he felt and what he was going through, and neither should we.
We could all learn a lesson from Thomas in that we shouldn’t be ashamed to have doubts. But when we have those doubts, we should bring them to our Heavenly Father and ask Him to give us the faith we need to overcome the doubt.
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