Doubting Thomas

“Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So, the other disciples said to 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 into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’” John 20:24,25

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I too have been a “doubting Thomas”, I am ashamed to admit it, but it is true. It is sometimes difficult to truly grasp the unseen world that exists all around us. Our faith is often tested in our daily lives, and we can begin to doubt all that has been said, and prayed for, will actually materialize in our lifetime, while we are here on earth. It is important to try to understand why it is that we must keep our faith and what it means if we don’t.

When we doubt that the “word became flesh”, we doubt the very existence of our creator. We fall into a world where life itself is meaningless and full of pain and hopelessness. Jesus' willingness to come here to us in human form, and take on our sufferings, and become a living example for us to emulate is profound. As He says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” He is telling us to do as He does and treat others as we ourselves would be treated and to love not only our neighbors, but also our enemies. His teachings alone can give us a template on how to live our lives, not just in the ethereal sense, but in a real day to day reality.

During the three years of His ministry on earth, he performed miracles that amazed and quite literally scared those who were witnesses. Never in the time of man had anything like the miracles he manifested been seen before. He healed the sick, drove out demons, and walked on water, and calmed the wind. If we were to see those things today, the result would be much the same, we would be filled with awe and fear, and with the question, “Who is this man?”

If a man such as this were to say to you how you must live your life, would you not then do it? How could you deny what you had seen with your own eyes, those unexplainable things, those miracles? The power of God is unexplainable, but that makes it no less real, as Jesus says, “If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize (and understand) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” John 10:37,38

Thomas himself had been there and seen the miracles and works of Jesus. He was part of the chosen who were near Him and could speak with Him directly of things yet unknown to man. Here we are more than two thousand years later, and we still want to know more about Jesus Christ. Thomas had been witness to the crucifixion of Christ, and after his death, he could not bring himself to believe that Jesus had been resurrected, even though his closest friends were telling him it was true. How then, can we - two thousand years later, be expected to believe when we ourselves were not there to see Jesus perform miracles or die and be resurrected?

As it is written, “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’ John 20:29. Let all of us take our doubt and replace it with belief in our Lord Jesus. Let us believe that He was who he said he was, the son of God. Let us believe that He is the light of the world, and He can forgive us of our sin. Let us believe that He can work miracles in our lives, as insignificant as our lives may seem sometimes. Let us believe. Thanks be to God.

Yours In Christ,

Br. Michael