Disbelieving Didymus (04/04/08)

Warren Sentinel "Weekly Pulpit" (04/0408)

This past Sunday countless sermons focused on one of Jesus' disciples, a guy we frequently refer to as “Doubting Thomas”.   Such is this poor guy's reputation that even people who have never opened a Bible say things like, “Don't be such a Doubting Thomas!”  You can read the full account of Jesus' post resurrection appearance to Thomas and the other disciples in chapter 20 of the Gospel of John.

Here's my quick summary:  Thomas hadn't been with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them following his resurrection.  When they told Thomas about Jesus' visit, he told them that he would not believe unless he saw Jesus' wounds and touched them for himself.  Seven days later, Jesus appeared once again to his disciples and when he did, he told Thomas to look at his wounded hands and to touch the wound on his side so that he would stop disbelieving and begin believing. The Bible doesn't tell us if Thomas actually did either of these things or whether he just immediately responded to Jesus' presence and words with his proclamation of faith, “My Lord and my God!”

You see, this story is not about doubt, but about transformation. Thomas was transformed from someone who didn't believe in the resurrection of Jesus to someone who proclaimed Jesus to be his “Lord and God.”  Disbelieving was transformed into believing. Although many of our English translations quote Jesus as saying “Stop doubting and believe”, a more accurate translation actually is “Stop unbelieving and believe.” It wasn't that Didymus was a “Doubting Thomas” it was that he didn't believe!

But this story also isn't primarily about Thomas.  By focusing on Thomas we risk taking our eyes off of the most important person in this story, Jesus.  Jesus was aware of Thomas' disbelief.  Jesus didn't chastise or punish Thomas for his disbelief.  Jesus didn't shun or reject Thomas for his disbelief.  And Jesus didn't mock or in any way belittle Thomas for his disbelief.  Instead, Jesus met Thomas right where he was at and gave him exactly what he needed to believe. And Thomas believed.

Those of us who join Thomas in declaring Jesus to be “our Lord and our God” have a wonderful opportunity to do as Jesus did when it comes to dealing with doubt and disbelief.  Like Jesus we have an opportunity to incarnate (flesh out) the Gospel so that those who doubt and disbelieve can see and touch it and be touched by it in meaningful ways.  In so doing, and by God's grace, their doubting and disbelieving may, like Thomas', be transformed into believing.

I encourage you seek out opportunities to live out the Gospel in very tangible, life-giving ways.  Talk to the pastor in your local church about opportunities to do this. Or visit the website of the Front Royal Warren County Ministerial Association (www.frwcma.org) for additional information about local organizations (such as C-CAP, House of Hope, and St. Luke's Clinic) who are actively serving our community.