As we know by now all of the gospel writers have varying accounts about the events of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry particularly because they wrote the gospels for different readers or hearers and so they prioritized the events that they wrote about according to the message they wanted to share about Jesus. In addition the gospel writers also had different sources from which they gained the information although it is generally accepted that the gospel of Mark was a central source for the other three gospels especially Matthew and Luke.
With all this in mind as a reminder let us look at St John’s account of the first encounters with Jesus and his main group of disciples which undoubtedly included the original eleven.
We are introduced to them still locked in a room no doubt hiding away or as some could say ‘lying low’ because it is only the first few days after the resurrection of Jesus. Some have already seen him and know that he is alive but they are still locked away when he comes to them a second time. One disciple who was not with them the first time Jesus came to them in the room is now present. His name is Thomas and he had simply refused to believe their report that Jesus had come to them in that locked room. The name ‘doubting Thomas’ has since passed down throughout history in a less than endearing way.
Thomas, who had earlier said that he would not believe unless he had physical evidence of the risen Jesus, is really no different from most of us if we think carefully about it. Most of us if we are honest are ‘doubting Thomas’ who must have physical proof of something before we can accept it and this is naturally the human way of thinking. Belief in something or someone doesn’t happen naturally or easily. With this in mind let me ask you to reflect with me on these few thoughts.
- Our prior experiences can either hinder or enhance our willingness to believe.
It is obvious that these disciples were shattered emotionally and even psychologically by the events of the previous few days. A man they had put all their hope in was no longer with them. They had come to believe though hesitantly that he was indeed the Messiah and he was sent by God to teach them about Him yet now he was put on a Roman cross like any scoundrel totally powerless to help himself. They may not have said it out loud but they must have wondered if he was really sent from God or just a fake that they had come to believe in. You can well imagine the emotional turmoil these disciples had to undergo the first hours after his death on the cross. This is not the situation that would make them believe so readily in another Messiah. You can therefore understand Thomas’ hesitancy because as they say, ‘once bitten twice shy’. When we have been burnt or let down badly by someone or learned a lesson the hard way we are not only wiser but more sceptical of new ventures or people. We want to take our time slowly to see how things are going before we attach ourselves to new ideas and personalities who come into our lives. In this way it is self -preservation but it can also hinder one from taking advantage of opportunities or being blessed through others who God may want to bless us through.
- Belief in someone or something is for some people a transactional exercise.
You may notice that Thomas laid down his conditions for all to know. He was not going to gullibly accept what anyone else said. He must have proof. You may notice that he actually said in effect that unless this situation happens i.e. seeing Jesus’ hands and putting his hands into Jesus’ wounded side, he would not believe. Thomas in effect made a conscious decision not to believe unless these conditions were met. Can we now see how many of us are just like Thomas. We want proof. Proof is the opposite of faith. Many of us, although we are Christians still insist on having proof before we put our confidence and our trust in Jesus. Faith according to the writer of the Hebrews is “the assurance of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV) but we live in such a cynical and overly sceptical time that for most people what matters is what I can see. They will not believe in a God or in Jesus who they will claim that they have no proof of. What is this proof that they seek? It is entirely about what God has done or can do for them in this life. God must be some being like a genie who will always do what humans want or else we refuse to believe in this God.
- Belief must lead to acknowledgement of one’s faith in God.
When we are challenged to believe in something or someone, we are essentially putting our trust in that person or thing or principle. We do become vulnerable because we can of course be disappointed or feel unfulfilled by the thing or even the principles that you held on to. Believing in someone or something leads to actions on your part that demonstrate our commitment or devotion to that person or principle and it can be a huge disappointment when things don’t work out or the person doesn’t in the end prove to be who they said they were in the first place. This is why it’s so hard for people to believe and then commit to things and people in the first place. When you have come to the point of believing in something, your response is to acknowledge it. You must declare what that thing means to you. Thomas’ statement at the end after he had seen the proof he needed was to declare, “My Lord and my God!” (St. John 20:28 NIV) What a powerful declaration. I wonder if any of us have ever used those words or something near to that in our lives to tell others who Jesus is to you. When you believe in something you must declare it in word and action and that is the way to demonstrate your faith.
You may already realise that the two words belief and faith are quite similar in meaning. In fact, they share the same root word in the original Greek language which is ‘pistis’ which means, “to have faith in, to believe or to trust”. The word belief and faith are used as nouns and to believe is a verb. Generally as Christians we use faith in the context of having a set of beliefs, so we believe that we might have faith. Faith therefore is the end result of a series of actions that show one’s belief in something or someone or some principle or value. I don’t intend to get too technical here but the idea is that one comes to having faith by believing in something. Our faith in God is grounded in our belief that Jesus is the Son of God who came to take our sins away thus giving us the opportunity to have a new relationship with God through to eternity. What do you declare today? To what extent is your life an acknowledgement of your belief in Jesus’ saving work in you? None of us can truly say we have faith in God without a willingness to show it in our daily lives. As James said, “…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead.” (James 2:17 NIV)
May I encourage us friends all, to go from here with a renewed commitment to your belief in God, a belief that is not transactional but rooted in loving actions to humanity that are the living declaration of your faith. May God continue to bless us and equip us to be even more grounded in our faith in Him than ever before. Amen.