Sunday April 15, 2012 Sermon
John 20:19-31
Frederick Buechner, in his book “Wishful Thinking” said,
Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don't have any doubts you are either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.
Perhaps that’s why I always moving and jumping around….
Would you believe if I told you that I could put these two paperclips together without touching them? Using a dollar bill and placing the paperclips in the dollar bill and pulling on the ends of the bill until the dollar bill was fully extended… and wala… the paperclips are completely together without touching them. Now do you believe it?
Prayer:
I have to say… in all honesty… I really struggled this week in how I was going share our gospel story. We hear this story most every year and it seems that when I’ve preached or have heard sermons about doubting Thomas, I have or others have looked at this story and focused on the “Not having Faith” part of what Jesus tells Thomas. That somehow doubting Thomas is really not a very faithful person. I struggle because in many ways I’m just like Thomas… I need proof. This is however, a common understanding of this story. Nevertheless, as I looked at this story and reflected… I’m not so sure… I have some doubts… sometimes too many doubts about this common understanding.
I have a confession to make… there are times in my journey of faith that I doubt many aspects of my faith. Gasp… the truth be told and if we are honest with ourselves… many of you have doubts as well. And I want to tell you it’s ok… there you have it… the pastor who has doubts and said it’s ok to doubt!
This story is but one of those where my doubts occur. You can read throughout the Bible and see where the people of God doubted God and God’s goodness, and sought for God to prove it to them. Even in the New Testament, I mean… if we just looked at the gospels… I’m struck by the fact that not one of Jesus’ closest friends, those who knew him best, those who heard first-hand his predictions and promises even greeted Him with words like… “I knew it was true”… “Jesus, we were expecting you”… “Welcome back Jesus.” Not one of them said anything like this… not one of them believed Jesus was coming back. Not one of them could believe what they saw when Jesus showed himself. They’re in a locked room fearing for their lives!
I’ll bet… in large part the Christian community, perhaps even some of you doubt parts of your faith… like Thomas… like me. For many of us… doubt has been taught as the opposite of faith, something to fear, something to be ashamed of, and not very Christian. After-all, if you doubted you couldn’t be Christian… or at the very least a nominal Christian.
Today I want to focus on 1 word found in 2 verses of our story.
That word is “Believe”…
The Greek word for “Believe” is “pistos” meaning… “faithful”…. “trustworthy”… “reliable.” Often translated as… “one being faithful.”
You may say… well ok… but the understanding of the word “believe” in Jesus’ day was much different than is our understanding of the word “believe.” Our modern understanding of believe is one of proof. If you told me you bought a new car and I said I didn’t believe you, and you drove it to my house to show me, I now believe you because you proved it by showing me. You believed that 2 paper clips can come together without touching them because you saw me do it. Our modern understanding of belief is founded in a structure and system of proving something has happened…. I see… so I believe.
Belief in Jesus’ day was understood as one of trust or a disposition of the heart. A person could simply not believe distinct from trust, loyalty, and love. It was a cultural norm and understanding of trust. So when Jesus says to Thomas, “Have you believed,” he’s really asking, “Have you trusted.” Please take notice of theis word... it will come back.The question for Thomas was not, “Do you believe in the resurrection?” But, more profoundly, “Do you trust in the resurrection?”
What are we to make of this? I’d like to share some thoughts…
There will always be doubt.
Doubt has always been a part of humanity. From the very beginning doubt was born in the garden when Adam & Eve doubted God’s goodness… and they sought proof and the evil one proved it for them. The first couple doubted God knew what was best for them. From this time on, humanity has sought to know what is best and to prove it. There couldn’t be aspects of life that could be taken from just faith. Humanity had to have proof.
Doubt isn’t a bad thing… it’s the place where we feel unsure… the place of discernment. Doubt allows us space to look at the possibilities and where faith can be nurtured. Doubt can help us think through the challenges… after-all God did give us a mind… and to come up with meaningful understandings. Doubt becomes an issue when we fore-sake faith for reality.
Faith is where Doubt & Reality intersect.
Jesus told Thomas to touch his wounds. Touch my hands… touch my side… and Thomas felt reality… Jesus’ body. Jesus did a number of miraculous signs… not to show off, but demonstrate how reality and doubt can intersect with faith. That God could use real and substantial methods to use doubt and reality to intersect faith.
Back to the paperclips… I would have never believed 2 paperclips could come together without touching them… till I saw. Jesus knew what he was asking his friends to believe would at times be hard to grasp… that’s why Faith needed Doubt & Reality to flourish. And when that happens… you get confession… “My Lord, and My God.”
Doubt and Faith = Grace
Thomas, despite doubting and needing to see before believing, and despite Jesus honoring Thomas’ request… Jesus offered grace. Grace is not in Jesus’ question of Thomas’ belief… Jesus is not shaming Thomas… Jesus is asking for Thomas’ trust…
Thomas says, “My Lord, and My God.
For Jesus it is a “Trust” issue. Thomas, do you trust me? In John chapter 21… Jesus asks Peter the same thing. Not in a condemning or shameful way, but in a grace-filled way. Thus… Doubt and Faith brought Grace to Thomas… it can do the same for us as well.
Is there room in our faith journey for doubt? If this is true, perhaps that's where we discover grace.
Peter Rollins, an Irish Theologian, was asked,
Do you deny the resurrection?
He responds, “Without equivocation or hesitation I fully and completely admit that I deny the resurrection of Christ. This is something that anyone who knows me could tell you, and I am not afraid to say it publicly, no matter what some people may think…
I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection of Christ when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and lend my support to an unjust and corrupt system.
However there are moments when I affirm that resurrection, few and far between as they are. I affirm it when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees, when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed.”
Is this where we affirm our doubt? Is there doubt when we don’t lend a hand to those suffering? Do we not doubt when we do stand for the hurting and oppressed? When we speak for those who can’t… is this where doubt lies?
In Mark 9… is astory of a child with an evil spirit and his father wanting Jesus to heal him… Jesus asks the man if he believes and in Vs 24… Immediately the father of the child cried out, "I believe; but help my unbelief!" at that point Jesus brings healing… and according to Peter Rollins… the resurrection has come.
So… I leave you with the question; in our journey of faith, does faith have room for doubt? YES and YES
See You Out on the Road.
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