A DOUBTING DISCIPLE

JOHN 20:24–25

“Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe”

(John 20:25).

The disciple Thomas is representative of so many in the church today. Unless they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and touch with their hands, they will not believe. Their faith is weak, and as a result they are stubborn, restless, and “most pitiable” (1 Cor. 15:19). Despite the manifold testimonies of his friends, Thomas would not believe that his Lord had risen from the dead. He wanted to believe. He, like others, was crushed when Jesus was crucified. But he would only believe on certain conditions. In particular, he wanted to touch the hands that had been nailed to the cross and the side that had been pierced. Many a man might try to pretend he was his Teacher, so he wanted to be sure. He wanted to see the marks of suffering that no one else could bear.

Before you judge Thomas too harshly, imagine yourself in his place. He had followed Jesus for years. He had loved Him, devoted his life to Him, and suffered ridicule for Him. Then one night, Jesus is arrested and tried, condemned to die a most excruciating and humiliating death. Thomas was overwhelmed by grief. Maybe it was on account of his grief that he was not present with the other disciples. Maybe he could not bear to be with other people and so he hid himself away in some lonely place. We obviously don’t have the answers, but we do know that he was greatly distraught and his faith suffered on account of that grief.

Most everyone struggles with doubts, especially after a crisis. Unless we see something come to pass, we cannot believe it will happen, we cannot have hope, we cannot have faith. But faith is “evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). It is hoping for that which God has promised in His Word even though we see no evidence of it. It is too easy to give in to doubt, to let Satan get a foothold, to give ourselves over to distress and fear. It is too easy to say, “Prove it too me. Let me see evidence, then I will believe.” It is hard to believe on just a person’s testimony. It is hard to believe that Jesus will return again one day. It is hard to believe that you can have victory over your sins by the power of Christ. It is hard to have faith. But that is exactly what we must have, by God’s grace, if we are to find peace for our disquieted souls.

CORAM DEO

Ezekiel 36–37

1 Peter 3

What doubts do you have right now? They might be about your personal life, your religious convictions, your expectations of the future. Whatever they are, lay them before God. Ask Him to give you the peace that passes understanding. Ask Him to strengthen your faith. Meditate on James 1:2–8.

For further study: Matt. 14:22–33; 21:20–22 • Mark 11:20–24 • Heb. 11:1–3

thursday

november