Doubt Doesn't Disqualify: The Lesson of Thomas

he's honest. He's direct. He's not afraid to say, I don't understand. And so before he is doubting Thomas, he's courageous Thomas. He's honest Thomas. He's committed Thomas. And that matters, I think, because it remind us reminds us that the story of doubting Thomas, it's not the story of a weak disciple. It's the story of a faithful one who hit a moment. Listen to this. He hit a moment he didn't know how to process. [00:53:10] (35 seconds)  #HonestCourage

And suddenly Jesus is standing right there among them. And the first thing he says is the same thing that he said before. He said, peace be with you. And then, and don't miss this, he turns directly to Thomas who wasn't there before. Not to correct him, not to shame him, not to say, really, Thomas, after everything? No. No. He goes right to him and says, see my hands. [00:59:03] (31 seconds)  #PeaceAndInvitation

Let's look back and see what happened from Thomas's perspective because everybody in that room had just been through something traumatic. Right? They didn't just lose a teacher. They they didn't just lose a friend. They had watched Jesus be arrested and beaten and crucified and buried, And and that is the kind of loss. That is the kind of trauma that that just doesn't go away in a few days. And here's what we know about people. We don't all process grief the same way. [00:55:14] (41 seconds)  #GriefIsPersonal

and that's where Jesus meets him. Think about any strong relationship that you have. Your spouse, your closest friend, someone you trust. If something doesn't make sense, you don't just quietly disappear. Right? You lean in, you ask, you wrestle because the relationship matters too much to fake it. And so faith works the same way. God is not afraid of your questions. In fact, sometimes your questions are the very place where your relationship with him becomes the most real. [01:03:43] (39 seconds)  #QuestionsDeepenFaith

And in the middle of grief, in the middle of confusion, he says the most honest thing that he can. He says, I need to see. And maybe that's not necessarily a statement of belief. Maybe it's a statement of longing. So then where we picked up a scripture today, a week later, they're in the room and Jesus shows up. And this time, Thomas is there. The doors are locked just like it was the first time. The fear is still real. [00:58:31] (32 seconds)  #IWantToSee

Have you have you ever been there where everybody else seems so certain and you're the one still trying to catch up? Everyone else seems to have complete faith, and you just you're just not there yet. Other people are saying, God is at work, and you're thinking to yourself, I'm just not seeing it. Thomas isn't being stubborn. He's just trying to reconcile what he knows with what he's been told. [00:57:57] (34 seconds)  #ReconcilingFaith

Because in that moment, Jesus is looking beyond Thomas, looking beyond Thomas to us to us, to every person who would come later, who wouldn't get to touch the wounds, who wouldn't see him standing in the room, who would have to trust through testimony, scripture, through the quiet work of the spirit. He's saying there is a blessing for you too. There is a blessing for us too. [01:01:07] (28 seconds)  #BlessedWithoutSeeing

and you and you show them, you know, until they can find the way themselves and be able to swim themselves. Jesus does that for us in our faith journey. Jesus meets us where we are, not where we sometimes think we should be. And so as cut to the end today, let's let's, let's rethink Thomas, shall we, and, and try to maybe follow his example and not be afraid of it and embrace our embrace our doubts at times and and trust God to lead us to faith. [01:06:32] (36 seconds)  #EmbraceDoubt