Doubting | Jesus & The Outlaws, Outcasts, and Outsiders | Cathedral of the Rockies

Easter worship expanded into multiple services and a vivid retelling of the resurrection scene in Matthew 28:16–17. The text records a startling honesty: the eleven disciples worshiped Jesus and some doubted. Scripture refuses tidy narratives and insists that worship and doubt coexist. That coexistence becomes a theological lens through which faith, fear, courage, and mission are reconsidered.

The Gospels repeatedly admit doubt: stunned women at the tomb, the Emmaus travelers who voice confusion, and Thomas who demands proof. Theology and pastoral wisdom surface in that honesty: doubt does not automatically negate faith. Paul Tillich’s axiom—doubt as an element of faith—grounds that claim, while the story of Martin Luther King Jr. supplies a concrete instance. Facing threats and exhaustion, King brought his fear to God, received inner assurance, and returned to nonviolent leadership; doubt opened a passage to deeper reliance rather than final retreat.

The sermon draws a distinction between generative doubt and destructive despair. Generative doubt enlarges vision, catalyzes theological correction, and invites inclusion; it spurred rethinking long-held positions on marriage, ministry, and who belongs at the table. Destructive doubt severs belovedness and can lead to ruin, as illustrated by Judas’s remorse and suicide. The resurrection narrative hints at the tragedy of a faith abandoned before the dawn.

Central to the argument is the crimson insistence that Jesus meets both worshipers and doubters alike. The post-resurrection encounter culminates not in exclusion but in commissioning: all the disciples, with their worship and their questions, receive the Great Commission. That inclusive sending affirms that doubt neither disqualifies from mission nor negates God’s nearness. The text concludes with an insistence on a pastoral hope: when doubt presses hardest, the whisper of divine belovedness must persist, steadying the heart and directing allegiance back toward life, witness, and love.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Worship and doubt coexist The resurrection account insists that human response can be twofold: adoration and uncertainty at once. Accepting that tension prevents spiritual perfectionism and honors the messy way faith often unfolds. That honesty invites patience with oneself and others while still pointing toward worship as a posture. [01:52]
• 2. Doubt can become a doorway Scripture and history show doubt opening passages to deeper faith and reform, not merely collapse. When questions push beyond inherited answers, they enlarge vision and force repentance from narrow certainties. Generative doubt reshapes practice, theology, and communal boundaries toward greater fidelity. [12:19]
• 3. Prayer steadies amid crippling fear King’s midnight prayer models bringing raw fear to God, not hiding it; the encounter returned courage and clarity. Prayer functions as an interpretive space where dread meets divine assurance and moral resolve. Regularly practiced, it reorients decision-making from panic to purpose. [06:09]
• 4. Despair corrupts doubt into destruction Judas’s remorse warns that doubt can metastasize into self-condemnation when belovedness is lost from view. Without a sustaining voice of grace, questions can erode identity and lead to fatal choices. The antidote lies in the persistent whisper that one remains beloved and called. [15:11]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:16] - Resurrection scene (Matthew 28)
• [01:52] - They worshiped—and some doubted
• [03:45] - Doubt in Martin Luther King Jr.’s life
• [06:09] - Prayer in the midnight hour
• [09:02] - Inner assurance dispels fear
• [11:57] - Jesus comes near to doubters
• [12:19] - Doubt as a doorway to faith
• [14:00] - Grieving the loss of faith
• [15:11] - The danger of despair (Judas)
• [17:43] - Commissioning all, doubts included
• [18:00] - Closing prayer and benediction

1. What two responses did the disciples have when they saw the resurrected Jesus in Matthew 28:17?
2. The sermon mentions other examples of doubt in the Gospels, like the women at the tomb (Mark 16:8) and Thomas (John 20:24-29). How does Jesus respond to doubters in these stories? [10:59]
3. What specific action did Jesus take toward the disciples after they worshiped and doubted, according to Matthew 28:18-20?

1. Why do you think the Gospel writers included moments of doubt in the resurrection accounts instead of portraying the disciples as perfectly confident?
2. The sermon contrasts Judas’s despair (Matthew 27:3-5) with the disciples who doubted but stayed. What might make doubt lead to destruction for some and deeper faith for others? [15:11]
3. Jesus commissions all the disciples, including those who doubted. What does this suggest about how God views our questions or uncertainties?

1. When have you experienced both worship and doubt at the same time, like the disciples? How did you navigate that tension?
2. The sermon describes prayer as a way to bring fear to God, like Martin Luther King Jr. did. What situation in your life right now needs you to “pray aloud” honestly, even amid doubt? [06:09]
3. Doubt can either expand our faith (“generative”) or isolate us (“destructive”). What practical step could you take to turn a current doubt into a doorway for growth (e.g., talking to someone, studying Scripture, serving others)?
4. Judas’s story shows how losing sight of being “beloved” can lead to despair. How do you remind yourself of God’s love when doubt or shame feels overwhelming? [17:01]
5. The Great Commission includes doubters. How might your doubts or questions actually equip you to relate to others who are skeptical or exploring faith?