Why is the story of Doubting Thomas included in the gospel stories of Jesus’ resurrection? What do we learn from this story? One of the things we learn about God in this story is that God does not require blind faith but rather experiential faith. We are not to believe in God because of someone else’s story but are to enter into our own personal relationship with God, through Jesus and that is how our faith will be formed. Thomas represents all of us who doubt and all the times that we doubt and Jesus’ responding is how we overcome that doubt. We turn to Jesus, express our doubts, ask for assurances, and then learn from those assurances.
Questioning, doubting, learning, and growing are all really important elements of the Christian faith. Without them we remain in a very infantile relationship with God.
I have often had moments of doubt in my life, at one point completely walking away from God and the church deciding to see what life was like without them. It did not take very long for me to miss having God in my life and I realized that my faith was not some religious programming that I followed along thoughtlessly but was about my relationship with God. A very real relationship and I could no more decide that God wasn’t real then I could decide that my parents weren’t real. The church has for me always been a place where I could reorient my life to God’s life and will. Where I could be fed by God’s strength, guided by God’s wisdom and take part in God’s joy.
In Thomas’ story we see his relationship with Jesus deepened because of his time of doubt, we see Jesus not respond with anger to his doubting but respond with love and understanding and we see all this happen within the community of disciples and followers, the first ideation of the church. Thomas is not cast out because he doubts and in fact the community is strengthened and each person there has their relationship with Jesus experienced in a new way because of Thomas.
Questioning, doubting, learning, and growing are all really important elements of the Christian faith. Without them we remain in a very infantile relationship with God. A relationship which does not offer us the full advantages of deeply knowing God. It does not allow us to fully rely on God for all we need because we have not learned to trust God in all things. It does not allow is to be brave, truthful, and courageous in difficult situations because we don’t fully understand that we are children of God, deeply loved and very worthy of that love. We do not find comfort and peace because we have not fully opened ourselves to receive them from God.
Thomas didn’t doubt his fellow disciples, nor did he doubt Jesus or God but rather the incredible situation he found himself in. A few moments with Jesus though not only eased those doubts but allowed him to more fully understand and love Jesus.
Question and doubt but then learn and grow, take all the love and mercy and grace God is offering you and move into a deeper, more meaningful, more sustaining, and enlivening relationship with God. Amen