I remember playing a game as a kid where players put cards face down on a pile announcing how many of a certain card they were playing. Other players would challenge them by saying, “I doubt it.” If the first player was telling the truth, the challenger took the whole pile. If they were not telling the truth, the first player took it.
In John 20, the Apostle Thomas basically tells the other disciples “I doubt it”, about Jesus having risen from the dead. There was no doubt that Jesus had died and Thomas, the skeptic, knew that dead people don’t come back to life.
Pastor Adrian Rogers said, “The resurrection is not merely important to the historic Christian faith; without it, there would be no Christianity. It is the singular doctrine that elevates Christianity above all other world religions.” If the resurrection of Jesus is a lie, then the whole thing falls apart. Thomas said, “I doubt it” and so have you and I. I’m so grateful for the genuine struggles the first Christians went through when I see the weak points in my own faith journey with Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.
How is it possible to do what Jesus told Thomas, “…do not continue in disbelief, but be a believer”? Remember this is the whole reason John wrote this book, no matter what your starting point is – a hardened skeptic or a faithful follower! Every person’s journey is different, but this Sunday we’ll look at five stages of belief from John 20:19 to 31.
Maybe you’ll gain clarity about what to do the next time you say, or at least think, “I doubt it.”
By faith in the Risen One!
Kurt
P.S. If you have time, read Dr. Luke’s account of these events in Luke 24 to gain a deeper understanding of your own journey of faith.