Losers Like UsSample

The Unbelievers

When pressure reaches the point of critical mass, it is usually due to something small, something people face every day, that puts things over the top. For me, it was my car breaking down. Since then I’ve had other breakdowns, in other cars. But this one was a tipping point. I went from believing God was good to believing God doesn’t care. It appeared he had no intention of lifting a finger to help.

Three of Jesus’ disciples have another loser trait which I share: they have trouble believing.

In John 6:1-7 (NIV), as Jesus prepares to miraculously feed the five thousand with only five loaves of bread and two fishes, he asks Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (v. 5) Jesus has already planned what to do; he only asks this question to “test” Philip (v. 6). I think the test is to find out whether Philip can see that Jesus is God, able to create provision out of nothing. But no, Philip cannot. Instead he blurts out: “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bit!” (v. 7) Here, Philip is a visionless, small-thinking kind of unbeliever.

And Philip has a like-minded friend: Nathanael. When Philip claims that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, Nathanael scoffs in reply, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46, NIV) Never mind that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and moved to Nazareth later, apparently Nathanael has a mental list of Messiah-worthy towns, and Nazareth isn’t on it. Here, Nathanael is a sarcastic, cynical kind of unbeliever.

Finally, after Jesus dies and is buried, some of his disciples see him alive again. They tell Thomas, but Thomas claims he won’t believe it unless he touches the crucifixion wounds in Jesus’ hands and side (John 20:25, NIV). When Jesus next appears and Thomas is present, Jesus graciously says, “Put your finger here, see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27, NIV) Here, Thomas is doubting, naysaying kind of unbeliever.

Yet by Christ’s strength, these three unbelieving losers later become such passionate believers that, according to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, they join most of the other disciples in becoming martyrs for his sake. They are transformed from cynical, small-minded doubters to powerhouses of vision and faith.

Hanging with Jesus will do that for you. I recommend it.