Real Hope: Uncertainty & DoubtSample

The Struggle

This is an amazing story about Thomas, one of Jesus’s disciples. The disciples walked with Jesus for three years before watching Him die on the cross. Three days later He rose from the dead, and all except Thomas saw Him alive again. Thomas was filled with questions and doubts and was unable to believe what he was hearing.

A week after Thomas said those words, Jesus appeared to the disciples again. He knew that Thomas had not seen Him yet, and with a gentleness of response, He went out of His way to show Thomas His hands and His side. Jesus’s response to doubt was not to shame Thomas but to show him the truth so that he too could believe. Thomas declared, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28), a salutation previously reserved for YHWH, the God of the Old Testament, and a salutation not yet used to address Jesus. Jesus’s acceptance of this title confirmed what many suspected. Jesus was God.

Thomas’s journey from doubt to believing might have taken longer than everyone else, but it led to an increased understanding of who Jesus was. Jesus does not shame those who doubt; He understands that this faith journey is hard, and He spoke a blessing into the future: "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me" (John 20:29). Perhaps Jesus knew that showing His wounds to Thomas would be enough for us to believe too. Jesus understands the struggle and will go out of His way to help us discover the truth for ourselves.

Written by LUCY WEIL