"It’s possible that Thomas wasn’t doubting Jesus. He was merely saving himself from deeper despair on the far side of false hope. How often we try to armor ourselves against such pain!" Beautifully said. I agree, I see a lot of myself in Thomas. Fortunately, Jesus seems to find the very best ways of softening the skeptical heart, whether with Thomas in the house behind locked doors, or with Cleopas and his unnamed companion on the Emmaus road, or with Saul outside Damascus -- or with me.
Thanks for sharing about this altogether human response to what Thomas considered an incredulous claim by the other disciples.
But, I'm always struck by what happened next. As soon as Jesus appear to Thomas and repeated almost verbatim what he had just said to the others, he fell at Jesus' feet and worshiped him, calling him "My Lord and my God." The passage doesn't even say that he actually felt the nail prints or the spear gash in his side. Understanding flooded his heart and mind so that there was no need.
Faith as a concept is interesting. Sometimes we get to see something that enables us to believe. Many times, though, we "see it" in our hearts and minds" as clearly as if it were visible. That's why Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as the "substance" and "evidence" of things we cannot physically see (yet).
Reconciling that paradoxical coexistence of pain & joy has been, and continues to be, my greatest hurdle - finding a way not so much through loss, but amidst it. Thank goodness for examples like St Thomas! Beautiful devotional, dear one.
I wrote elsewhere that I thought that we had more miracles back in the day because to not believe our own eyes would be folly; and that we have fewer miracles today because to not believe our own eyes would be folly.
I definitely sympathize with St. Thomas. He didn't believe his own eyes! How often do we see miracles and not believe them ourselves? Even St. Peter denied Christ and he was in his closest company.
It reinforces for me that the remedy for doubt is experience or trust. We cannot sit on our doubt and incubate it and expect it to go anywhere. We must do something with it. St. Thomas took it to our Lord and our Lord furnished the answer, manifest in His glorious wounds. St. Thomas had the good sense to doubt himself before he doubted the Lord!
"We cannot sit on our doubt and incubate it and expect it to go anywhere. We must do something with it."
What a great point, Scoot. Practical faith is proved by things we do. A healthy faith may take into account doubt and many times, fear, but we do the thing anyway if we know it is the right thing to do.
A very practical illustration, for me at least, is that for years I had "faith" that I would be a writer one day (more than dabbling here and there). Interesting thing is, nothing actually happened until I began writing in earnest. Because I was a doubter.
Imagine that.
Now my confidence grows everyday, base on the tangible things I have accomplished as a writer.
This is beautiful. I’m frequently surprised how the gospels both convey actual events from 2 millennia ago while speaking directly to today. We stand in the shoes of St. Thomas, demanding signs.
"It’s possible that Thomas wasn’t doubting Jesus. He was merely saving himself from deeper despair on the far side of false hope. How often we try to armor ourselves against such pain!" Beautifully said. I agree, I see a lot of myself in Thomas. Fortunately, Jesus seems to find the very best ways of softening the skeptical heart, whether with Thomas in the house behind locked doors, or with Cleopas and his unnamed companion on the Emmaus road, or with Saul outside Damascus -- or with me.
Great Devotion, S.E.
Thanks for sharing about this altogether human response to what Thomas considered an incredulous claim by the other disciples.
But, I'm always struck by what happened next. As soon as Jesus appear to Thomas and repeated almost verbatim what he had just said to the others, he fell at Jesus' feet and worshiped him, calling him "My Lord and my God." The passage doesn't even say that he actually felt the nail prints or the spear gash in his side. Understanding flooded his heart and mind so that there was no need.
Faith as a concept is interesting. Sometimes we get to see something that enables us to believe. Many times, though, we "see it" in our hearts and minds" as clearly as if it were visible. That's why Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as the "substance" and "evidence" of things we cannot physically see (yet).
Reconciling that paradoxical coexistence of pain & joy has been, and continues to be, my greatest hurdle - finding a way not so much through loss, but amidst it. Thank goodness for examples like St Thomas! Beautiful devotional, dear one.
I wrote elsewhere that I thought that we had more miracles back in the day because to not believe our own eyes would be folly; and that we have fewer miracles today because to not believe our own eyes would be folly.
I definitely sympathize with St. Thomas. He didn't believe his own eyes! How often do we see miracles and not believe them ourselves? Even St. Peter denied Christ and he was in his closest company.
It reinforces for me that the remedy for doubt is experience or trust. We cannot sit on our doubt and incubate it and expect it to go anywhere. We must do something with it. St. Thomas took it to our Lord and our Lord furnished the answer, manifest in His glorious wounds. St. Thomas had the good sense to doubt himself before he doubted the Lord!
"We cannot sit on our doubt and incubate it and expect it to go anywhere. We must do something with it."
What a great point, Scoot. Practical faith is proved by things we do. A healthy faith may take into account doubt and many times, fear, but we do the thing anyway if we know it is the right thing to do.
A very practical illustration, for me at least, is that for years I had "faith" that I would be a writer one day (more than dabbling here and there). Interesting thing is, nothing actually happened until I began writing in earnest. Because I was a doubter.
Imagine that.
Now my confidence grows everyday, base on the tangible things I have accomplished as a writer.
This is beautiful. I’m frequently surprised how the gospels both convey actual events from 2 millennia ago while speaking directly to today. We stand in the shoes of St. Thomas, demanding signs.