In John chapter 20 there is a familiar story of one of the disciples, Thomas by name. This passage is so well known it is all Thomas is ever remembered for. This particular instance is when Thomas doubted whether Jesus had risen from the dead. When the other disciples told him they had seen the risen Lord he said, “…except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Eight days later he got his chance. Jesus appeared to them again, and gave Thomas the opportunity to test the wounds in His hands and His side; however, Thomas did not seem to need confirmation when seeing the Lord, he exclaimed; “…My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Today we do not call him believing Thomas because he said “My Lord and my God” we call him “Doubting Thomas” for his skepticism. It should not surprise us when non-believers doubt anything in the Bible, after all people doubt historical events all the time, even when there is documented proof of those events. But what about Christians who doubt the miracles or the resurrection, or anything in the Bible for that matter? We are disciples like Thomas, right? When Peter attempted to walk to Christ on the water, but began to sink he cried out “…Lord save me” (Matt. 14:30). Jesus caught him and said: “…wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matt. 14:31). Even the closest of Jesus’ disciples sometimes struggled with their faith.
It is no wonder Christians today may struggle sometimes as well. It is interesting we do not seem to have a problem believing Jesus walked on water or even rose from the dead, but we have a tendency to doubt God when He asks us to put our trust in Him. In Matthew 11:22-34, Jesus said have faith in God to move mountains. Do we have that kind of faith? Do we pray for rain but leave our umbrella at home? For Christians, faith is not a blind leap in the dark, it is a confident stepping out on the limb knowing God will bear us up (Jas. 1:5-7). Today we look at examples such as the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Surely, he had every reason to remain a Pharisee, he had earned respect and prestige, yet he converted. He was not just some guy who decided to change his religion. He walked away from everything he had worked for his whole life. It is unreasonable to think one would do that to promote a lie. The modern skeptic does not take the Bible as his source of evidence to produce faith. He digs into the historical evidence. Be it happenstance or providence, there were writers around during Bible times recording historical events. Jewish historians, such as Josephus, wrote extensive, unbiased accounts of many events which corroborate biblical accounts. Roman historians, such as Tacitus, wrote of the existence of a man from Nazareth named Jesus who was crucified by a Roman Governor named Pilate. The historian Thallus confirms an event of darkness during the crucifixion, explaining it as an eclipse. Then there is the fact the tomb was empty and no one could ever account for His body, except those disciples who all saw and had interactions with him after His resurrection. Obeying the gospel is our profession of faith (Heb. 10:23). Reading the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus gives us all the evidence we need. The fact the apostles were willing to walk away from their careers to be Jesus’ disciples is one thing, but to stand behind their testimony of His resurrection to the death, solidifies the message even more. John testifies of Jesus for the very reason we may believe. 1 John 5:13 says, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
-Jim Word