Doubt

John 20:11-31
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
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Why do we doubt God?

Mary knew He was going to rise on the 3rd day! She believed He was the Messiah! Why did she doubt? Why was she so overcome with grief that she didn't know Christ was right in front of her? (My heart jumps everytime I read this part. I can't wait to hear Jesus say my name!).

Thomas followed Christ. He believed that Jesus was the Messiah! Why would he doubt?

We know God. We know what His Word says about Him. We've studied His character. We've seen what He does in our life. We have the Holy Spirit, God, living in us! Why do we doubt?

Doubt seems to come when we aren't getting our expectations met. We are disappointed in life. We wonder if God somehow forgot about us. We seem to forget everything we know about Him and question His love for us. We question if He's listening to our prayers.

I'm thankful that even when we doubt (like Mary and Thomas), He still makes Himself known to us. No matter what life brings...whether doubt creeps in b/c you are hurting or just b/c something is "too good to be true", I pray that we all continue to hold to who God truly is. Not the human characteristics we try to attribute Him....but who He REALLY is! Hold to the truth! He's given us the most beautiful gift in allowing us to have His Word...to live in a place where we still have the freedom to seek Him openly. I pray we each take that freedom and live it out to the fullest!