Day 193: Testimony Of Thomas, The Skeptic
Read: John 20:19 - 31
One Sunday at church, a Sunday school teacher had given her class an assignment. It was to draw an image of the face of God. About midway through the children's efforts the teacher walked around the class to see what they were drawing, how they were, in their own remarkable imaginations, they viewed the face of God himself. She came upon one particular group of kids in the middle of the classroom, she looked down at the images being placed upon the paper. She knelt down beside one young lady and picked up her efforts. Quietly, so no other child could hear, she whispered into this
girls ear - "nobody knows what God looks like." She said, "I know! But they will when I am done."
That is what John is doing when he writes his Gospel — he is painting a
portrait of God, and when he is done God’s picture will look like
Jesus. He is saying, “They will know what God looks like when I get
through.” He states at the end of this chapter: “Jesus did many other
miraculous 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 Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have
life in his name” (30-31). One way John does that is to take us through
the life of Thomas as he journeys from loyal disciple, to skepticism and
doubt to faith and finally true belief. I really like him! He is allot like me, maybe like you.
Thomas is perhaps the least understood and probably one of the most
maligned of the disciples. But there is no one quite like Thomas. He is a
natural skeptic, often he's leaning toward pessimism even in the
midst of belief. He is the kind of person who sees problems more clearly
than he sees solutions. He wanders thru the dark more than he walks in
the light - yet he believes. His mind is very full of questions and even answers that are acceptable to most everyone else do not satisfy him - he says to us: "prove it". He is an analyst. He likes to tear things apart and look at
them to see how they work. He truly wants to understand everything
before he will believe in anything. I like him - he is allot like me.
I have known people like
Thomas. Their minds are filled with belief, doubts, debates and disagreements.
Questions are more important than answers. Even when you present the
most rational arguments possible it does not satisfy them. They believe
in God in their minds but they need to put their 'fingers in Jesus
side'. Well, me too sometimes. Sometimes we need more than just faith to believe Jesus is around for us. I do have faith, but sometimes I need those 'hand's on', 'touchy feely'
experiences to know for sure that I am being affirmed and loved as a
person. How about those 'untouchables', those skeptics like me Jesus ministered to through His touch? My name is Thomas AND I am a skeptic too!
Let Us Pray: Ever Living God, help us so to hear your holy Word that we
may truly understand; that, understanding, we may believe, and,
believing, we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking only
your honor and glory in all that we may do;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jazyUn4LMgA
Aaron Shust - My Savior, My God
www.youtube.com
CCLI Song # 4592255 Aaron Shust | Dorothy Dora Greenwell © 2005 Bridge
Building Music, Inc. (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.,
741 Cool Spri...
Read: John 20:19 - 31
One Sunday at church, a Sunday school teacher had given her class an assignment. It was to draw an image of the face of God. About midway through the children's efforts the teacher walked around the class to see what they were drawing, how they were, in their own remarkable imaginations, they viewed the face of God himself. She came upon one particular group of kids in the middle of the classroom, she looked down at the images being placed upon the paper. She knelt down beside one young lady and picked up her efforts. Quietly, so no other child could hear, she whispered into this
girls ear - "nobody knows what God looks like." She said, "I know! But they will when I am done."
That is what John is doing when he writes his Gospel — he is painting a portrait of God, and when he is done God’s picture will look like Jesus. He is saying, “They will know what God looks like when I get through.” He states at the end of this chapter: “Jesus did many other miraculous 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 Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (30-31). One way John does that is to take us through the life of Thomas as he journeys from loyal disciple, to skepticism and doubt to faith and finally true belief. I really like him! He is allot like me, maybe like you.
Thomas is perhaps the least understood and probably one of the most maligned of the disciples. But there is no one quite like Thomas. He is a natural skeptic, often he's leaning toward pessimism even in the midst of belief. He is the kind of person who sees problems more clearly than he sees solutions. He wanders thru the dark more than he walks in the light - yet he believes. His mind is very full of questions and even answers that are acceptable to most everyone else do not satisfy him - he says to us: "prove it". He is an analyst. He likes to tear things apart and look at them to see how they work. He truly wants to understand everything before he will believe in anything. I like him - he is allot like me.
I have known people like Thomas. Their minds are filled with belief, doubts, debates and disagreements. Questions are more important than answers. Even when you present the most rational arguments possible it does not satisfy them. They believe in God in their minds but they need to put their 'fingers in Jesus side'. Well, me too sometimes. Sometimes we need more than just faith to believe Jesus is around for us. I do have faith, but sometimes I need those 'hand's on', 'touchy feely' experiences to know for sure that I am being affirmed and loved as a person. How about those 'untouchables', those skeptics like me Jesus ministered to through His touch? My name is Thomas AND I am a skeptic too!
Let Us Pray: Ever Living God, help us so to hear your holy Word that we may truly understand; that, understanding, we may believe, and, believing, we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking only your honor and glory in all that we may do;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jazyUn4LMgA
Aaron Shust - My Savior, My God
www.youtube.com
CCLI Song # 4592255 Aaron Shust | Dorothy Dora Greenwell © 2005 Bridge Building Music, Inc. (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Cool Spri...
No comments:
Post a Comment