“Doubt Leaning Toward Faith”   2010

Judges 6:36-40                    John 20:19-22, 26-31

 

Judges 6:36-40  The Sign of the Fleece

36 Then Gideon said to God, ‘In order to see whether you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said.’ 38And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39Then Gideon said to God, ‘Do not let your anger burn against me, let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial with the fleece just once more; let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.’ 40And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

 

John 20:19-22, 26-31  Jesus Appears to the Disciples  - The Purpose of This Book

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.   26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ 27Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ 28Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ 29Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’  30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe* that Jesus is the Messiah,* the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

 

I have heard it suggested once that Thomas,  of the John 20 text   

            should be called the patron saint

                        of those who skip church      and then hear from others about

                                what a wonderful worship service they've missed…

                    … about missing out on experiencing of the presence of God.

 

Today we are looking at

            an Easter evening resurrection appearance of Jesus Christ,

                    the story of when Thomas missed his chance to see Jesus.

 

When our text begins, it is still that first day of Easter.

            The women have already rushed back from the empty tomb

                        to tell the disciples that Jesus is alive –  He is risen!

 

The women's story of the resurrection baffles and confuses them,

            and so they are still fearfully hiding behind a locked door;

                        and suddenly Jesus appears among the gathered disciples.

 

vs. 19-20

            When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear …

            Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 

 

"Peace be with you."

            This is

                        a more significant phrase than just a friendly greeting,

                                    and the peace  that is being described   is not about

                                                having an easy life with no problems or troubles,

                 and its not talking about some mystical inner tranquility.

 

Biblically speaking, "Peace be with you.", has a specific meaning,

            which is to be living within God’s plan and purpose for you,

                        and that you are  who  and what  and where   you should be,

                                    living in relationships of harmony and integrity.

Basically,

            it is when our lives fulfill the blessings God intends for us.

 

So that evening of the first Easter,

            all the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors,

                        except that,  for some reason,

                                    Thomas was not sitting in his regular pew that Sunday.

 

Maybe he was out getting salsa to go with their chips,    but forà

            … whatever reason he misses the appearance of the risen Lord.

 

So when the other disciples tell Thomas about what they had seen,

            he’s not buying any of their story about a resurrection; à

 

                        no more than they had believed the women   telling them

                                    about the empty tomb and having conversations with angels…

                                                            … Thomas isn't the only skeptic disciple.

 

And Thomas knows that after severe scourging and crucifixion,

            people don't come back alive;               and so he is adamant,

                        “unless I see and I can touch,  I will not believe.”

 

Sounds a bit stubborn, but I'm not sure Thomas has it all wrong.

            I think that sometimes, believing and accepting   too easily

                        may be even   more   dangerous to our faith development

                                    than having a little doubt and healthy skepticism.

 

     In fact, I find that in the story we read about Gideon in Judges 6,

             God is astonishingly patient with Gideon's continuing doubts.

 

In the verses prior to today's reading from Judges,

            God has already sent an angel to Gideon with a message;

                        and has promised    to guide   and to be with Gideon

                                    as he leads Israel to victory over the Midianites.

            And yet Gideon is still not quite ready or willing to commit.

Judges 6:36

            Then Gideon said to God, "In order to see whether you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said,  I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said."

 

"as you have said"

            Gideon has heard, and he knows God's instructions and promise;

                        but he's afraid and reluctant to obey,

                                    and so he puts God to yet  a further test.

               I think that God's patience with Gideon is truly astonishing.

 

vs. 39-40

            Then Gideon said to God, "Do not let your anger burn against me, let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial with the fleece just once more; let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew."

            And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

 

I don't read this passage as suggesting this as the

            appropriate process for discerning voice of God or God's will…

  … but what I do read

            is an example of God's astonishing grace and forbearance,

                        condescending to Gideon's doubt and fearful weakness.

 

Surprisingly there is no inference of condemnation for his doubts;

            but rather God willingly provides

                         whatever Gideon needs in order to believe.

 

It is that same amazing grace and divine forbearance

            that we also see in   the Thomas and "I won't believe" story.

            It is exactly one week later, and Jesus appears once again.

Only this time Thomas  is  among those gathered in fellowship,

            and , probably sitting  back in his regular pew again …

vs. 26-28

            A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them.  Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."  Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe."  Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

 

This is important, so don't miss the point here.

            Jesus does not condemn Thomas for having doubted,

                        but rather Jesus stoops down, Jesus condescends,

                                    to give Thomas exactly what he needs to see, to touch…

                basically saying, ‘so   what will it take for you to believe?’

 

Typically, sometime around middle school or high school age,

            we  will often begin to question and explore, even doubt

                        the Christian faith as we received it as young children;

           

                        which means  it grows    into a searching or seeking faith

                                    which is trying to make sense of faith for ourselves

                                                by deciding what to accept and what to believe;

                                    as we explore our faith questions & church teaching,

                                        by comparing our life experience with Bible truth.

                                               

I remember as a teenager, when a Sunday School teacher  warned

       our class to stop having doubts & asking impertinent questions

                        because they were just one of Satan's tricks  intending

                             to trip us up causing us to doubt & question God's word.

 

It seemed like everything we wondered about, or any questions we had,

            were an unknowable mystery that was intentionally kept hidden,

                        or  something we’re not supposed to know or understand;

 

            and that to keep digging or trying to make sense of it,

                        or to question or entertain doubts about some teachings

                                    was to place an unnecessary burden on one's faith

                                                rather than simply trusting…    probably because,

                                                            we weren't spiritual and faithful enough.

 

The guilt was on us.   I remember being told and taught as truth that

            to entertain any thoughts of uncertainty, to question or doubt

                    would be taking on an unhealthy burden – damaging my faith.

 

<>    There is an old legend.  Actually a wonderful parable,

                says that originally, birds were created without any wings,

                        and so they just walked wherever they needed to go.

 

But then God noticed that birds would look longingly toward the sky

    up at high branches, gazing toward the best fruit in the treetops.

 

So in an act of loving kindness and creative grace,

            one night while they were sleeping, God gave the birds wings.

But when the birds awoke,

            they were furious at God for giving them wings,

                        for forcing upon them an unwanted burden to carry around.

 

                                    Why wings? Why one more thing for them to bear?

Then one little bird moved them and flapped its wings ---

            - and soared aloft – joyfully swooping to new heights.

 

Their burden was a gift toward new freedom and blessings;

            their wings,     their way  to a more abundant – better life.

 

So, why

            does God have us struggle with doubts and troubling questions?

    Why are we confronted with unfathomable unknowns and mysteries?

 

Perhaps because God wants  more and better and deeper  for us

            than that we accept without question or thought

                        someone else’s one-size-fits-all  hand-me-down religion.

 

God loves us and created us uniquely gifted individuals, and à

            knows that we grow and benefit from the searching and doubting

                        because it is only through our honest searching & seeking,

                             that God's love, grace & hope grows best & deeper in usà

 

à    for blessed are the doubters, for by their questioning

                        they shall strengthen and deepen their growing faith.

 

The Christian faith of my childhood  did not really become  my faith

            until I was willing to grapple and struggle,

                        and honestly come before God with my questions and doubts.

 

God desires to have a relationship with us, --- a real relationship

            -- for us to actually know our God in a personal way,

                        and for us to choose to walk     with our God who loves us …

 

            … it will be from our struggles with honest questions & doubts

                        that we can come to know and love our God -- personally…

                                                for that sort of authentic faith

                                                            just doesn't develop that quickly or easily.

 

            Genuine faith is not just a onetime deal,

                        its not something we accomplish and then we're all done –

 

                  but it's an ongoing and life-long conversation with God,

                        toward the growth and deepening of our soul and faith…

            … as Anselm wrote, "authentic faith seeks understanding."

 

Honest doubt does not mean that we have lost our faith,

            but rather, it may be our desire in  trying to figure out

                        how our faith works, who God is, where God is at work,

                           even when life does get difficult, disappointing and confusing.

 

How tragic for those whose faith growth has been stopped cold --

     for those who upon reaching a certain point in their Christian walk;

                rather than grow through the rigors of questioning honestly

                        stopped, gave up and became fearfully dogmatic and rigid.

 

An essential part of authentic Christian faith is our struggle;

            for we grow by asking, confronting the hard questions of faith;

                        within the community of faith, within our church family,

                                    where we work out our answers together, and with God…

… which leads to a most important detail   concerning Thomas   and us.

 

Notice that on the Sunday after Easter, that though Thomas doubted,

            yet he was   still there with the other disciples,

                        and that he was   still a part of their fellowship.

They didn't

            reject, exclude or excommunicate him   even when he doubted.

 

Also, no one told him, "just try a little harder to believe"

            and no one 'helped' him by saying,

                  "you know, that good Christians never have such doubts."

 

They gave him time enough and room enough to explore for himself,

            trusting that in time he would experience their risen Jesus.

                                    They were a caring safe place, a community of faithful

                                                among whom he could seek to find out about Jesus.

 

The point of this Thomas story is not to shame those with doubts …

        nor to dissuade people from asking questions about their faith.

 

So if someone is not quite where we are    on their spiritual journey-

              is this church a safe place, a supportive encouraging place,

                         for a Thomas  to seek the Lord  and explore their faith?

 

First, let us be a place that welcomes people who struggle and doubt

            let us be a loving  safe place, gentle to one another,

                where folks can explore what it is that they really believe

                             and as a family, trust that by grace   God will guide,

                                    & God will accomplish the development of their faith.

 

Second, let us with courage and hope, confidence and trust,                    

       grapple with hard questions that maybe don't have easy answers.

                        I'm pretty sure, God can handle it,    

                                    and if we are honest about it,  that really is à

                                                how our faith deepens and grows more authentic,

                                                            and is able to withstand trial and storm.