Jesse Joyner, PhD

Why Does Thomas Get all the Blame for Doubting?

As I was preparing for a teaching lesson for this Sunday, I looked at the “Doubting Thomas” passage. Jesus appears to his disciples after he rose from the dead. In John’s account (John 20:24-29), Thomas missed the first post-resurrection appearance of Jesus. When they told Thomas that Jesus was alive, he wanted hard evidence. The next week, Thomas was with the disciples in the house and Jesus came through the locked door and appeared to them again, this time proving to Thomas he was alive, showing his scarred hands and side.

Jesus told him to stop doubting and believe. Thomas immediately believed. Was his doubting a sin? The Scripture doesn’t say explicitly, but Jesus did tell him to “stop doubting.” And James says that “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6).

I believe doubt is part of the natural flow of figuring things out in life (our brains question things and look for proof), so you can’t really blame Thomas too much. In fact, I think Thomas gets singled out unfairly in the history of doubting people. We shouldn’t be afraid or feel ashamed if we sense doubt in our hearts. But when we do, there is a place to go: Scripture and at the feet of Jesus.

We’re all doubters. And so were all the disciples (not just Thomas). Read Luke 24:38 – Jesus said to “the disciples” the following: “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?” (Luke 24:38 NIV).

And look at the eleven disciples on the mountain in Galilee when Jesus gave them the Great Commission – “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” Matthew 28:17 NIV).

Doubt is part of the journey toward faith. Like he said to Thomas, Jesus tells us to stop doubting and believe. In fact, he said that blessed are those who don’t see him in person (as did the disciples) and yet still believe. That means us!

Is following Jesus blind faith? No. We have the evidence of Scripture, thousands of years of tradition and testimonies of the saints passed down to us, and the intangible moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives.

How do we turn from doubt? We ask God, who will generously give wisdom to those who ask (James 1:5). Note that James doesn’t say that he’ll give wisdom to those who try really really hard to believe. Simply ask God.

2 responses to “Why Does Thomas Get all the Blame for Doubting?”

  1. Gordon Avatar
    Gordon

    “We have the evidence of Scripture, thousands of years of tradition and testimonies of the saints passed down to us, and the intangible moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives.”
    Scripture is the claim, not the evidence. Miracles and good works are the evidence. Yet, Evangelicalism is less than 200 years old, and all testimonies of saints and ‘movings’ of the spirit are likewise extrabiblical and therefore unreliable.
    Even if American Christianity weren’t blind faith, its own doctrines prevent that faith from allowing demonstrable fact to ground it.

    1. Jesse Avatar

      Thank you for your reply, Gordon. It sounds like we may have differing epistemologies, and I can respect that.

Search

Popular Posts

  • “Holy Fools”: Exploring the Journey of Calling for Christian Variety Performers

    I am happy to announce that my PhD dissertation has been published to ProQuest, an academic database for published research. I have made the dissertation open source, which means anyone anywhere can access the full content free of charge. Here is the full dissertation: https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/holy-fools-exploring-journey-calling-christian/docview/2622316783/se-2 Please share far and wide. I am very much excited…

  • The Easiest Large Group Game Ever
    The Easiest Large Group Game Ever

    This is probably the easiest large group game ever invented.  If you can think of an easier one, please let me know in the comments. Heads or Tails! This game of heads or tails involves EVERYONE in your large group.  It is actually better the larger the group gets.  There is an elimination factor to…

  • Children’s Sermon: Ezekiel’s Vision

    One Sunday last month, I taught the children’s sermon. In our church, the children are with the adults for the first half of the Sunday morning worship. Then they come to the front for a blessing and/or children’s sermon before being dismissed for a separate teaching time during the adult sermon. I have found that…

  • When God Calls Kids

    On September 26th, I will be facilitating a breakout session at the KidzMatter Conference in Evansville, IN called “When God Calls Kids: Helping Kids Discern and Grow in Their Callings.” If you’re going, come find me on Thursday at 4:30pm in Locust D at the conference! Check out my free resources from my talk right…

  • Out of the Mouths of Children

    “Out of the Mouths of Children” Sermon from Sunday, April 21, 2024 Dr. Jesse Joyner *Scripture passages are from the NIV unless otherwise noted. Matthew 21:6 “…and they said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and…