By Pastor Greg ...
One year for her birthday, a little girl was given one of
those little electric cars that can be driven through the yard. She
was thrilled! Once the battery was charged, mom and dad
took the car outside, and the little girl
climbed inside, checked her mirrors, and adjusted the radio. Then she
smashed the accelerator to the floor. Bouncing across the yard,
she suddenly stopped in about 10 feet,
beeped the horn and yelled, "You Jerk!" In another ten feet, she
did the same thing. Mother and father were confused, so they
asked their daughter what was wrong. Why did she keep yelling "You
Jerk" every time she blew the horn? “Cuz that's what you're
supposed to do" she replied. "That's how Mommy does it."
Kids. Some days
it’s like looking in a mirror. But maybe
that’s not a bad thing. Maybe it’s good
for us to look in a mirror from time to time; just to see how our actions are
being perceived.
Did you know that this is one of the things the Bible
does for us? As we look at the people in
there, we sometimes catch a glimpse
of ourselves here. Such is the case of a disciple named Thomas. He is known as Doubting Thomas, but the real
lesson here is to understand just whom
he doubted.
(John 20:24-29) 24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was
not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have
seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail
wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound
in his side.”
26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time
Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was
standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he
said to Thomas, “Put your finger here,
and look at my hands. Put your hand into
the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My
Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed
are those who believe without seeing me.” [1]
Although
this man is known as Doubting Thomas, in truth, he did not doubt Jesus. He doubted
his friends. In this instance, the other
10 believed because they had already seen the proof. Thomas had not. He was not with them when Jesus appeared the
first time (John 20:19). So, it’s not as
if Thomas disbelieved the evidence; when he saw Jesus, he believed. However, Thomas would not believe the
testimony of his friends.
Kind of makes you wonder why, doesn’t it?
I think Thomas was searching his
friends for some evidence that what they said was true, but he just couldn’t
find it. I believe this is what our
friends and neighbors are looking for as well; they want to see evidence that
what a Christian says is true. The
person who is not following Jesus wants
to know that He can really change their life.
But first, they want to see the
change in you.
I know, I know. Christians are always making excuses,
insisting that they are not perfect. They
tell the world to look at Jesus; He is the only One who will not disappoint. Yet John the Apostle places this incident
with Thomas before us as a mirror. But why?
Why did John feel we needed to know this? Was he trying to discredit Thomas, or was he
trying to teach us something else? Why
is this incident so important to you and me?
The answer to this question is
found in John 20:29. “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” Which pretty much sums up almost every
Christian since Jesus ascended to heaven.
Think about it; it’s not like
Jesus suddenly appears to the person still living outside of the faith. I doubt you had the opportunity to see His
hands and side. But still, you believed. And how is it you came to believe?
Why did you believe? Maybe it was
because you had a Bible. John did say
that “these are written
so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have
life by the power of his name”[2]
(John 20:31). Perhaps you heard a
dynamic speaker who spoke to your heart.
Or maybe it was a Sunday school teacher who helped you understand. Maybe it was a combination of these – the Bible,
the teacher who helped you understand what is
written, and the preacher that challenged you to accept the truth. However, there is probably one primary reason you believed; you saw the Truth
in the life of someone else.
I don’t care how old you are;
people are drawn to authentic Christians.
Well, if a person is actually thirsty and hungry for Truth. I mean, in a world filled with lies, anger,
and selfishness, the authentic Christian is like a breath of fresh air. They are honest and truthful. They are patient and kind. Meeting an authentic Christian is like
catching a momentary glimpse of God, and you realize that the world is not
quite as bad as you imagined.
But then there are the hypocrites;
those who profess to be Christians but certainly don’t act that way. The damage these people do is sometimes irreversible.
For those of you that grew up
attending church, think back a bit. Were
you not shocked the first time you saw a person from church acting just like a person of the world? Didn’t that experience rock your faith? Then imagine what it must do to the individual who has never been to church.
For those who started coming to
church later in life, think back a bit.
How did you respond the first time you met an authentic Christian?
If you were to ask me, I’d say
nothing turns a person away from Jesus more than hypocrisy; nothing opens their
heart faster than authenticity.
I have to say that this short
discussion about Thomas seems to be John’s way of shaking up the Church. It’s like he wanted the Church to realize
that although Thomas had the risen Christ to overcome
his doubts, the rest of the world will have to depend on the witness of
believers. If this world were going to be changed, then Christian men
and women would need to become authentic.
Nothing’s changed. How will the World believe in Jesus
today? Through authentic Christians who allow the lost to see Jesus living in
them.
The Apostle Peter calls us to live
properly among our unbelieving
neighbors. He warns us that these people
observe our honorable behavior (1
Peter 2:12). The Apostle Paul tells us
to not copy the behavior and customs of this world (Romans 12:2). He tells us to get rid of all bitterness,
rage, anger, harsh words, and slander because the world will only believe our
message when we are kind, tenderhearted,
and forgiving (Ephesians 4:31). Even
Jesus observes that only when the world sees Christians loving one another will
it believe they are His disciples (John 13:35).
Why is this important? Because there is a lack of love and concern
for other people in this world … and no one seems to care. Not even the Church appears to be concerned about the way
Christians treat one another. Go to your
local Christian bookstore. You’ll
discover a lot of self-help books which focus on a deeper relationship with
God. But when is the last time you saw a
book challenging Christians to follow their duty and responsibility to be a
“light to the world” (Matthew 5:14)?
When is the last time you were
concerned about your behavior and what it was saying to a watching world?
Yeah, sure, people will be blessed
if they believe without seeing Jesus.
But since He is in Heaven, who is going to show Jesus to these
people? If we don’t, then what chance
does that give unchurched Harry and Sally?
If you are a believer, you have a
duty to be a witness for Jesus. You
represent Jesus to this world by the manner of your living, by the words you
speak, by the things you do, and through
your treatment others (by the way, that
includes what we say and post on Facebook).
If you are a believer, YOU are Jesus to the people of this world. If they cannot see Him in you, they will
probably never see Him at all.
[1] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed., Jn 20:24–29).
Carol Stream, IL.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed., Jn 20:31). Carol
Stream, IL.
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