John 20:19-31 SERMON: BELIEVING IS SEEING April 19, 2009
“Blessed are those [Utterly happy are those] who have not seen yet have believed.”
The great German poet Goethe said, “Give me the benefit of your convictions, if you have any; but keep your doubts to yourself, for I have enough of my own.” Everyone struggles with doubt sometimes. We worry about what the future will bring. We are uncertain if we will succeed. We hesitate as we make a decision. We distrust what someone tells us. These are all the signs of the doubter. Of course, there is a healthy skepticism. Buyers beware. But a healthy skepticism can become a paranoia that sees lies and conspiracies behind every corner. Doubt can suck the joy out of life. Doubt can leave us unable to make a move lest we make the wrong move.
This morning, I want to look at a famous doubter. Doubting Thomas. He was the disciple who was not present that first Easter morning. He did not see Jesus and said that he would not believe until he could see.” But the next Sunday, the week after Easter, Thomas was on hand to believe. Thomas teaches us many lessons. It is okay to have questions. But there is also a time to decide. To make a commitment in life. It is the power of commitment that gives us great power for living. It is better to be certain than to be right.
Thomas said that he would not believe until he saw for himself. This is the stance of many doubters. But that is a strange place to stand. All of us believe many things that we have never seen. Maybe 80% of the time, we people of the twenty first century take on trust a host of things without seeing for ourselves. We rely on witnesses to tell us it is so. We rely on teachers, scientists, professors, authors, reporters, and anchor-persons of popular current affair programs. Many will believe anything that is disseminated on the internet. I myself have never personally with my own eyes seen the polar ice caps. Yet, I believe those who say they exist. I trust their witness. No one has seen sub-atomic particles—the electrons, neutrons, and protons. Some scientists have seen what appears to be the results and evidence of their existence. And I believe these energies do exist and yet I have never seen them. No one has seen them. We trust the witnesses even though we have not seen.
The same is true when we come to have faith in God. We trust the witnesses. We trust those disciples who say that they saw Jesus alive. But much more than their mere words, we trust the quality of their lives. The lives of the disciples were dramatically changed. Before they knew Jesus, these were rough men. They were uneducated men. They were prejudiced men wanting only to associate with other Jews like themselves. They were vindictive men ready to call down fire on those who opposed them. They were selfish men, wanting always to know who would go first and be on top. They were fearful men, ready to run away when trouble came. They were doubting men, scared the boat would sink, uncertain how to feed a crowd, and hesitant to follow Jesus to Jerusalem. The only certainty the disciples had was that they were certain Jesus was dead and that their lives were destroyed. That was all before they saw Jesus alive. After Easter, these men spoke so eloquently that the Pharisees wondered where they received such knowledge. They reached out to every person of every class and race and ethnic group. They were forgiving. They became servants to one another. They were never afraid again. They were certain and the quality of their lives showed they were certain that Jesus was alive. Their words and their lives give us the witness to believe.
When I look at a person’s faith, I too look at their lives and not merely their words. Anyone can say, “I love Jesus,” but then treat their neighbour in a shabby manner. Anyone can talk about serving under God, but then always have to be on top of other people. I suspect as you watch me as a pastor, you do not just listen to my words, but you look at the quality of my life. Now certainly, I am not perfect. If you look for perfection, you will be disappointed. But as a Christian leader, you should see something of spiritual quality in my life and not only in my words. Part of what I bring to you as a pastor is not simply to tell you about God with my words but to show you and model for you the life of Christ by my actions. God has sent me to you, to this church, not so I can just tell you but that I can show you. That is my full witness.
Throughout the centuries, Christians of many generations have treasured the witness of Thomas. They enjoyed hearing how Thomas would not believe Jesus was alive until he saw. They loved the story and they loved Jesus words in verse 29: “Utterly happy are those who have not seen and] yet have believed.” That verse describes those of us who believe today. We have not seen and yet we believe. How can that be so? We listened to witnesses, to personal testimony, and as we listened, the brilliant truth which exceeded all explanation took hold of our hearts and we believed. God’s Holy Spirit spoke within us. It is impossible to describe how one comes to faith, except that the inner self is suddenly lit up with a new kind of knowing, and the mind exclaims: “Oh yes! It is true. It is real. I do believe!” You see, belief comes, not at the end of a long, logical argument about what you believe, but in a moment of inner light in response who you believe.
Now that does not mean that belief is illogical. It is to say that that not all we believe can be touched or felt or seen. The great American physicist John Wheeler knew this to be so. Wheeler died last year at the age of 96. Wheeler worked with Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Richard Feynman and other prominent scientists throughout his career. He worked on the Manhattan Atomic Project in WW II and taught at Prince University for decades. Wheeler coined the term Black Hole and Worm Holes. He won every major award in science. Yet as Wheeler’s work carried him deeper into wave theories and unified field theories, he came to criticize the fundamental scientific ideal that truth was what could be touched, felt, and seen. Wheeler came to believe that the reality of the universe was something that could not be touched, felt, or seen at all. Jesus said to Thomas the doubter, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet they believe.”
Do you find yourself like Thomas? Perhaps in spiritual matters, you cannot make up you mind. Or perhaps in everyday life—in business, in family, in money, in play—you have a hard time deciding what to do. Many people are afraid to make a decision. What if it is the wrong decision? It is hard to make a decision, a real commitment, because we will then have to live with our choices. CEOs of companies are often paid the big bucks not because they are any smarter than you or me, but because they are people willing to make decisions. The word decision comes from the same root word as the word scissors. It means to cut away. To decide is to cut away other choices and to make a commitment to go this one way. And many of us hesitate. We try this and we try that. We waffle here and we waffle there. Our energies and our time are dissipated and weakened until we accomplish little in life. But to commit—to make a decision—to cut away all retreat---brings us great focus and power in life. Deciding on a college to attend, a major to study, a sport to play, a job to work, a person to marry, a church to make your home—make a decision and commitment. Stop looking back. Forget about quitting. Decide and stick with that decision. In every area of life, to decide firmly is to gain great power for living.
Thomas came to that great power. He was a doubter but in verse 28 he decided and he proclaimed, “My Lord and my God.” Thomas committed himself to Jesus. He decided. He cut away all other options and believed in Jesus. Many modern people say that an open mind is to be valued. I believe that to a point. But at some point in life, I need to close my mind onto great truth. Seeking the truth is like seeking the great love of your life. You should remain open, ask questions, and have some healthy scepticism. Date around among the different ideas. But when you find that love of your life—when you find the truth that is Jesus—then wed yourself to him. Commit. Decide. Be certain. You will find in that decision a power for living. Utterly happy are those who have not seen and yet they believe. Amen.