{"id":1284,"date":"2012-04-12T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2012-04-12T13:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/?p=1284"},"modified":"2012-04-12T09:34:23","modified_gmt":"2012-04-12T13:34:23","slug":"john-2019-31-thomas-doubt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/04\/john-2019-31-thomas-doubt.html","title":{"rendered":"John 20:19-31: Thomas > Doubt"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Lisa Hickman<\/p>\n

Thomas is permanently labeled a \u2018doubter\u2019 by two millennia of history books, sermons, cartoons and theological treatises in the Christian tradition. A cartoon by Joshua Harris<\/a> has Thomas crying out, \u201cAll I\u2019m saying is we don\u2019t call Peter \u2018Denying Peter.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jefferson Bethke on Loving Jesus but Doubting Religion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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In January 2012, 22-year-old Tacoma, Wash. resident Jefferson Bethke posted a recorded performance of his poem “Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus” on YouTube. It was an overnight internet sensation, garnering more than 18 million hits and coverage in national publications and broadcast outlets. In this Odyssey Networks interview filmed at his church in Seattle, Bethke explains why he felt compelled to make public his view on modern religion, and defends himself against some of the criticisms lodged against his poem.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

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Thomas is not to blame for this label. He made a reasonable statement in an unreasonable, once-in-a-lifetime resurrection situation. What\u2019s fascinating is how comfortable we are in letting Thomas be so trapped. We might need his doubt to make sense of our own. But when we let the story end with a label as easy as, \u201cDoubting Thomas,\u201d we let ourselves reside in disbelief as well.<\/p>\n

Recently, David Brooks of The New York Times<\/em> criticized YouTube phenomenon Jefferson Bethke for just this. In a public display of doubt over institutionalized religion, Bethke\u2019s rebellion resonated with over 20 million viewers who watched his lyrical lament, \u201cWhy I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus<\/a>.\u201d With statements like, \u201cThe church should not be a museum for the good, but a hospital for the broken,\u201d his message is balm to a century disheartened by the institutional church.<\/p>\n

While his poetic rant is filled with a plethora of one-liners, the message lacks a vision beyond lament. Brooks names a singular criticism of Bethke: \u201cRebellion without a rigorous alternative vision is just a feeble spasm.\u201d In his article, \u201cHow to Fight the Man<\/a>\u201d, Brooks challenges Bethke to move beyond rebellion. Brooks believes Bethke must turn his \u201cpassion into change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s lectionary text, the story of Doubting Thomas, speaks to rebellion, passion and change. While it would be easy to paint Jefferson Bethke as a contemporary Doubting Thomas, that comparison fails both Bethke and Thomas. Bethke is far beyond doubt. His love for Jesus shapes his logo, \u201cJesus>Religion.\u201d But for as much as Bethke believes, he needs the next step. Thomas, surprisingly, provides that momentum.<\/p>\n

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From Rebellion to Revelation<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

One word marks the rebellious nature of Thomas. \u201cUnless,\u201d Thomas says, \u201cUnless I see\u2026 I will not believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

This comes as a surprise, throughout John; Thomas perceived Christ\u2019s calling clearly. As Jesus headed to the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus spoke cryptically of death. Understanding what was to come, Thomas called the other disciples to perish with him (John 11:16<\/a>). Later in the Gospel, Thomas asks Jesus, \u201cLord, we don\u2019t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?\u201d (John 14:6<\/a>). Jesus responds, \u201cI am the way and the truth and the life.\u201d<\/p>\n

By John 20, the certainty of \u2018way, truth and life\u2019 are lost to three demands of Thomas. While the disciples witnessed the resurrected Jesus, Thomas missed that revelation. Now his request is to see<\/em> the nail marks, put<\/em> his finger there, and thrust<\/em> his finger into his side. (KJV) The path of way, truth and life are lost to the human demand to see, put, thrust. These three verbs name that human desire for manipulation. We want to change our circumstances ourselves. When we can\u2019t, we rebel.<\/p>\n

After making this demand, Thomas is behind locked doors when the risen Jesus appears with a threefold invitation for Thomas to see<\/em> his hands, to put<\/em> the finger of Thomas on his nail marks and to thrust<\/em> his fingers into his side. Jesus mirrors the request of Thomas and thereby creates a space for revelation. The risen Christ meets Thomas in his rebellion, stands before Thomas on his terms, and yields to revelation.<\/p>\n

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From Spasm to Momentum<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Three easy-to-miss words mark the fact that this story will not end in a feeble spasm. Instead, the momentum Thomas will bring the burgeoning Christian movement will be far-reaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter eight days,\u201d the text denotes, Christ appeared to Thomas. References from the Old Testament encourage us to consider the divine blessing and commissioning that occur on the eighth day. The eighth day is the fulfillment of priestly ordination, the day for dedication of the firstborn, a day to mark in circumcision the covenant relationship, a day of gratitude and offering. Could it be that Thomas will be marked on this eighth day and commissioned for service?<\/p>\n

The towns of Kodungallur<\/a> and Kollam<\/a> in Kerala, India, know the answer to that question. Thomas started \u2018seven and a half\u2019 churches there in southern India. These churches stand as testament to the \u2018rigorous alternative vision\u2019 of Thomas. He moved from feeble spasm to divine momentum with the humble confession, \u201cMy Lord and my God.\u201d There in India he created many a church that served as hospitals for the broken.<\/p>\n

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The vitality of Thomas\u2019 testimony is lost when it ends at belief. This is not a story lent towards dogma. Such clarity discredits the story. In John\u2019s Gospel, belief is never static. A person is always in the process of \u2018believing,\u2019 that is, leaning into belief in a broken world. Easter faith is not about certainty. The reality of Easter is the complexity of living anew in a broken creation. Christian history tells us that Thomas shared the gospel in India, far from the certainty of his home.<\/p>\n

This is precisely what Brooks wants Bethke to understand. Take the next step beyond easy word to a broken world. That eighth day, is rich in symbolism that mobilizes the doubt from spasm to momentum.<\/p>\n

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From Bethke, To You and Me<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

At the Mikael Agricola Church in Helsinki a worship service called the \u2018Thomas Mass<\/a>\u2019 creates a place for those who doubt. Their website shares a wonderful invitation, \u201cThe St. Thomas Mass invites doubters and seekers to celebrate, worship God, serve their neighbor, and grow together. Those who feel sinful and weak in faith are especially welcome.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

When I collapsed into the pew while visiting there this summer, I sat with the weight of doubt in my personal and professional life consuming me from the inside out. I prayed for a vessel where I could place my disbelief. The service provided movement from spasm to momentum. I could name my doubt in personal and corporate prayer. But worship would not leave me there. Like Thomas, that eighth day, I was commissioned.<\/p>\n

On the eighth day after Easter, the world looks to you and me to take the first steps to turn the passion of Christ into compassionate change. Bethke, like many, is looking for proactive change. But first he needs a vision beyond his rebellion. What steps would he take to move the church from a \u201cmuseum for the good\u201d to \u201ca hospital for the broken?\u201d Lingering in doubt is all too easy; leaning into change relies on the grace of resurrection faith. Thomas is greater than his doubt because he received that commission and served beyond a doubt. <\/p>\n\n

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By Lisa Hickman Thomas is permanently labeled a \u2018doubter\u2019 by two millennia of history books, sermons, cartoons and theological treatises in the Christian tradition. A cartoon by Joshua Harris has Thomas crying out, \u201cAll I\u2019m saying is we don\u2019t call Peter \u2018Denying Peter.\u2019\u201d Jefferson Bethke on Loving Jesus but Doubting Religion In January 2012, 22-year-old…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":465,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[261,264,230,262,260,255,259,258,256,240,257,246,265,263,254],"class_list":["post-1284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-on-scripture","tag-christ","tag-doubt","tag-easter","tag-holiday","tag-india","tag-jefferson-bethke","tag-kerala","tag-kollam","tag-new-york-times","tag-odyssey-networks","tag-of-kodungallur","tag-on-scripture-the-bible","tag-stop-jesus","tag-tradition","tag-why-i-love-religion-but-hate-jesus"],"yoast_head":"\nJohn 20:19-31: Thomas > Doubt - ON Scripture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/04\/john-2019-31-thomas-doubt.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"John 20:19-31: Thomas > Doubt - ON Scripture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Lisa Hickman Thomas is permanently labeled a \u2018doubter\u2019 by two millennia of history books, sermons, cartoons and theological treatises in the Christian tradition. 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