Scripture - John 20:19-31 4/11/99
"Different Levels of Faith"
As I read over the gospel lesson for today, I noticed four different levels of faith in relation to seeing and believing. There were those who do not believe because they do not want to see. There were those who want to believe and want to see. There were those who believe only when they see. And there were those who believe even though they do not see.
Let us take a closer look at these four levels and how they relate to our church today.
Those Who Do Not Believe Because They Do Not Want To See
There were those who do not believe because they do not want to see. The disciples had the opportunity to see, but they chose not to. Mary Magdalene had told them about the good news. Jesus' body is not in the tomb. He is risen from the dead.
But the disciples continued to huddle in fear, locked behind closed doors. They doubted just as much as Thomas did. But it's Thomas who has ended up stuck with the "doubting" label.
They had passed off Mary's news as some kind of fanciful story. They could not bring themselves to believe that anyone, even Jesus, could rise again from the dead.
What a sad church at this point the disciples were turning out to be. Jesus was counting on them to continue the work of spreading the good news. God's kingdom had come. But instead of going out into the world to proclaim the news, the disciples chose instead to huddle in fear and uncertainty.
This was faith at its lowest level. This was a church that was worried more about struggling for survival than in reaching out to the world.
There are people who do not believe because they do not want to see. They have heard the good news. Some of them have heard it or have had the opportunity to hear it time and time again, yet they do not believe.
There are churches that do not believe because they do not want to see, or, if they do believe, they certainly don't act that way. They know they should be out proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, but instead they remain huddled in fear inside their four walls. Their concern is introspective: "What will people think of them? Will they be ridiculed or persecuted?"
They struggle for survival because they are unsure of what it is they are supposed to believe. The power of the resurrection has not become real to them. They do not want to believe because it involves risk. So they withdraw to the point where they feel secure, not realizing that in the very act of trying not to get hurt they are dooming themselves to a spiritual death.
- S. D. Gordon, in his book What It Will Take to Change the World, tells about Ole Bull, the great Norwegian violinist. Ole Bull was on tour in America when he called upon John Ericsson, the noted Swedish inventor. The two had been friends in youth, but had not seen one another since each had become famous. After a cordial evening, Bull invited Ericsson to attend his concert. The hopelessly prosaic inventor refused, saying that music was a waste of time. Subsequent invitations were likely refused. One day Bull hit upon a bit of intrigue. He carried his violin to Ericsson's workshop, and began removing its strings, apron, and screws. As he worked, he pointed out certain defects to Ericsson, soliciting his advice as to acoustics, woods and other matters of scientific opinion. Putting the violin back together, Bull started to play it, pretending to demonstrate points of the discussion. Instead, rich, dark, reverential tones were drawn from the strings by the artist gently pressing the bow. The shop's workmen stopped to listen, and Bull continued to play. When he came to a pause, Ericsson, eyes glistening with tears, said softly, "Play on! Don't stop... I never knew before what it was that was lacking in my life." (1)
Those Who Want to Believe And Want to See
There are those who want to believe and want to see. These are people who are either just starting to explore their faith or have stagnated in their walk of faith.
This is what I believe Thomas was experiencing when he left his church. He was not in the room when Jesus first appeared to the other disciples. He was off doing something. I like to think he was out searching for answers to his nagging questions.
We talk about seeker services in the church as though they are only for those who are exploring their faith for the first time. First-timers are not the only seekers, however.
Seekers may also be people who have had a long-term relationship with the church and have never made any personal commitment to the Lord.
Seekers may also be people who have stagnated in their faith. Perhaps there was something that obstructed or frustrated their faith. Perhaps it is because God feels distant from them, the times when they may say, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" God may seem distant but they are not yet ready to give up on calling God, "My God."
Those Who Believe Only When They See
There are those who believe only when they see.
- When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours. Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. At age 34, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast. On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense she could hardly see her support boats. Sharks cruised toward her lone figure, only to be driven away by rifle shots. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on - hour after hour - while millions watched on national television. Alongside Florence in one of the boats, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn't much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. She never had . . . until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out. Still thawing her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, "Look, I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it." It was not fatigue or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the inability to believe in what she could not see. Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, eclipsing the men's record by two hours! (2)
Thomas was one who said he would believe only when he saw. The other disciples had seen Jesus but Thomas would not believe until he saw Jesus for himself. He not only wanted to see Jesus, he wanted to touch the wounds as well. Thomas demanded proof.
And proof was what Thomas got. Jesus appeared to Thomas and invited him to do what he needed to do to prove that he was indeed risen from the dead.
Many times people have referred to the scars of Jesus. But these were not scars. These were the actual open wounds that Jesus had suffered on the cross. Jesus had died before the wounds could heal. Thomas could actually put his hand "in," -- that is, inside -- Jesus' wounds if that was what he needed to do to prove he was truly risen from the dead.
The Scripture is unclear as to whether or not Thomas followed through by actually touching Jesus' wounds. Thomas made a profound declaration about Jesus: "My Lord and My God!" When Thomas believed, he really believed!
Those Who Believe Even Though They Do Not See
There are those who believe even though they do not see. After Thomas' profound declaration, Jesus said, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."
Those who believe even though they do not see are at the highest level of faith, the type of faith as set forth by Hebrews 11:1 - "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
At the time the gospel of John was written there were many followers of Jesus who had not been present to see Jesus walking around.
The last part of John chapter 20 is directed specifically to those who were encouraged to live a life of faith even though they did not see the risen Lord with their own eyes. In other words, it was written for people like you and me. If only we will have faith, believing even though we do not see Jesus physically, then we will be truly blessed, having life in Jesus' name.
And, of course, if all the church believed even though they did not see, it would be ideal. The reality is that the typical church is a combination of all those levels of faith -- those who do not believe because they do not want to see, those who want to believe and want to see, those who believe only when they see, and those who believe even though they do not see.
We should not put down or feel superior to those we might consider to be at a different level of faith than we are. All of us are a part of the church. Even the non-believers should be welcomed.
We cannot forget that in order to reach a higher level of faith, we had to pass through the lower levels first. And we may find ourselves returning to those lower levels again sometime. Our faith journeys are not necessarily linear.
If we find ourselves at a point where our faith is strong, let us reach out gently and lovingly to those who are struggling with their faith. You never know when they might have to return the favor.
(1) S. D. Gordon. What It Will Take To Change the World, Copyright 1979, Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, Michigan.
(2) Thanks to Ruth Maddox, wkmaddox@starcomm.net, Duncan, OK