“But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:24-25)
The game show “Jeopardy” has been around for a long time, sixty-two years to be exact. Its appeal lies in the format of giving the answer, after which the contestants provide the question. The question always begins with one of those question words…who, what, where, when, and how.
For sixty-two years, people have not been settling for the answer, but asking the question.
It occurs to me that many of us have been brought up in such a way that we have all the answers and never struggle with the questions. My pastor, Rev. Dan Schumacher of the First Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, recently said in a sermon, “Memorizing someone else’s answers really isn’t faith.”
Thomas, the disciple known for his doubt, had questions about the resurrected Jesus, even though he had journeyed with the Lord for roughly three years. When the other disciples said that Jesus was alive, that he had been resurrected, and they had seen him and talked to him, Thomas couldn’t wrap his mind around it. He had questions.
Faith questions have often been frowned upon by the church. They prompt deeper conversations that reveal shallow spirituality. It’s been easier for the church to give answers than to fertilize the field to grow and encourage doubts. Like a fence around a swampy area with “Keep Out” signs, we’ve often been afraid of getting our feet muddy in the “muckyness” of doctrine and beliefs.
The seminary professor who challenged and taught me the most was Dr. Tom Finger, who was prone to ask the annoying question “Why?” Why do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Why do you believe in baptism? Why do you believe in the grace of God? I came to seminary with the answers while bypassing the questions. During seminary, I discovered the grace of doubt, which led me to notice the dips and potholes in my faith path.
I am not a theologian, just a Jeopardy follower of Jesus willing to ask the questions.
Words from WW Blog 