True Faith
Text: John 20:19-31
Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo
April 23, 2006


Every year, on the Sunday after Easter, in church after church, people hear the story of Thomas and his moment of doubt and feel good that we, unlike Thomas, are a people of faith and not doubt.

Poor Thomas. Whenever the Apostle Thomas is mentioned the word “Doubting” is always put in front of his name. Doubting Thomas is famous for one moment of doubt.

To be quite honest, we know very, very little about Thomas. He is mentioned, only in passing as one of the ‘group,’ in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts, and he is mentioned in the Gospel of John expressing great bravado saying that all the apostles would die with Jesus, a bravado he didn’t back up, and his moment of doubt.

There are lots of stories as to what took place with Thomas in later years, but none of them can be substantiated. We only know he was an Apostle and two episodes from the Gospel of John

So, I guess today’s sermon is really, really short.

Except, there are some things which can stand out about faith and doubt.

Some aspiring psychiatrists from various colleges are attending their first class and the professor is lecturing on emotional extremes and opposite meanings.

"Just as an example," says the professor to one student from a major urban university. "What is the opposite of joy?"

"Sadness," says the student.

"And the opposite of depression?" he asks of a young lady from an Ivy League college.

"Elation," says she.

"And you sir," he says to the young man from an agricultural institution. "How about the opposite of woe?"

The aggie replies, "Sir, I believe that would be giddy-up."




Often people say that doubt is the opposite of faith. But this is not true. Doubt is not the opposite of faith.

I did some research on this and found some interesting results.

The author Anne Lamott in an article God Doesn’t Take Sides, wrote this:

"The opposite of faith is not doubt: It is certainty. It is madness. You can tell you have created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do. The first holy truth in God 101 is that men and women of true faith have always had to accept the mystery of God's identity and love and ways."

Here are other opposites of faith:

Arrogance is the opposite of faith. Believing that we are correct on everything makes us believe that we are somehow God and not allowing God to be God.

It is often said that fear is the opposite of faith. The Bible says over and over again, almost more than anything else, “Do not be afraid.” Sometimes fear says that we don’t have enough faith.

Anxiety, it is said is the opposite of faith. Not so much an anxiety that God doesn’t exist, but an anxiety God does not care.

The theologian Paul Tillich said, “Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.”

Thomas was not a fool to have had doubt.

We forget that the events leading up to the death of Jesus made for a very bad week for the apostles.

They had entered into Jerusalem with Jesus and were excited. They had heard Jesus teach to large crowds. They had seen Jesus perform incredible miracles. The apostles totally believed in Jesus. Totally. They had left their lives and fortunes at home and had forsaken all else to follow Jesus. They were not merely admirers, they were there for the long haul. Or so they thought...

Jesus had trashed the Temple. Embarassing.

Jesus had fought with the Jewish authorities. Politically unwise and embarassing.

Jesus was not particularly politically astute with dealing with the Romans. Duh.

The apostles were all there for Jesus.

That is, until it came to crunch time.

Judas betrayed Jesus. For money.

Peter denied Jesus.

Then did it again.

Then did it again.

Judas killed himself.

John stayed at Jesus’ side.

The others ran away and hid.

And Jesus died on the cross with his mother, some of the women who followed him, and John.

The death of Jesus was dreadful and the apostles were mortified.

So, when Thomas missed Jesus’ appearance, to have had doubt probably shouldn’t take us by surprise. How could have he done anything else?

But doubt isn’t the opposite of faith. It is an element of faith. Thomas accepted Jesus and embraced Jesus and, in one of the most dramatic moments in the Bible, called Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” Thomas, it seems, grew.

Doubt often does two things.

It forces us to think deeply.

People often look at us clergy types and presume we never doubt. Let me make a confession, we do.

I have doubts whenever I see children suffer.

I have doubts when young people die before there time.

I have doubts when I see people be cruel to each other.

I have doubts when I see people behaving badly and do it in the name of Jesus.

I have doubts when I see people behave dishonestly towards one another and destroy one another for personal gain.

I have doubts when I pray and the opposite seems to transpire.

The joy of being a minister is that I’ve seen so many blessings take place. The pain of being a minister is that I’ve been there with families when things were difficult and painful and everyone was asking the question, “Why do these things happen?” and I did not have the answer. And still don’t.

Doubt forces us to ask questions. Doubt forces us to confront the most difficult moments of life. Doubt can lead to profoundly true faith.

Tools are an example of this.

We often like to think of the good old days but some things in the good old days are just old and not all that good.
If you ever tried to use some of the hand tools of that era, they are terrible. The steel is too soft to use for a very long time. Modern day tools are much harder because they have been tempered. Tempering steel makes is hard and makes it so much more useful.

Steel is tempered by heating it hot, hot, hot, and then plunging it rapidly in cold water. It is stressing the steel out in a major way. But that heating and sudden cooling hardens the steel, tempers it, and ultimately makes it stronger.

When our faith has never experienced doubt, if we have never questioned ourselves, things, and God to the core, we never become hardened enough to do difficult things.

Thomas’ moment of doubt isn’t a time of faithlessness, it is a time of growth. Thomas’ moment of doubt isn’t a sign of weakness, it is a sign of tempering, of becoming stronger.

In walking with Christ, the journey is not always easy; life is not filled with easy answers. Sometimes it is difficult and painful----and it is only when we have true faith, a tempered, hardened faith, that we can truly have the strength for the journey.

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