“And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.” (Mt 28:17 AV)
On one hand, this is astounding. On the other, it kind of makes sense. The previous verse tells us the eleven disciples met Jesus on a mountain where He gave them the great commission. The eleven stood, seeing and hearing their resurrected Savior, yet some doubted. We don’t know who the ‘some’ are. It could have been Judas Iscariot and Thomas. It could have been others. Jesus would appear to the eleven several times. In the upper room, it was Thomas who doubted until he touched the wounds of his victorious redeemer. Some would not trust their senses. It could be on the mountain, Jesus never got close enough to them to truly dash all doubt. Whatever the reason, the reason is reason. Reason can be the enemy of faith. Jesus repeatedly informed his disciples He would die and rise again. He spoke of it in many different ways and even cited scripture as a way to build their faith. Just a few days earlier, a woman anointed Him for His burial and He again, reassured His disciples He would rise again. Jesus stood before them and communicated with them. This isn’t the only time this happened. Remember Peter who hosted a fishing outing with the gang and didn’t realize it was Jesus who spoke to them until He performed a miracle? Resurrection from the dead was easy to believe as long as it wasn’t their leader.
As an encouragement, let us remember even though some doubted, eventually all believed. When Thomas eventually accepted the fact of the resurrected Christ, it was unanimous. They all believed. Doubt can be constructive. Doubt forces us to examine things thoroughly. Doubt questions everything. Doubt takes nothing at face value. Doubt looks for extra evidence before it is resolved. The key is to not exist in doubt. Doubt is ok as long as we work to overcome it. Doubt works to strengthen our faith. Doubt is natural. We are not called to blind faith but reasoned faith. It is only when faith is subject to reason and reason becomes the final authority by which we accept or reject truth that reason becomes a fault. Faith, by its very nature, requires we not have all possible supporting facts. The Bible calls that living by sight. Our five senses coupled with reason conclude truth. The Bible tells us without faith it is impossible to please Him. This is why the words to Thomas are so true. Those who know they have enough empirical evidence and reason to conclude a truth without having all possible information are far more blessed than those who need to touch the wounds of someone standing before them to conclude He is there.
We may respond with disbelief that the disciples doubted. But we are all a bit like this. Our brain tells us what we see or hear is impossible. We have worked it all out and there is no possible way it can be true. Yet, that is what the Bible says. That is what God says. So, again, think it all the way through. But do not let reason be the reason faith cannot grow. We are rational. We are intellectual. It was the intellect of man that built the tower of Babel. It was the intellect of man that said it could not rain enough to cover the earth. It was the intellect of man that declared Jesus was not the Christ and it was the intellect of man that would not believe Christ would rise the third day. That is too bad. Faith uses intellect but is not a slave to it. That was the lesson of the Mount of Commission. He has risen and He stands before you today regardless of what your intellect tells you!
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