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“Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, 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 in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book....” John 20:24-30
I am not an artist. When I try to draw a picture of something it rarely communicates the message. So it was that God chose to pair me with a woman who can not only draw, but basically minored in Art History (no degree granted but plenty of hours taken.) Consequently I have spent more hours in art museums than I ever expected, I figured if I drug her to the ballpark, I had to agree to go to a few places she wanted to go with the exception of tea rooms (some things you only do once!). Lo and behold as I was viewing the artwork with her, particularly the masters and their renditions of various parts of the Christ Story, something stirred. It has resulted in my having put together a small, electronic collection of portraits of Christ by artists throughout the ages. I have even done a couple of bible study/workshops on this.
I guess what intrigued me about this, what resonated so clearly with someone devoted to preaching the Gospel, is the hermeneutic of the artists. Now “hermeneutic” is a fancy word that simply means the preacher/teacher’s manner of communicating and contextualizing the Gospel story into their contemporary context. Just as the preacher is called to do this hermeneutic for her congregation, the artist for his audience. As you look at the masters, there is some amazing contextualization that takes place. One Dutch artist did a painting of “The Slaugher of the Innocents” (Herod’s killing of baby boys under the age of two), set in a typical Dutch Village. Powerful, dramatic images that teach us the Gospel. In an illiterate culture, this type of teaching was a necessary part of life. With the age of Reason, as our society became literate, the church seemed to abandon this mode of communication.
 So I have printed out some of my favorites of this electronic collection to hang in my office. One of my favorite artists is Carravagio. I love his realism and the areas of detail he focuses upon. Perhaps my favorite work of his is the depiction of doubting Thomas. The wound in Jesus side open, flesh drawn back and Thomas, not really wanting to but unable to keep himself from doing it, reaching out to touch it and know it’s real.
Now, maybe it’s because I’m the child of two Missourians, but that picture moves me. I understand the need to be shown, to have my faith built up by solid evidence. I’m not one who can say honestly that as I have ministered I have never had any doubts. You see the great tragedy in the world and sometimes you are moved to ask where God is in all of this. So the story of Thomas is one with which I readily identify.
The church sometimes belittles Thomas because of his doubt. But you will notice that Jesus didn’t. Oh, he stated that those who believed without seeing would be blessed, but God has never stopped providing the evidence for those afflicted with doubts. God continues to show love to us even in a culture that seems to thumb its nose at God and to say, “We don’t need you anymore.” And despite this, God still faithfully, steadily rains Love and Grace down upon us, providing “miracles” that we might believe the truth of the gospel.
Jesus did not condemn Thomas for his doubts; instead he encouraged the expression of those doubts in order that He could begin to excise those doubts. Too often we keep our “doubts” and our “fears” bottled up inside ourselves and don’t allow Christ the opportunity to excise them from our lives. But when we go to Him with our doubts, asking Him to help our unbelief, we will find in us an ever increasing and growing faith in Him.
What doubts do you need to give to Jesus this week? Doubts about God’s ability to use you? Doubts about Christ’s concern for this culture? Share them with Him and watch God’s hand at work.
Rev. Steve VanOstran
ABCRM
Executive Minister |
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