Not long after the fall of the Iron Curtain, I traveled to Ukraine with a Christian ministry. One evening, I met with two college students who peppered me with questions about faith and God. I was struck by their open and earnest searching, because they had lived for years under a communist regime in which God and religion were outlawed. They weren’t looking for easy answers, but simply wanted to figure out what they believed.
It’s likely this encounter has stuck with me because I often operate the opposite way—with a skeptical rather than seeking posture. I can be overly cautious, slow to commit, and prone to poke holes in a belief wherever I possibly can.
Perhaps Thomas was somewhat similar. After Jesus’ resurrection, the Savior met with His disciples, but Thomas wasn’t there. When the disciples excitedly told the skeptical disciple about their encounter, Thomas dismissed the story. “I won’t believe it,” he insisted, “unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side” (John 20:25).
It’s unfortunate we’ve saddled the disciple with the name “doubting Thomas,” for apparently Jesus was little bothered by Thomas’ suspicion. Jesus came to him, offering His wounds for him to investigate. Face to face with his friend and teacher, the skeptic fell to his knees. “My Lord and my God!” he exclaimed (John 20:28).
Perhaps it would have been better if Thomas had been able to take his friends’ words without requiring evidence, but I’m struck by Jesus’ kindness. He came to Thomas, loving him even in his doubt. None of us has to leap very far to find ourselves in Jesus’ open arms. We have only to say yes to the love He offers to us.