John 20:25 25 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.” ESV
We might call him pragmatic – Thomas of the twelve. Thomas had a problem that though he was with Jesus, I’m not sure he knew why – I think he was just along for the ride; he’d decided to go along just to see what would happen. Now, that isn't to say that he wasn’t a believer, he was; his problem seemed to be that was he just wasn't sure why he was a believer.Believing requires faith and Thomas appears to be in short supply.
Thomas is famous for a couple quotes that shed some light on his pragmatism and his loose belief. First he said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him…” when Jesus decided to go raise Lazarus from the dead. Then he said, when Jesus was having the last supper with His men, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” That dang pragmatism was entrenched in Thomas.
There’s a part of me that wants so desperately to know how – how did that happen? How can he do that? Sometimes faith just has to say to pragmatism, “Quit trying to figure out the impossible and just believe that it happened!” Thomas is famous for one more quote after he said what is recorded above in John 20; Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!” His pragmatism was assaulted one last time and I think Jesus finally got the upper hand…
For me, the way to kill pragmatism is to keep my eyes lovingly focused upon the Lord and trust Him. I cannot explain how He did what He did, but I can, by faith, accept it for what it was – the result of God taking upon Himself human form and coming to live among us so that we could learn to walk as He walked: in total unflinching dependence upon the Father.
Jesus,
You didn’t call me to be pragmatic but to trust You. Lord I trust You, amen.
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