Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see My Hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My Side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:27-29

This was part of the Scripture I read this morning as lay reader at the Congregational Church of Antioch. I was struck by the fact that even though Thomas was one of the disciples, and had been with Him in His Ministry, he still had his doubts about the Lord's Divinity. He had been with Jesus while He performed miracles, when He taught in the Temple, even when He performed the mundane duties of every day human life. But after the Crucifixion, all these things he had believed in and hoped for were dispelled by his doubts. In the end, after all these experiences, Thomas was not sure that Jesus had really risen. Jesus did not ignore his misgivings; He came up to him and challenged him to touch His Wounds. This put an end to any of Thomas's doubts. Then, He went on to say that those who had not seen Him, yet believe are blessed. That would be you and I. Faith is not an easy thing to cultivate. Mine had grown rather than to come into being suddenly. There are times when I am stronger and times when I am weak. But the Lord calls ALL of us blessed who have believed without seeing. Why? Because faith is not an easy thing. It means accepting what we cannot see or fathom. It means putting our trust in Someone Who is beyond our imaginings. But once we DO, things start falling into place; we can see the Face of God in the Genius of the Universe. We can feel a sense of peace when there is absolutely no reason we should not be out of our minds with anxiety. When we look back, we can see the imprints of the Lord's Hands in our lives in a Bible verse given to us exactly when we need to hear it, or a check coming in the mail right after we have prayed for money. Look back in your own life; where have you seen the Lord working? What are the small imprints that He has left in your life? Consider these things. With these, you can put your fingers into the wounds of His Hands and sides.

I title my reply "Jesus loves to answer our doubts when we seek Him with all our heart".
a. Firsly, Can we blame Thomas? Consider that all the other disciples have seen 'proof' they needed. Peter have rushed to the tomb to see it empty.
b. Out of doubt can come much deeper revelation. In Thomas case He went into a deeper dimension of faith - (John 20:28 NKJV) And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!". He realized that Jesus has risen. He is now His Master and he a servant because Jesus paid for His sins at the Cross. He now became a slave as He is bought by blood. Thomas also realized Jesus is God. For only God who is all powerful can rise from the death, and only God who is perfect can pay the price for his sins.
c. Prior, Out of doubt Thomas asked the most poignant question, and Jesus answered to His doubt giving us the foundational truth as never before that in Jesus is the way to salvation - not religion. Jesus equates to God. There is no other way. John 14:5 NKJV) Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" (John 14:6 NKJV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Therefore, when in John 20:28, Thomas said "my God", it completes His understanding that Jesus is God, in the very same manner as God the Father which the Jews have based their faith upon.

In my life, I became a Christian when I was 12. It was not that somebody preached to me, rather I have had to answer a nagging question of doubt in my mind, "Who is Jesus? Did He exist? and If He did, and He did what He said He did i.e. died for me, What then would be my response?." I was in deep tought in my one hour long shower, in the midst of a large raging thunderstom when suddenly the lights went out (due to a power failure). Being a boy of 12 and very afraid of darkness, I was all alone, naked, in darkness, with water coming upon my head. I prayed to God, asking Him whether He could show me that He is real for I could not but help ponder on the name of Jesus. I asked to God to 'turn on' the light and so as it may not be a matter of coincidence, to turn it on at my command. Then ... One, Two, Three, ... Now ... the lights turned own, Jesus was the light, and the stong presence of God filled the bathroom as if Jesus was there. I could no longer remain standing. The Glory of His presence was too much. I was bowing down. For a moment of eternity, I felt Jesus was there in front of me. I proclaimed " Jesus, my Lord and my Saviour" just as Thomas did when He saw Jesus as who He really is. I asked for forgivesness for my sins.

It was doubt that has propelled my Christian walk and have made me seek after God and searched deep into His scriptures. I normally felt uncomfortable with the preaching in my Church - I do not doubt the content, but rather I doubt whether there is more and that the scriptures mean something else than is actually preached. I regularly felt that there is much more and I yearned to know God more. What was given seldom was fulfilling - and only tasted like the entree and not the main course.

Perhaps I am the modern day Thomas, born to ask difficult questions, born to debate with Catholic Priest in my colledge, born to debate with Professors ... but most of all, born to receive God's love and fellowship.

Lamb - I think we are in an hour, a day and an age of asking those "difficult" questions. 'We' are a difficult question for the church to answer. Those of 'us' who have made it out the other side with our faith still in tact have asked, and answered, many difficult questions just to make it this far. But the search for His truth doesn't end there. I feel there is much more to come in the years ahead and the gay Christian community will be preceded to be part of this 'new thing' that God is doing!