Easter Monday: Overcoming Doubt

4/1/2024

by Sam Avery and Jake Hebert

Scripture

Jesus Appears to His Disciples Luke 24:36-49

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Devotion

In this important passage, Jesus appears to all of his disciples for the first time since his resurrection. Right before this was the walk on the road to Emmaus, where Jesus appears to two people, one of them being Cleopas and the other one being unnamed. Cleopas and the other went and told the disciples that Jesus had risen, and as they were discussing this amongst each other, Jesus appeared to them. In John 20, this same event is documented, and from this passage we have evidence that the disciples were in a room with closed and locked doors, which means Jesus either opened a locked door, or simply appeared.

The first thing Jesus says to the disciples is, “Peace to you!” This is significant and displays Jesus’ character because the disciples were probably not at peace at the time, still devastated about Jesus’ death, but just receiving a message that he was alive. They were discussing this and were not sure if this was a false hope or if it was true, so it was important that Jesus addressed them in a calm manner, telling them to have peace. The meaning of the word “peace” at the time was not simply the absence of turmoil and disturbance as it is today, but it was a deep sense of confidence of a relationship with God and an assurance that all is well.

As expected, the disciples were frightened and startled, thinking they were seeing spirits, and they were filled with doubt. Jesus assures them that he is real, showing them his hands and his feet, and even eating a piece of fish to prove that he is a real, physical human, not just a spirit. He then begins quoting the scriptures and everything that was written concerning the events that had taken place, and then he opens their minds to understand all that had happened. He tells them they are witnesses of the events, and just after this, he ascends into heaven. The disciples believed at once, praising God with much joy.

If the disciples had doubts and they were there to witness all of the events themselves, how much more natural is it for us, living 2000 years after Jesus’ resurrection, to have doubts? Doubt is completely normal, and can even be a good thing, but this is dependent on how we deal with it. Doubt causes us to question if what we believe is really true, and leads us to either search for the truth or succumb to our doubts and give up our beliefs. A bad response to doubt is to simply put it off and forget about it, but a good, healthy response to doubt is to truly consider what you believe and search for the truth. Our faith in Christ is not baseless but is surrounded by an overwhelming amount of evidence and veracity.

One key to overcoming doubt is reaching out to others for help and prayer. If we are lost in the midst of our own doubt with no resources, with nobody to talk to, it can be overwhelming and be a tough situation.

When doubts arise, as they will, it is key to search for the truth, talk to strong Christian people in your life who can encourage you and help you overcome your doubt, and to not give up. When in a season of doubt, it is key to focus on what you do know, things that you are confident about, and build on those. And throughout doubt, God is with you the whole way, even if it may not feel like it. He does not leave you or get frustrated with you but will walk by your side with patience and love the whole way.

An example of doubt in the Bible is from this same account but in John’s gospel when Thomas doubts that Jesus really did rise from the dead. Thomas refused to believe unless he could physically touch the scars on Jesus’ hands and side. About a week later, Jesus appeared to Thomas and allowed him to touch his wounds, and Thomas instantly believed. Jesus then says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

We are those who have not seen and yet believe. Thomas, having witnessed the events, experienced great doubt, so Jesus calls those blessed who believe even without witnessing the events. Even though it may seem harder for us to believe because we have not seen it, in a way we can have more confidence. After almost 2000 years, the resurrection is still one of the biggest days of the calendar year, and people around the world still worship Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This alone can assure us and help us overcome doubt.

Doubt is a crucial part of the Christian faith, and it is when we overcome doubt that we grow our faith the most. Keep searching, keep praying, keep talking to others, and place yourself in a good Christian community, and most importantly, do not give up or lose hope. God will be there in your greatest doubt, and he will pull you through to a place of peace and undeniable faith.

Easter Monday is a day of reflection and a time to rest in the fact that Jesus is indeed risen and working in each of our lives. Jesus commanded his disciples to have peace, and the same goes to us in a world that seems without peace at all. However, we can have peace and rest because Jesus died to atone for this fallen world, and more importantly, resurrected from the dead so that we could be raised with Him to eternal life. Today, do not fret about the worries of this world, but have peace that our Lord is risen, and ponder upon the fact that He is in control now and forevermore.

Artwork

“Doubting Thomas” by Caravaggio

We chose this piece of art because it portrays doubting Thomas, who would not believe in the resurrected Jesus until he physically touched his wounds. This depicts the theme, “Overcoming doubt,” very well as it is literally the disciple Thomas overcoming his doubt and disbelief as he touches Jesus’ wounds. This is a simple piece of art but it displays the overcoming of doubt very well.

Poetry

"The Dark Night of the Soul" by Justin Farley

In the darkest night of the soul,
The bleakest veil of blackness
Is pulled down over the sky.
You look out with piercing gazes,
But the Lord hides himself from your eyes.

Doubts well up inside you like cumbersome tears,
Suffering over the meaning of it all
And bound by your deepest fears.
You cry out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
But your words don’t reach his ears.

And each morning you rise hopeful
That the Son will rise along the eastern sky.
But another day passes, your bitter “whys” festering
In the cold, damp darkness.

But to have a dark night
One must have first had a bright day.
We lay in the midst of solitude
Because we recognize we weren’t always alone.

What we breathe our numbered breaths into
Leaves us vulnerable and open to attack
Because our life’s meaning hangs by a thread
And is defined by the object of our heart’s desire.

And during those numbered days,
When all hope has been vacuumed from the soul,
The strength to carry on is a burden few understand.
But you push on knowing God is there,
Even when he can’t be felt.

Then, when that dawn comes,
It’s too beautiful to describe
And harder to fathom –
For faith flows freely once again.

The captain of your heart and soul
Never jumped ship and abandoned you,
But let you steer for awhile
So you’d come to appreciate
And depend on his presence all the more.

We chose this poem because it exemplifies the real process of doubt. It explains it all full circle and shows that in a time of doubt when it feels like God is far away, He is really right by your side the whole way, growing you as a person. God never leaves us, and even when we doubt and feel like He isn’t there, He is still working, and this poem displays that very well.

Music

In Christ Alone by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

We chose this song because Christ is a solid rock, who gives hope and strength. This connects to the theme of overcoming doubt because throughout doubt, Christ is still a solid cornerstone, with us through it all. This song depicts who Christ is and what He did for us, and gives a glimpse of what is to come.

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Easter Monday: Overcoming Doubt

Grammar School (grades DK-5)

Upper School (grades 6-12)

South Campus (grades K-2)