A Practical Thinker
Please don’t call me a “doubter.” If you must call me anything at all, I prefer that you call me “a practical thinker.” This doubting thing, you see, has gone on far too long and you must help to dispel that image of me. Are you willing? Maybe those of you who “doubt” that I am serious about this can be convinced! Read on.
Every group has its own mix of personalities. And the group of twelve chosen by Jesus was no exception. Perhaps his genius in the make-up of this group was in the balance, the ability of the group to deal with the inevitable disagreements and competing ambitions, as well as its ability to draw from the variety of strengths found among its members.
Now, you may be remembering all of the times that we argued. And maybe you are wondering what strengths could be found in a group of such ordinary men? See, you are already doubting! It’s not just me!
Well, I want you to remember two things. First, we were experiencing something radical and extraordinary, following someone like Jesus. I mean, put yourself in our shoes. There had never been anyone like him, and there has never been since. It amounted to a surprise every single day, witnessing miracles, crowds of adoring followers, and of course, the hatred of the religious leaders of the time. Taking all of those things together would challenge any group, especially a group of individuals like us, who were all from humble backgrounds with little worldly experience.
Second, we had to adjust as we went. By that I mean that we had to get to know one another. Other than the two sets of brothers in our group, none of us knew each other all that well. And as we went, Jesus began to add others, not as members of the inner circle of twelve, but as loyal disciples. And all of them had opinions, freely expressed. And worst of all, some of them were women! Women!
So please afford us a little sympathy for the challenges we faced in following a figure like Jesus.
I mean, Jesus was unique. And he didn’t always explain things, at least not in the detail that we needed to understand. And that’s why our group had to have a practical thinker. A practical thinker like yours truly. You see, I asked questions. Often, they were the very questions that others were afraid to ask.
They were practical questions. Like when Jesus began to talk about going away and preparing a place for us (John 14). And that we would know the way. I mean, how were we to know the way to a place we’d never been?
So, as the only one with the courage to speak, I asked the practical question, “Lord, we don’t know the way, how can we know the way?”
Jesus didn’t get mad. He didn’t throw the question back in my face or try to make me feel like an idiot for asking. He simply replied that he, Jesus, IS the way. The only way.
And that satisfied everyone. You see, if I had not asked the practical question, we’d still be puzzling over what Jesus said. And so would you. That’s why every group needs at least one practical thinker. Like me.
Don’t get me wrong. Some of our twelve were anything but practical thinkers. It seemed like their heads were always in the clouds. And we needed that. But please, please, not too much of it. I mean, if we all had our heads in the clouds all the time, we’d never get anywhere.
Think about my friend John, for example. He has composed some of the deepest and most beautiful prose you could ever imagine, at the beginning of his Gospel (John 1). I mean John was really deep, a deep thinker. But practical? This same John somehow thought he could get his mother to ask Jesus if he and his brother James could sit on either side of Jesus in his kingdom. Now I ask you, was that a practical thing to do?
Again, Jesus didn’t get mad at them. I would have, but Jesus didn’t. He calmly replied that decisions like that were not his to make. And that was that. The good thing about Jesus (well, one of many good things about Jesus) was that he didn’t hold grudges. He did lose his temper now and then, like when he called Peter “Satan.” But that was rare.
Now, you are probably thinking of that other time when I asked a practical question (John 20). Maybe it was out of line; others thought it was, but I don’t think so. And Jesus, apparently, didn’t either.
You see, after Jesus was raised from the dead, he appeared to the other disciples. I was away, doing something else, something probably quite important that slips my mind just now.
In any case, Jesus appeared to the others and invited them to inspect his wounds. They did and rejoiced that it was really and truly Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Well, I promise that if I’d been there, I would have asked several very practical questions about what Jesus said. But as I mentioned before, I was not there. However, my opportunity was coming!
You see, eight days passed. When Jesus appeared again, this time, I was present. And as any practical thinker would do, I had told the others, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
And you know what? Jesus must have known, because when he appeared, I didn’t even have to ask him. He said to me, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” I then responded, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to me, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
What do I take away from this experience? I guess one thing is that Jesus doesn’t mind practical questions. He is ready to answer, as long as the question comes from the heart and is honest. Don’t forget, though, he was sometimes asked trick questions from Pharisees, like whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar. His responses to those trick questions were meant to throw them off and expose their trickery.
Overall, Jesus wanted us all to believe in him. For some, it came easy. But for some of us, we had questions. Honest questions. And our faith, upon hearing his answers, was just as strong as the faith of the others.
My faith was strong enough to eventually lead me to India. To risk everything and lose my life in spreading the Gospel. And you know what? When I preached and taught the story of Jesus, there were always practical questions!