Matthew 28:17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

The following three verses are some of the most famous in the whole Bible, but this verse strikes me as rather remarkable. That there were some who were close enough to Jesus to be invited to this climactic scene but still couldn’t get past their materialistic reasoning and accept that He had really resurrected says a lot about the human condition. Their minds told them that Jesus couldn’t have risen from the dead, so they couldn’t accept the evidence that was right there in front of them. Thomas repented of his unbelief, (John 20:24-28) so we can hope that these people eventually did as well. However, as the saying goes, “My mind is made up. Don’t confuse me with the facts.” We laugh at that, but we see it in action all around us, and are doubtless guilty of it as well. I think this is a factor in why Jesus said that “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3) Children may rebel, but they generally accept what a trusted adult tells them as fact. That’s why the current issue of indoctrination by school teachers is such a big deal. God is a totally reliable source, so we need to receive what He tells us like little children, trusting Him completely regardless of our circumstances. We can miss out on a lot by too much “adulting!” That’s a different matter from maturity, because genuine spiritual maturity knows fully that God is God and we’re not, and that there is far more that we don’t know than we do know. When we encounter people like the doubters in this passage, all we can do is pray for them and speak the truth in love. Good intentions don’t transform people automatically.

I’ve had my moments of doubting, wanting to trust the machinations of my mind more than the Bible, but thankfully God has carried me through them. There is no substitute for the assurance I currently have. Faith is a gift, (Ephesians 2:8-9) and I am eternally grateful for what God has given me. At the same time, I have experienced countless times that faith is almost like a muscle, in that it needs to be exercised in order to grow. As a rather mundane example, I try to let the Lord tell me when to change lanes when driving. When I am listening, things always go smoothly, but when I try to figure it out myself, I often get caught in traffic jams! The Lord gave me a high IQ in human terms, but compared to God, my IQ is zero! Trusting God is not the same thing as being gullible. The Holy Spirit is faithful to put me on the alert in times of various dangers. When He is talking I need to believe and act, without hesitation.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed exercise the faith You have given me, letting it extend into faithfulness, so that I may be a son and servant pleasing to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!