Wednesday, March 26, 1997
Give apostle benefit of the doubt, speaker
says
By LORETTA FULTON and JERRY REED
Staff Writers
After nearly 20 centuries, it's time to give the apostle Thomas
the benefit of the doubt, Dr. Phil Christopher suggests.
The First Baptist Church pastor spoke at the second of four
daily Holy Week luncheons at downtown churches on Tuesday. He
told a crowd of nearly 400 that Thomas should be commended, not
condemned, for voicing his doubts about Jesus' resurrection directly
and honestly.
In the first Holy Week luncheon message on Monday, the Rev.
Archie Echols of St. Paul United Methodist Church told about the
resurrected Jesus' first encounter with one of his followers:
Mary Magdalene.
Christopher, setting the scene, explained that Thomas is missing
when the other disciples as a group meet with the risen Savior.
"So the other disciples told him, 'We've have seen the
Lord.' But he said to them, "Unless I've seen 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."
A second group encounter of Jesus with his disciples finds
Thomas present, Christopher related, and this one ends with Thomas'
affirmation still ringing down through the ages: "My Lord
and My God!"
Thomas, the pastor said, came to the Easter event with questions:
"Is it true? Is it real? Could it be?"
He suggested that many adult Christians today don't ask enough
questions.
"When did we stop raising our hands in Bible study? Perhaps
we were afraid we would be branded a heretic ... not spiritual
enough. Where along the way did we stop asking the really important
questions in our lives, even the questions we need to ask of God?
"Maybe we didn't really stop asking questions as much
as we stopped asking them out loud, or to one another," he
ventured.
"Where did we get the idea that doubt was the opposite
of faith? The opposite of faith is apathy and indifference,"
Christopher declared. What Thomas displayed was "authentic
faith, seeking, searching truth in life," he said.
"You see, we will never find the significant answers until
we begin to ask the important questions in our lives." In
Monday's sermon, Echols told about Mary Magdalene's spotting a
figure she takes to be a gardener, and asking him where the missing
body of Jesus has been taken.
But the supposed gardener is Jesus.
"Until he says 'Mary,' she doesn't recognize the Christ,"
said Echols.
Likewise, we all must hear Christ call our name, and that opportunity
can come from a variety of experiences, Echols said, maybe at
work or at church, through tragedy or blessing.
Mary Magdalene was persistent, Echols noted. She was there
when others weren't, including Jesus' disciples. She was at the
foot of the cross and she was there to discover the empty tomb.
Her persistence paid off.
"None of the others really get to meet Jesus; Mary does,"
Echols said.
The story of Mary Magdalene should make us aware of two needs,
Echols said - our need for Christ and our need to hear him say
our name.
"Until you hear him call your name you won't be able to
do as he calls you to do," Echols said.
Most people have the impression that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute,
but the Bible doesn't say that, Echols said. It says she was cleansed
of seven demons.
"Jesus had touched her life and changed her," Echols
said, so much so that she persisted in following him even to the
tomb.
In his closing prayer, Echols asked that "May we too be
persistent and may we too hear him call our name."
The theme for this year's series is "Reactions to the
Resurrection." Meals priced at $4 will be served starting
at 11:45 a.m., with sermons starting at 12:20 p.m. First United
Methodist Church is today's host church.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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