Check Your Questions at the Door
Did you grow up in a church or a household where questions were allowed? No question was a bad a question. It was a safe place to ask, even if it meant the person answering was stumped.
We're in the Easter season where we start talking about the resurrection and it naturally raises a lot of questions. Those questions lead to other questions, which lead to other questions, which lead....
You get the idea.
Is God ok with our questions? Is the church ok with those questions?
There's a moment in the story of Jesus where after he has been resurrected, and joined up with his friends. The friends are on a little hiking trip up a steep hill or small mountain in Galilee. It seems Jesus had a lot of deep conversations in higher places.
One of Jesus' followers records this event in the very last words of his Gospel narrative called, "Matthew." The part that church people love to talk about is what's known as the Great Commission. This is the part where we all get our job. We get told what to do.
It's exciting. It's clear. It's practical. It has a nice ring to it. It's step-by-step.
The only odd part is a very tiny little verse that comes before it. It seems like it doesn't fit. It seems to bring the whole party down. It almost feels like Matthew is being a bit of a Debby-Downer after the greatest show ever! Why in the world does he include this part in the story?!?! We could've done without it. Want to know what he says?
"When they saw [Jesus], they worshiped him; but some doubted."
The curtain was about to fall on this grand story. But somehow, this strange little oddity made it into the story. Have you ever seen a movie that ended with a victorious finish and all seemed well; but then there was this subtle little image of something seemingly out of place that left a hint to the audience that this might not actually be the end? It's that moment when everyone realizes, "Oh, I bet there's going to be a sequel to this."
Matthew 28:17 feels like that. Some doubted.
You mean to tell me that after 3 incredible years of Jesus performing miracles, healing the sick, forgiving sins, raising from the dead for Pete's sake (or should I say, "Peter's sake?"); some people still doubted? They still had questions? They still felt like life had complexity? They saw that even amidst this incredible hope-filled event, there was still brokenness and uncertainty?
You ever feel like life isn't necessarily all that exciting, clear, practical, step-by-step? Do you ever have questions.
More importantly, do you have a safe place to ask those questions? Let us know. We want to hear your story. We don't want to try and fix you or answer all of your questions with a neat and tidy bow. But be assured that God is not afraid of your questions. Jesus didn't turn around and say to those who doubted, "No, not you guys; you can't come! You still have doubts. You're not welcome here."
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