Why Honest Questions Can Lead To Deeper Faith

When faith doesn’t fit into neat boxes, what do we do with the questions that won’t sit still? We follow Thomas. Across the Gospel of John, his honesty pulls truth into the open—from let us go that we may die with him to Lord, we don’t know the way to the breathtaking confession, My Lord and my God. We walk through Thomas’s candor, his absence in the upper room, and the moment Jesus meets him with scars and peace, and discover why honest doubt can be the doorway to a stronger, clearer faith.

From there, we step into Bethany, where grief sits heavy and timing hurts. Martha meets Jesus on the road with If you had been here, and he answers with both promise and presence: your brother will rise again and I am the resurrection and the life. We connect this living hope to the bedrock of Scripture—1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15—where Paul insists that the dead in Christ will rise, mortality will put on immortality, and death will be swallowed up in victory. This isn’t wishful thinking; it’s the Christian horizon that shapes our choices, softens our grief, and strengthens our endurance.

Along the way, Pastor Carl shares a candid story of job loss and provision that didn’t look like comfort, reminding us that trust isn’t denial. It is steady obedience when outcomes remain unclear. We talk about following Christ when the cost is real, asking specific questions when understanding is foggy, and finding that Jesus doesn’t shame us for needing clarity—he answers with himself. If you’re wrestling with uncertainty, grieving a loss, or hungry for hope that lasts, this conversation will steady your steps and lift your eyes.

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Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths.

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Welcome to Come On Up, the radio ministry of the Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina.

SPEAKER_02 0:20

Things aren't cut and dry, are they? And I can relate to that, and I trust that some of you can relate to that too. Sometimes it isn't black and white, there's a lot of gray. And the Lord helps us to walk through that. And the Lord is faithful and gracious to help us through that. But he's also corrective in his grace, isn't he? And Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

Jesus knows that believing without seeing is difficult. It's hard for us to continue in our faith when we don't always feel him working. So, Pastor Carl reminds us today of the story of the disciple Thomas. Thomas was a practical, faithful man, but he is known in the Bible as the doubter. This is a little unfair because let's face it, we all doubt at one time or another. But Jesus is faithful, and in our moments of unbelief, he'll reveal himself. Keep your eyes on him, and you'll feel his presence in the day today. And now, here's Pastor Carl.

SPEAKER_02 1:28

Now it's interesting, Thomas is only mentioned as far as he's given words that he's said and things that he's done, are only described by the Apostle John. In the other books, um, he's listed as among the disciples, but never given any any words that he said. And there are a few things that Thomas has said in the book of John that I find quite interesting. Because we always think of Thomas as doubting Thomas, and we'll look at that in a little bit here. But he's he's really a complex person. And as I looked at Thomas, I saw a little bit of myself in him. Like this statement, let us go that we might die with him. Just a quick statement that on the surface you might go, whoa, that's kind of wild. Now, I would say that Thomas had some prophetic tendencies, and I would apply that to myself as well. Prophetic tendencies in that the office of a prophet in the Bible is described as one who shares the word of God and applies it and gives warning. If we continue, based on this word of God that we just read, if we continue in this direction, this is what the result will be. And as a watchman, you say, watch out. These are the directions we're going in. And just like Thomas said this, there was a time in our lives where I lost my job after about 11 years. I was laid off. But because of the goodness of God, he saw fit that our house was paid off. And my wife says, you know, but the house is paid off. Isn't that good? And my response was, yeah, but we'll be in this paid off house without any electricity. Now, there's more to that, but that's what came out, and it doesn't sound exactly what I meant it to sound like. There's this idea that I was trying to convey that yes, the Lord is going to provide for us. I'm glad that the house is paid off. That sure makes the situation a lot easier. But we only have so much money, and if something doesn't happen, if the Lord doesn't intervene in the way we think he should, we're going to get to the place where we run out of all our savings. And we might get to a place where the lights go out. And there have been plenty of other people, plenty of other faithful believers in Jesus Christ through times past that have gone through a lot tougher situations that we have gone through and still do around the world today. There are believers that go through horrendous situations. So, yes, the Lord is going to provide, but he might not provide in a way that we would like him to. And we just need to be aware of that. And it came out as a one-word statement that wasn't really taken in the way that it was meant. So we do trust the Lord. We trust him to take us wherever he sees fit to take us, even if it costs us our comfort, even if it costs us our lives. Do we have that kind of perspective? The kind of perspective is Thomas that's willing to go and to lay down his life. Look, we're trying to protect his life and our life, but does that keep us from doing what we're called to do? Let's go do whatever he's called us to do, and whatever happens, we'll give him the praise. Well, the next time we hear from Thomas is in chapter 14, and Jesus talking about leaving this earth and preparing a place for us in eternity. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you might be also. And where I go you know, and by the way you know. And Jesus said to him, Lord, we don't know where you're going and how we can get there. How can we know the way? And this is great because there were other instances where Jesus asked the disciples, Do you understand what I just said? And they said, Oh yeah. And then they look at each other, what did he just say? I have no idea. Because we're afraid to admit to the Lord we don't understand because we don't want him to get mad at us. Because you don't understand. I've been telling you these things, and that's just our nature, isn't it? The fallen nature to lie to get out of this situation. But Thomas was bold enough to say, I want to know the truth. I want to understand this, but I admit I don't understand this. And I'm gonna say this. The other disciples are probably gonna be mad at me because I'm gonna say we don't understand it. And the Lord might be mad at me because he says, Well, you didn't listen, but I need to know. And I found myself in similar situations like that and say, hold on, what what is being said here? What are we really looking for? What is really being asked of us in this situation? I want to know what exactly is going on, and you'll ask specific questions to get it out, and and other people in the in the particular meeting that I might have been in would get irritated. It's like this meeting is going to take forever because he's asking all these questions again. But sometimes we just need to do that because that's really honest, isn't it? I want to know the truth, I want to be changed, I want to be in line with the Lord in lock step. So, Lord, what what is it? And so the Lord He answered him. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. I'm going to the Father. I'm preparing a place for you. And you could be there too, but you got to come through me. You got to believe me, you gotta trust me, you gotta be changed by me, you gotta be surrendered to me. Well, that is the second time that Thomas spoke. The third time Thomas spoke was after the resurrection. The disciples were meeting in the upper room, and Jesus came and his resurrected body through the locked doors and said, Peace unto you. And they're scared to death because who is this? He explains who he is, and they they feel the peace, and they they're just they're excited, they're changed. But Thomas wasn't there. And so when Thomas comes back and he meets with them, they explain to him what happened. Now Thomas called the twin one of the twelve. By the way, he we we see him referred to as the twin. Didymus is another name for him, which means twin. And one of the theories is in church culture, in church history, is that Thomas looked a lot like Jesus. And because he looked a lot like Jesus, he felt more threatened than the rest of the disciples when Jesus was about to get stoned. Or they're just gonna look, where is that Jesus? Where here he is, and they get Thomas instead of Jesus. So that let's go and and we'll die together has a whole nother significance if that is the case, right? So he came and he wasn't there when Jesus came, and the others, the disciples before him, said, We have seen the Lord. And so he said to them, Unless I see his hands in the print of the nails, and I put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand in his side, I will not believe. And this is where he gets that label, doubting Thomas, right? And we can sort of understand what he's going, at least I can sort of understand. I need to see it, I need to feel it, I need to touch it. You know, I need to know what is right. What's going on here? You know, we believe even though we don't see, because we know the Lord has done something in our hearts and he's changed us, but sometimes we just, would you do something, Lord? We've got to see something. And I think that is is is part of Thomas's heart when he said this. And the last time again we see Thomas as as Jesus eight days later comes back again, and this time he was with them in the room together, and Jesus said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and look at my hands, and reach your hand here and put it in my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered to him and said, My Lord and my God. The Lord came and gave him what he needed. He needed to see it. I don't, I don't even think that he actually touched him. He just saw him and he stood before him, and he was just overwhelmed with the truth of the situation, and he said, My Lord and my God. And that was the most powerful, strong declaration of any of the disciples that they gave. My Lord and my God. It seems like he's the one that didn't believe anything, and all of a sudden he has more faith than any of them. He's a complicated guy. Things aren't cut and dry, are they? And I can relate to that, and I trust that some of you can relate to that too. Sometimes it isn't black and white, there's a lot of gray. And the Lord helps us to walk through that. And the Lord is faithful and gracious to help us through that. But he's also corrective in his grace, isn't he? And Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Thomas, I know you needed this extra oomph to get over this faith hill, and I was happy to give it to you. But you know, there are a lot of people that are not even going to get close to what you got, and they're going to believe with their whole hearts. May we have faith like that. We need faith like that. I haven't seen Jesus face to face yet. I've communicated with him, I hear him, I feel him, he's worked in my life, but I have not touched him, I have not seen him face to face. But someday and someday soon I will. And if you know the Lord, you will too, and what a glorious day that will be. Well, that brings us back to our story in chapter 11, verse 17. So when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away, and many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. Now again, whenever we see John refer to the Jews, oftentimes it's a reference to the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees or the Sadducees, or representatives of them. And I believe this is a group of people that they sent out to, you know, minister to them like some deacons to go out and to minister and to encourage, but also kind of to keep an eye on them and make sure nothing weird happens in that situation. The tradition was that you would bury somebody in the in the first day or so after the person died, in the first three days you would have neighbors and clergy and other folks to come and to comfort and to mourn with you. Professional mourners would be called and hired to wail for everybody so that they can feel that angst and that that hurt. And then they would go home after three days. And on the fourth day, friends and family, the more intimate folks, would come and share and cry and mourn together. And that's when Jesus came on that fourth day. And then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went out to meet him. Apparently, the the Lord didn't come all the way to their house. He didn't go all the way to the grave either. He was out there somewhere on the way, and he had sent a messenger, and she came out to meet him out there on the path. Martha came. You see this again? Mary was sitting in the house. Mary was the one that was always sitting at the feet of Jesus, hanging on his every word. Now Martha was out there in great faith and great concern. Mary was home mourning. And Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if he had been here, my brother would not have died. And that's the same thing that Mary would say in a few sentences here. They were probably talking about it at home. If only he was here, he wouldn't have died. And how many times in our lives does something happen? And we say, Lord, where were you? Why didn't you do this where you could have done this? And again, we're not seeing the big picture. We're seeing the instance that we're in. And we're not seeing things from God's perspective. But in his grace and his mercy, he doesn't push himself, but in his time too, he begins to reveal what he's doing and showing us the big picture that we might have a greater faith in him. But in verse 22, interesting what Martha said here. But even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give to you. Martha was hurt. It seems like Mary was hurt more so. But Martha had this deep faith that I don't understand it, but I know whatever you ask God to do, he'll do for you. And Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. Your brother will rise again. And she didn't blink an eye. She said, Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. She did believe in an afterlife. She did believe that we would be raised again to new life, given new resurrection bodies that are built for eternity. And yeah, he's going to be risen again. And sometimes people give us those those words of comfort during a time of loss. Sometimes we go, that's not very comforting at this moment. You know, I know I'm going to see him again. I know I love him, but but I miss him right now. And I don't think Martha took it that way. I think Martha agreed. Yeah, I believe we'll see him in the resurrection someday. Paul talked about the resurrection in 1 Thessalonians. He was writing to the Thessalonians and saying, I do not want you to be ignorant. This is chapter 4, beginning at verse 13. I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, those who have died before us, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. There was this idea that Jesus was going to come and return and take us home, and yet those that died were going to miss it. And Paul wanted to make sure that we knew that those who died did not miss it. Actually, they're first in line for the resurrection. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. You can count on it. And this is how it's going to look, Paul says. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive will re and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God, and it'll be so loud that the dead in Christ will awaken and well, that's a dead. It doesn't say that, but it might be how they are raised to life. The dead in Christ will rise first, and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up in a split second after them, and caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words. There is a resurrection and it's coming, and it's for all who have put their trust in the Lord. And it's coming soon. Are you looking forward to it? You're supposed to comfort one another with these words. I often say the Lord is coming, and sometimes that's not the right thing to say at the right time. But that how does that help me right now? The Lord, the Lord is coming. We can make it through this. The Lord is coming. We have time to share the good news. The Lord is coming. If we're going through a hard time, it's okay because good times, eternal good times, are on the way. In the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, Paul wants to emphasize that it's this has to happen. These bodies that we're in are corrupt and they need to be changed. And this is how he explains the beginning of verse 50. Now, this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. But behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible with new resurrection bodies, and we shall be changed. There is a death of sorts in the rapture as well. I want to avoid death and be raptured away. Well, we will die. The death is a trading in of this old body for a new body. It will become a new resurrected body. The old body has to be put away and the new body be put on. We shall all be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. We can already say that. You know, when Jesus says, Do not fear the one who can destroy your body, but the one who can destroy your soul, that same one that you fear is the same one that can save your soul. Jesus is the one that will save our soul for eternity. So when we're talking about everlasting life, we're talking about an eternal life outside of this body and in a spiritual body forever and ever and ever. So we we understand that part, but the second part, oh death, where is your victory? We get that, oh Hades, where is your victory? Where's your sting, O death, and Hades, where is your victory? Hades is another word for the grave. And ultimately, we're talking about the grave will be empty as well, because this old body of death will be given new life. This old body of death, this corruptible body, will be given incorruption. This body in which sin and death reigns will no longer have sin and death. This is something we're looking forward to, and this is something that Titus reminds us to look forward to. In Titus chapter 2, beginning at verse 11, he has a blessing. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. The grace of God teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age. Not only does the grace of God teach us that, but it empowers us to do that. And as we're living that life in the grace of God, we look forward to the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Titus declares that not only is he our Savior, Lord, but he is God incarnate. And he is our hope. He is our hope, and he's coming back. Are you looking for his great appearing? He gave himself for us, that we he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people, zealous for good works, speak these things, exhort and rebuke with all authority, and let no one despise you. Let no one despise you when you say, I am looking forward to the return of Jesus when he takes me home. Oh, you're what some of those rapture people. The rapture is getting more and more of a bad rap these days, but that's what The Bible teaches, at least from what I see. And this all falls into place. Don't let anyone despise you because you put your hope in Jesus, who promised to return and to give us a resurrected body. He's coming. He's coming soon. And let's encourage ourselves with these words. Well, it sounded like Martha understood all those concepts and was looking forward to that return, looking forward to that resurrection. But Jesus wanted her to know I'm not just talking about in the future. I'm talking about right now. And in verse 25, Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. These bodies of death need to be changed. They need to die so that we can have new resurrected bodies that live forever. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. If you trust me, if you obey me, if you follow me, if you're filled with the Holy Spirit, you will never be separated from God. And he says, Do you believe this? And she said to him, Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world. And she still didn't understand that Jesus was about to bring Lazarus to life. But her heart was in the right place. I believe you. I trust you. Whatever you're going to do, I'm going to praise you for it. May we have that same heart attitude and may the boldness of believing that Christ is the Son of God empower us and motivate us to go out and do the work of the Father with the time that we have remaining. Because time is ticking, time is running out. What are we doing with it?

SPEAKER_00 24:07

That's Pastor Carl on Come On Up. You know, the Gospel of John was written by one of Jesus' original disciples. He's referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved. What a sweet and intimate way to refer to the closeness and friendship that was had between John and Jesus. After all, so many of the events mentioned were witnessed firsthand by John. He was there for the transfiguration, and he was the only disciple of the twelve mentioned to be at the cross as Jesus died. He was also one of the first people to see that the grave was empty. John had an opportunity and a privilege to write about all the things that he saw and witnessed with his own eyes. He saw miracles. He was the recipient of Jesus' love and care, and he was eager for others to see and experience knowing Jesus too. That's why he wrote it all down in this wonderful book of John. Like the author, we hope that you'll take note of the ways that God has intersected your life and brought about amazing stories to tell. Write them down, share them with others, and don't be afraid to tell people about the greatest love of all so that they can also claim that they are disciples whom Jesus loves. An easy way to share Jesus with people is by letting them know about this radio program. The Mountain Cross is a group of believers in Jesus who seek to grow in faith by simply teaching through the Bible. We meet on Sundays beginning at 10 a.m. To learn more, go to themountaincross.com. That's all for today. Come on Up is sponsored by The Mountain Cross, a Calvary Chapel fellowship.