By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

Some things in the Bible just don’t make sense.

If the Bible isn’t true, if it is simply propaganda written in the first century to sway gullible folks to believe in a false god, then there are some things that just don’t fit.

One example is in the final chapter of Matthew. Jesus has been resurrected and is about to be taken up into heaven. He meets His followers on a mountain in Galilee. And then Scripture says this:

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

If the Bible was really written as propaganda for a fake god, then this is horrible press. If you are trying to convince a large population of some elaborate hoax, why would you say that some doubted?

You see, it’s texts like this that I think may actually give us insight into the validity of Scripture. It is only in a text written from a real and raw viewpoint of the greatest event in history that one can be so brutally honest.

Not only do I think that this short verse can give us clues to the validity of the New Testament, but I think it may also give us a peek into the character of God.

These men had walked with Jesus for a really long time. They had seen Him perform miracles and walk on water. They knew what He was capable of. They had even seen his suffering and His death. And now, when it mattered most, some of them doubted.

The disciples struggled with doubt. And yet, Jesus doesn’t seem too upset about it. He’s not angry. He’s not aggravated. But instead He says:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

God still trusts them with His mission. He still wants them to do His work. And, most importantly, He is still with them.

If even the disciples struggled with doubt when they were looking into Christ’s eyes, why do we feel so guilty whenever we experience doubt? If Christ wasn’t thrown into a rage when faced with the doubt of His followers, why do we sometimes feel that God is angry with us?

I think that doubt is a completely natural part of what it means to be a Christ-follower. It is a season that all of us must brave and, many times, we come out on the other side with a stronger faith than we have ever had before.

It was these lowly, doubt-filled disciples, who went on to give their lives in pursuit of the spreading of the Gospel. It was obvious that their doubt was short-lived.

Our God does not cower under the weight of our doubt and He certainly isn’t angry because of it. Instead, He is bigger than our questions and greater than our doubt.

And, just like the disciples, God is saying to us:

Despite your doubt, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”