ASSUME THE BEST
Very few children are pessimists. On the contrary, children are usually the most unwavering optimists. They are hopeful. They are filled with dreams and goals and possibilities no matter how unrealistic they may be. Children expect something good to come from any situation. They look for the things that will make them happy. They assume that the best will happen.
But then children start to grow up. And they begin to realize that the best doesn’t always happen. And after years of experiencing sinful actions of sinful people in a sinful world, they aren’t so naively optimistic anymore. And after they are slapped in the face by the harshness of reality over and over again, forcing them to accept the fact that the dreams and the goals and the possibilities that they once had are not going to come true - then they even become a little pessimistic. In fact, the older people get the more pessimistic many people become. Instead of looking forward with hope, they look back with regret. Instead of being filled with joy about what could happen, they are filled with uneasiness and anxiety. Instead of assuming the best will happen, they assume the worst.
I think this is a decent description of the disciple Thomas. The way Scripture depicts this disciple is a man who was a pessimist - one who did not expect good things to happen and one who did not believe them even if they did. If Thomas is remembered for anything it is for doubting that Jesus had truly risen from the dead and refusing to admit it had happened unless he saw the nail holes with his own eyes. But other than that infamous night after Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas showed his skepticism in a lesser known story. It was right before Palm Sunday. Jesus was with his disciples on the other side of the Jordan River and he was welcoming all who came to him. And there Thomas, in a very sarcastic way, demonstrates his cynicism and doubt in the Lord’s perfect plans. This incident is written for us in John 11, and listen carefully to what Thomas says at the end of the story. 7Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." 8"But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" 9Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. 10It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." 11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." 12His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Thomas did not expect anything good to happen if they were to go back to the land of Judea. Lazarus had already died so there was no point in going back to heal him. The Jews were looking to stone Jesus and so there was no reason to risk the trip if they didn’t have to. And there were crowds of people coming out to Jesus where he already was anyway. And so why go? Why bother with a pointless and life-threatening visit into enemy territory when things were going just fine on the other side of the Jordan River? Thomas was not too thrilled about Jesus’ decision. He couldn’t see the sense in it. In fact, he couldn’t see how anything good could come from this journey. And so he turns to his fellow disciples right after Jesus had revealed his plans and says, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (“Let’s go, guys. If he really wants to go and get killed, we better go with him.”) That’s pessimistic sarcasm at its finest. No one would say something like that with a genuine sense of eagerness and joy. Thomas was not happy to be going back. He didn’t agree with the decision. Because he knew, he knew for certain that this was a bad idea and he expected the worst.
But do you remember what happened when they went back to the land of Judea? Instead of the worst, the best happened in every way. When they got to the city of Bethany Lazarus was certainly dead, but Jesus hadn’t arrived for a funeral service or to pay his respects. He came to raise Lazarus from the dead. And in front of Thomas and the rest of the disciples that’s exactly what he did. He called to Lazarus to come out of the tomb. And this man who had been dead for four days came out alive. But that wasn’t the only thing that happened while they were in Judea. Just a few days later Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. And a massive crowd threw palm branches and robes at his feet, shouting at the top of their lungs, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13)! The Jews may have wanted to stone him, and the disciples may have been a little worried about the danger to their lives, but Jesus made sure that the Jewish crowds welcomed him and praised him nevertheless.
And, of course, Palm Sunday was the start of what we call “holy week.” This was the last week of Jesus’ life on this earth. Because Jesus decided to go back to Judea, Thomas and his fellow disciples were able to join Jesus in the upper room on Maundy Thursday evening, witnessing the very first Lord’s Supper and receiving the forgiveness of sins through the bread and wine / the body and blood. They then accompanied Jesus out to the Garden of Gethsemane and were in the presence of the Son of God while he prayed with an unparalleled passion to his Father in heaven. These disciples were then even allowed to escape with their lives from that scene while Jesus was arrested by Judas and the mob. Remember: Thomas sarcastically said he would die with Christ if they went back. But Jesus made sure that Thomas and the rest of the disciples did not die - nor were they even captured. And Jesus himself, although he did die as Thomas predicted, died only to rise again. Jesus was put to death by the Jews as the disciples had feared, but only to conquer death itself. Jesus’ life was ended because he went back to Judea, but only so that he could end the power of Satan and the sting of sin. Thomas had expected the worst. But Jesus worked it all out for the best.
I’m sure that Thomas repented of his pessimism after it was all said and done. After he witnessed what Jesus did at Lazarus’ resurrection, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, the ascension, and Pentecost, how could he have not repented? The Lord showed him in numerous ways that the best thing possible would always happen, that God’s plans would always succeed, that the Lord’s promises would never fail. I’m positive those events in the land of Judea humbled Thomas and maybe even turned him into an optimist... And I pray that these same things humble us.
Because we are pessimists sometimes, aren’t we? Even the most joyous and upbeat among us have a hard time staying positive during the difficult times that this life can bring. All of us can become unsure of God’s power and love when the best doesn’t seem like it will happen and even anything good seems highly unlikely to occur. Some of us might look at particular evangelism efforts of this congregation and say to ourselves, “That’s never going to work! Why even bother? I doubt this congregation will ever grow!” Do we have to be so pessimistic? Do we have to be so negative about God’s power and his love as if there is no way he would ever expand this congregation just because it doesn’t seem like he has done it before? Others of us observe the behavior of some of our fellow Christians and we just shake our heads in disgust. “When are they ever going to grow up and become spiritually mature? Why can’t they act like Christians should? They never help, they never pitch in, they never show up. I find it very hard to believe that their lives will ever match up to the faith they claim to have.” Do we have to be so pessimistic? Do we have to be so negative about God’s power and his love as if he cannot or does not want to work in the hearts of his children to motivate them in their sanctified lives? And still others - perhaps most of us - encounter difficult situations in our lives and we automatically think, “Nothing good will ever come from this. This is such a disaster, this is such a mess, there is so much hurt and pain and loss because of what happened that it is really going to be unsalvagable.” Do we have to be so pessimistic? Do we have to be so negative about God’s power and his love as if he cannot and will not turn even the most sinful of actions for the good of his people?
We are pessimistic in many respects. And that usually is because our past experiences and our sin-clouded foresight color our expectations. We think we know what will happen, we think we can see all of the options, we think there are only a certain number of results that can come from the situation at hand, but in the end we don’t know anything. We don’t know without a doubt what will happen. We don’t see all of the options at the Lord’s disposal. We don’t understand all of the possible results that could come from any given event. And when we assume that the worst will happen, we are assuming the worst of God who is in control of it all! We are assuming that the Lord either cannot or will not deliver the best. We are either doubting his power or his love. Even though he promises to make the best happen, even though he has proved throughout the history of this world that he always has delivered the best thing possible for his children, we still seem to regularly assume the worst.
This sinful attitude calls for repentance: an admission of our guilt and a firm grasp on the forgiveness won for us on the cross. That’s all repentance is: a sorrow over sin and faith in our Savior. And even that is something only worked in our hearts by God through his Word. It is a good thing to repent. It is a God-pleasing thing to repent. And know that he forgives every one of your sins without exception - even those sins of pessimism and cynicism and doubt. And because he forgives us for all of ours sins, he gives us every reason to be an optimist! And if you ever have a problem being optimistic at any point in your life: just look at what Thomas experienced in his life.
If you had accompanied Jesus to Bethany with the knowledge that Lazarus had died four days earlier, would you have ever guessed that Jesus would raise him from the dead? If you would have walked behind Jesus as he sat on a donkey and publically entered the gates of a city that wanted to kill him, would you have ever predicted that these people would praise his name and worship their Lord instead? If you had sat at the table in the upper room on Maundy Thursday know that this would be Jesus’ last meal, would you have ever thought that Jesus would use that opportunity to initiate the New Testament Supper of the Lord? Would you have ever figured out beforehand that Jesus would use Judas and the mob to prove his power? Would you have ever known that Jesus planned on performing a miraculous healing in the middle of his betrayal? Would you have ever thought that as Jesus’ disciple you would escape from that scene not only alive but free from the hands of those who captured your Lord? Would you have seen forgiveness dripping down from that cross instead of just blood? Would you have witnessed life in that tomb instead of just death? Would you have been filled with the joy of your salvation on Easter morning instead of fear and anxiety as the rest of the disciples had before they saw their risen Savior?
Some of the worst things possible happened to Jesus during the last few weeks of his life. But God took every one of those terrible things and turned them into the best. Not for the sake of Jesus, but for your sake! He made sure the best happened for you out of the worst that happened to Christ. And that is true for everything in this life. There is no reason for you to assume that the worst will happen in any situation because it can’t happen to you! The worst cannot and will not happen to God’s children. He won’t allow it. You might as well always assume that the best will happen because that’s exactly what the Lord promises. You may not like “the best.” You may not agree with “the best”. You may not see it as “the best” at the time, but you can be assured that nothing better could have been done by your loving Father. Yes, sins will be committed. Yes, tragedies will strike. Yes, catastrophes will disrupt your life. But know that God has planned for every one of them. He has already determined how and why and when and where they will help your faith and secure your salvation in some way. There is really no reason to be a pessimist because your future is already secured by your Savior’s power and love. And with your Lord’s power and love in control of everything that happens in this life, how could you not be an optimist?
Amen.
“The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:7
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