“Doubt & Criticism”

BIBLE READING:  1 John 1

If you can try to imagine the Apostle John, by now he is old and gray and not quite as agile as he once had been as a fisherman.  Try to imagine what it would have been like to see Jesus as He performed His miracles.  Seek to imagine what it must have been like to hear Him talk of Heaven and the Father and how much He loved us.  To John, this is not some type of fairy tale or legend; this was real.  He heard real lessons.  He saw real authentic miracles.  He had a real genuine relationship with the Son of God.  Now try to understand what it would be like to have experienced all these things, only to have people deny that any of it was real.  It must have been frustrating for John and the others to have not only the skeptics, but also those who made it their life mission to deny these essentials that came from Jesus.  This seems to have been the basis for the first chapter of I John, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (I John 1.1-3).  It almost seems as though the Apostle is mounting up a defense to those who have put Jesus’ very existence into question.  Not only is he attempting to explain who and what Jesus is, but He is at the same time inviting them into His fellowship.  “This is the message that we have heard from Him, we declare to you…” (I John 1.5). What I find interesting in this first chapter of I John, is what you don’t see.  You don’t see anger on John’s part to shut up the mouths of his skeptics.   You don’t see a strong rebuke to those who had once believed and are now feeling doubt.  You don’t see any warnings of punishments from God for their placing his teachings into question.  What you do see is a genuine sense of love for not only Christ, but for anyone else who would come to accept His teachings.  John provides a constant vibe of positivity to encourage them to come to know Jesus.  After all, he writes the entire letter not to make them feel guilty for their lack of faith, but for them to have their joy full (I John 1.4).  We would all do well to follow John’s approach to handling those that doubt and criticize us today.