Read: John 11:45-53
So from that day on they plotted to take his life. (v. 53 NIV)
Perhaps the most stubborn kind of doubt is volitional doubt, doubt that is rooted in our will. That kind of doubt hears Jesus say, “Go into all the world,” and replies, “No!” Volitional doubt is at bottom an unwillingness to bow to the lordship of Christ.
This kind of doubt leans very strongly in the direction of unbelief because it is born of rebellion. We see something like it in today’s reading. Jesus has just performed arguably his greatest miracle, the raising of Lazarus. Many people were moved to faith (v. 45), but not the Pharisees. They saw their carefully constructed kingdom crumbling before their very eyes (v. 48). So they plotted to take Jesus’s life, because they wanted to preserve their kingdom.
Maybe that’s why some doubted on the mountain. They weren’t ready to surrender their lives to this king who would upset their own little kingdom. No wonder Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
If this idea about different species of doubt has been confusing, let me leave you with a simple insight from Matthew 28. Verse 18 suggests that they doubted because they were too far away from him: “Then he came to them.” Nothing will clear the mind, heal our emotions, and move our will better than getting closer to Jesus. The good news is that he comes to us, even when we doubt.
As you pray, ask Jesus to draw you nearer to him.
About the Author
Stan Mast
Rev. Stan Mast is a retired pastor, who served four churches in the West and Midwest regions of the United States. He finished his career with three years of teaching at Calvin Seminary. He is happily married to Sharon, and they have two sons and four grandchildren.
