Blessed Are They Who Did Not See, and Yet Believed
Scripture Passage: John 20:24-29 (NASB)
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
SUMMARY
Thomas was not with the other disciples the first time Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection. Despite the confessions and testimony of others, Thomas said it would be believable only if he saw His wounds for himself. Jesus appeared again to the group, this time along with Thomas, and had him touch His hands and His side. Thomas confessed Jesus to be his Lord and God. Jesus admonished Thomas to be believing and says that those who believe without seeing are blessed.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
When the disciples were gathered together after Jesus’ crucifixion, their door was shut for fear of the Jews (John 20:19). Will they be their next victim? Who can they trust now that their King was dead and His body nowhere to be found?
Although Jesus said all these will come to pass and that He would resurrect, they did not believe it, not until Jesus appeared to them in the flesh and showed them His wounds. Thomas’ heart was unbelieving when the other disciples testified that they had seen Jesus. It’s interesting to see that Jesus appeared to Thomas the same way He did to the disciples the first time: “Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you’” (John 20:19 and 20:26). Jesus did not berate them but knew what was at the core of their troubled and fearful hearts. He also knew exactly what they needed… they needed His peace, and they needed Him.
Unless we encounter God personally, we can not believe. But as Thomas confessed, “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28) we, too, can testify to that truth. Jesus said, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (v. 29). We have not seen Jesus in the flesh as they did, and we are called “blessed”. Why? Because we have the testimony of the living word of God.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1).
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17).
APPLICATION
I thought many times how blessed it would be if I had lived when Jesus walked on the earth two thousand years ago, then I would have seen with my own eyes, His miracles, and followed Him with the crowd and maybe even have sat at His feet to hear Him. But now I realize how truly blessed I am. We have the Holy Spirit who is our Helper (John 14:26), Teacher (1 John 2:20), Intercessor (Romans 8:26), and our Guide (Romans 8:14). In addition, we have the word of God to teach, rebuke, correct and instruct us in all righteousness. I am encouraged to know that God has given everything we can possibly need to fulfill His mission to spread The Good News. Like Thomas, I may have my doubts and fears, but as I look to His words and remind myself of what He accomplished on the cross, how He has set me free from sin and death, and how He promised to return for His people so that where He is, we may be also (John 14:3), I’m compelled by His promises to hold on to faith and die to myself daily of my unbelief.
PRAYER
Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son, Jesus to die on our behalf. Thank You for keeping Your promise to send the Holy Spirit so we will always have Your presence within us. I am fearful and doubtful more these days than ever because of the current events, but Your word and the Holy Spirit reminds me that these must come to pass before Your return. Forgive our unbelief and help us to believe Lord… and help us continue Your mission to share the Gospel and to run the race faithfully and humbly in unity with other believers, until You call us home.
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