Seeing Is Believing?

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

                                                                                   (John 20:24-29 KJV)

It has been said that "seeing is believing." That seems to have been true for those first followers of Jesus. His disciples were locked up in a room out of fear that the authorities would come for them as well on that first day of the week. Even though the women and Peter and John had seen the empty tomb, they did not quite grasp that he had risen from the dead. Even though Jesus had told them that he would rise again they did not believe it until he appeared to them in person.

Thomas would not take the word of the other disciples who had seen him alive and well. He had to see Jesus to believe that he had risen from the dead. It is quite a story, after all!

But, the eye witness testimony of those disciples and others has been carried down through the generations for almost 2000 years and here we are believing without seeing. We come to faith by hearing the testimony of those first eye-witnesses. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans wrote: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom 10:17)

"... blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29b)

God's Peace - Pr. J.