Blessed are they that have not seen

Bible Reading: John 20
John 20:27-29 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. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Thomas would not believe until he saw. Thomas is not the norm! As one of the twelve, he had a very privileged position. He got to see and hear all that Jesus did and taught. He would be a necessary soldier of the Lord's in preaching the gospel. Thomas heard the stories from the other disciples and yet he would not believe. When Jesus appeared again eight days later, he invited Thomas to touch him and he told him to be not faithless but believing. However, the blessing of Jesus is pronounced upon those who have NOT seen and believe. The Bible says:

1 Peter 1:8-9 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

How can you love someone you have not seen? How can you believe in someone you have not seen? The answer is by faith. We receive the message of Jesus by faith. We also know him because of the Holy Spirit's work within us. Jesus does not produce faith in us by seeing. He produces faith in us by hearing:

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

When Mary Magdalene saw Jesus that Sunday morning, she mistook him for the gardner (20:14-15). It was not until she heard him speak her name that she realized it was Jesus!

Have you heard his word? Do you place yourself in a position to regularly hear his word? How do you do that? Read the Bible prayerfully every day. Gather together with the church and hear gifted Bible teachers preach and teach the Word. Jesus wants you to have ears to hear. Be not faithless but believing!

In Christ,
Rody