John 20:25, So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail prints in His hands, and put my finger in the nail prints, and put my hand in His side, I will not believe.”
Some people just need to see to believe – people like Thomas. The last time Thomas saw Jesus, he was hanging on a cross. Jesus had cried, “It is finished,” and it all seemed, well, finished. So when the disciples told Thomas that they had seen the risen Lord, it was more than Thomas could comprehend. It’s tempting to judge and say that he should have believed; after all, the others were convinced. But remember, they had seen Jesus with their own eyes! He had walked into the Upper Room, stood among them, and breathed on them!
Don’t you love that Jesus didn’t just leave Thomas in doubt? A week after first appearing to the disciples, Jesus came back again. This time, though, Thomas was there in the room. He was invited to see the scarred hands of Christ with his own eyes, to reach out and touch His side. Then Thomas believed.
We haven’t had the privilege of seeing Christ with our own eyes. We will one day, and it will be more than our minds can comprehend. But we don’t have to wait that day to believe. As Jesus told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and have yet believed” (John 20:29)
Believe. When the world wants you to doubt don’t give in to it. Be among those who have not seen and yet have believed.
