Seeing of Love

Often times I have heard the familiar saying “You won’t believe it unless you see it for yourself” or “Seeing is believing” and it usually means whatever it is I’m about to see is unbelievable. Whenever someone has said that to me and I go and see it for myself I find out they were right. I see that if I had not seen it myself I wouldn’t have believed them.

The story of a man who has often been called “Doubting Thomas” was in one of these situations. His story is found in John 20:19-29 and it goes as follows: Jesus had been resurrected from the dead and had appeared to His disciples, except Thomas who was not with them, in a room without using the doors. While they were all in there suddenly Jesus appears to them in the flesh and says to His stunned disciples. “Peace be with you.” He then proceeded to show them His hands, feet and side that had been pierced. The disciples were then rejoicing for they knew it was their Lord Jesus Christ. They were so happy that they went and told Thomas what they had seen. They told him Jesus was alive and yet Thomas could not believe what they were saying. He told them that unless he himself could see the imprint of the nails in Jesus’ hands, put his finger where the nails went and was able to put his hand in his once pierced side he would not believe. Eight days go by and this time they were with Thomas in a room with the doors closed and Jesus suddenly appears again without using the door. Just like the first time He visited them He said, “Peace be with you” and then looked at Thomas and gave him what he needed. He looked at him and said, “Reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving but believing.” Thomas then answered Jesus by saying “My lord and my God.” And Jesus responds by saying to him “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” 

 This story has often been looked at as only being about Thomas’ doubting nature, and yet there is so much to see and learn from it. Imagine what was going through Thomas mind as his friends were telling him they had seen Jesus and that He was alive! He as we know from this story didn’t believe but think to what was really going through his mind. It sounds so impossible to him that he says he has to experience what his friends did in order to believe. Then Jesus again visits all of them and for Thomas gives that added confirmation which caused him to fully believe. Regardless if he should have had faith or not Jesus still actually presented himself to him and said first “Reach here your finger and see my hands; and reach here your hand and put it into my side and be not unbelieving but believing.” Jesus could have just appeared to him and said Thomas I’m here, alive and you just need to stop this and believe”, but He didn’t. He gave him exactly what he needed not only for that moment but for what he would need for the rest of his life to come.

Having faith and living by faith is key to the Christian walk and Christ tells us we have to have faith in order to please Him. However, He is aware of how human we are and what we need and when we need it also. When we ask Him to confirm things to us ensuring we are in the perfect will of God and will be able to move forward in what we are believing for He most assuredly will. God understands each part of us for it is Him who created us. God is not upset with us when at those rough moments in life we need maybe yet even another confirmation- He is happy to do it for us.

Maybe there is something you need to know for sure or even need to know again – know that God will give you the confirmation you need just like He did for Thomas. When He does though remember it is your faith that will continue to carry you through and that is the blessing behind the confirmation that God will give you. 

From Gardens of Splendor by Gina Burns