Belief (John 20:29)

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed [are] they who did not see, and [yet] believed.”

John 20:29

The Bible tells us that we walk by faith and not by sight. Thomas had not quite got hold of this concept and refused to believe that Jesus had resurrected unless he saw Jesus with his own eyes and felt the scars with his own fingers. He wanted empirical evidence that Jesus was back from the dead.

There are still those today who want empirical evidence. It is noteworthy that Jesus did not condemn Thomas’ desire for proof. He merely points out that those who believe without such evidence are more blessed. It would seem that God is not afraid of seekers looking for evidence. Probably because He knows that those who seek find — He said so Himself.

Believers today fall into the second category, by and large. We have come to believe because we heard and we considered and we concluded that what we had heard was true. There is evidence. But evidence, as trials often show, can be interpreted where empirical inputs cannot. If I see the risen Lord and touch His scars, then I no longer need faith to believe He is alive, I merely need reason. If I have seen and touched no such thing, then faith is a necessity. And that, I think, is where Jesus was going with this comment.

Thomas believes his own senses. This is not laudable or commendable or even all that surprising. Most of us trust our senses unless there is a compelling reason not to. Those who employ faith are trusting God; taking God at His Word. It is a practice that serves well in the walk ahead.

Let me place my trust; my faith squarely in God today. While I may not have empirical data to explain why I trust, I walk by faith and not by sight.