Believing without Seeing
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
Faith is when one believes without seeing. The age-old phrase "seeing is believing" has been around for centuries, but its relevance during this resurrection weekend is particularly powerful. While it may seem like Christ's closest followers should have anticipated His resurrection from the dead on the third day, none were there waiting at the tomb to see Him come forth from the grave. Even one of His disciples dramatically declared that he would not believe unless he saw Jesus and touched Him with his own hands. We could argue that the disciples should have known better, but before we cast the first stone at their apparent ignorance, what lessons can we learn from their experience? Is it possible that we too can show disbelief regarding God's word and His promises?
On multiple occasions, Jesus strived to reveal the future to His disciples. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus began teaching His disciples that He had to travel to Jerusalem and experience harsh opposition from the religious leaders, ultimately leading up to His death, but also His triumphant resurrection on the third day (Matthew 16:21). What is most perplexing about Jesus' predictions of His death is that His disciples did not take them seriously. It is possible that those who failed to take Jesus' words seriously did not fully understand them or mistakenly expected Him to be a military overthrower instead of the suffering Savior. Regardless of the reason, one thing is certain – the death of Jesus and their lack of understanding left them feeling utterly hopeless.
Reflecting on the disciples' emotions during Jesus' crucifixion, Ellen White poignantly pens, "When Christ was crucified, they did not believe that He would rise. He had stated plainly that He was to rise on the third day, but they were perplexed to know what He meant." (AA, 25) What a startling revelation! Despite spending three and a half years with Jesus, walking and talking to Him each day, the disciples could not fathom that He would be able to rise from the dead. Had they trusted the words of Jesus, think of how much pain and disappointment they could have avoided! Reflecting on this thought, I often find myself contemplating which of Jesus' words we underestimate or ignore when He so generously offers us hope, strength and courage during times of difficulty and discouragement.
Interestingly, even though experiencing Jesus' resurrection first-hand could eradicate any uncertainty, what Jesus places greater value on are those who believe in His resurrection even when they did not have the benefit of being witnesses to it. Just before His ascension to Heaven Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Could it be when He spoke of such encouraging promises of blessing, He had you and me in mind? I would like to think that the Lord contemplated our future as He gazed through the corridors of time. Not only did He say those words to His disciples, but Jesus was also considering the profound faith of those who followed Him after His resurrection, those who would believe without ever seeing!
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a living reality that transforms the lives of all who believe in Him. This everlasting hope is not something we should keep to ourselves, rather Christ has called us all to share this incredible news with others. This weekend, our campus has been given a wonderful opportunity to share this good news of the resurrection with thousands of our members in our community through SonRise, a walk-through Pageant depicting the last days of Jesus' life. The cast is made up more than 500 Southern Adventist University students, faculty, staff, and Collegedale church members. We are called to be witnesses to the power of the resurrection by sharing it with those around us. May we all be filled with courage as we proclaim the Good News of the resurrection to those God brings our way; in doing so, God calls you blessed because you believed without seeing!
Reflection
What lesson can we learn from the disciples' disbelief in Jesus' words?
How could the disciples have avoided pain and disappointment if they had trusted Jesus' words?
What blessings do those who believe without seeing receive, according to John 20:29?
How can we share our faith in Jesus and His resurrection with others this resurrection weekend?
