Believing Without Seeing

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” John 20:24-25

We know him as doubting Thomas, but Thomas was depending on his skills of observation and reasoning. What the other disciples were telling Thomas didn’t make sense to him. He thought it was much more probable that the other disciples had seen some sort of vision or were trying to trick him. Thomas declared that he would not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead unless he saw and felt Jesus’ wounds for himself. Thomas was with the other disciples eight days later when Jesus appeared to them, and Jesus invited Thomas to see and touch His wounds. Jesus said to Thomas, “Be not faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered Him, “My Lord, and my God.” Jesus said to Thomas, “Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” While none of us have ever had the opportunity to see Jesus in person, He still wants us to believe in Him. Jesus implied here that it requires greater faith to believe in Him without having seen Him, and He pronounced a special blessing on those who would believe without seeing. Are you depending on your skills of observation and reasoning when it comes to spiritual things? It is better to believe without seeing.