Are You Blessed?

John 20:24-29 & Hebrew 11:1-5

Poor Thomas missed it.  He wasn’t there the first week when Jesus came to the disciples.  The others that were there are now telling him all about what had happened.  Jesus had been there right in front of them.  He had talked to them and given them directions and empowered them to fulfill their ministry.  Thomas was probably listening and thinking these guys had a little too much wine!  When he finally speaks, he says, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Can you blame him?  He has no reason to really believe them.  Jesus was dead and in the grave.  The body was missing but was it really possible that Jesus was alive?

We all comment about doubting Thomas and how he just wouldn’t believe but listen again to part of last week’s scripture, “Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.”

The other disciples didn’t have to ask to see because he offered it before they had a chance.  They were in Thomas’ shoes before that, as they were hiding out behind closed doors afraid of the Jews.  They struggled to believe the same message from Mary and the other women who had told them, Jesus is alive.”  So let’s give Thomas a break.

Who, if any one, would believe that Jesus, after being crucified and buried, could actually be alive?

Well, I ask that question, with the expectation that the answer is “no one” YET as we join together today I am reminded that we are living proof that it is possible to believe without seeing.

Is there anyone here who has seen Jesus standing before them, and placed their finger in the holes in his hands or put their hand in His side?

So I ask, “Why do we believe?”  Why is it that we can believe that Jesus rose from the dead, when we have never seen him?

Have you ever really tried to answer that question?

It is a question that seems really simple until you think about it for a few minutes.  Why is it that with no real proof, no visual of Jesus himself before us, no physical evidence…why do we, or how can we believe in Jesus Christ as our risen Savior?

Well, I decided to ask a few people “Why do you believe?” and these are some of the answers I received:

Because my Momma told me too.

Because as the children’s song says, “for the Bible tells me so.”

Because I was raised that way.

Because I need to believe….I need the hope, the direction.

Because I have faith.

Because there are historical records and resources that show that the Bible is true and not fictitious.

Because if Jesus isn’t who the Bible tells us he is, why did the Disciples endure so much torture and why would they have died for the sake of the Gospel if it was not true?

Because it fills a need deep within my soul.

Romans 10:19-10 tells us that believing is a heart thing….”if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved”

Myself, I believe because I have felt Jesus at work in my life.  I have heard him in the voices of people around me.  I have felt him in the still moments of quiet reflections.  I see him in the eyes of children who offer unconditional love.  He is all around me – alive and calling to me.

Having faith or believing in the resurrected Jesus isn’t about seeing him or about having proof.  Because, as Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Jesus was there to show the disciples, including Thomas, his hands and his side, but as he said, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” John 20:29

Believing that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God and that he conquered death is only a part of faith.  It is key to who Jesus is but the why is an important factor.

Why was he sent?  Because God, the Creator of all, needed us to know how much we are loved.  We needed to be shown the true meaning of love and how it leads to sacrificing ourselves for the sake of others.

Why did Jesus go to the cross: to take the punishment we deserve – to sacrifice himself for us.

Why was he victorious over death: to show that Satan cannot win and that when we believe in Jesus Christ and live with and for Him we too have eternal life with Him!

This is what believing is all about!

And so I ask, “Are you blessed?”

“Do you believe, even as those who have not seen?”