John 20:18–31 — Believing is Seeing

John 20:18–31 — Believing is Seeing

In John 20, we see that faith is not "one-size-fits-all"; the Risen Lord meets His followers exactly where they are to strengthen their faith. For the Apostle John, faith was born of evidence; the observation of the undisturbed grave cloths was enough to convince him. For Mary Magdalene, faith was born of an encounter with the Lord; she needed the emotional connection of hearing the Shepherd call her by name. For Thomas, faith was born of examination; as a skeptic, he needed the empirical proof of touching the wounds. Jesus did not reject any of these approaches. He met John with logic, Mary with presence, and Thomas with proof, showing that He is the Savior of the thinker, the feeler, and the skeptic alike.

However, the climax of the chapter is reserved for us. After meeting Thomas’s need, Jesus pivots to the fourth and final group: us, whose faith is based on testimony. He declares, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." For John, Mary, and Thomas, seeing is believing; for us, believing is seeing. Today, we do not have the physical linen, the audible voice, or the touchable scars, but we have the record and reliable testimony of God's Word. When we trust this testimony, we have the same power that Thomas felt in the Upper Room. We discover that we do not need to see the physical body to experience the spiritual reality of "life in His name." We see with our spiritual eye.

Can you see?