John 20:29-31 (NIV) Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Christ is fully divine. He was with God before the creation of the world. Christ was born fully human. Christ lived, suffered, and died. On the third day, Christ was resurrected. He ascended into Heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father. Christ will come again.
I have grown up in a family who strongly believed and taught these biblical truths, as I do today. After his resurrection, when Christ appeared to the disciples, it was Thomas who expressed sincere doubt. He wanted to see it before he believed it—seeing is believing. Christ gave Thomas the proof he required to satisfy his doubt. [v. 27, “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’”]
Somehow I’ve always skimmed over the middle verse in today’s passage. [v. 30 “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.”] I’ve always held the assumption that this verse was a reference to the entire ministry of Jesus. My depth of knowledge is continually growing. I now believe that meeting in the upper room behind locked doors might have been more extraordinary than we may have first believed. Perhaps Jesus was erasing one-by-one any possible trace of doubt or fear from EVERY disciple’s mind because he knew they would soon be without his seen/observable presence and must from that point on rely on faith in the unseen/unobservable gift of the Holy Spirit, as would all generations to follow. In my mind I imagine the event of Jesus’ revealing himself alive was a spectacular teaching seminar because belief in the resurrection of Christ is the Blessed Hope of all Christians—then, now, and generations yet to come.
Recently I just finished reading a book that, outside of the Bible itself, is the most profound book I have ever read. I’m not one to present out-and-out blatant commercials in my devotional writing, but in this case I am compelled. I would strongly urge and encourage my readers to purchase and read the following book:
Guillen, Michael, PhD. Believing is Seeing. Tyndale, 2021.
ISBN-10
1496455576 ISBN-13 978-1496455574
If you have ever held any doubt or question as to the reality of God; if you have ever questioned for a moment how the unseen could be even remotely related to reality; if you have been taught that “science and the Bible do not play well together”; I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
You have promised to grant wisdom and understanding to those who would ask. We ask you to forgive and remove all doubts and fears. Grant that we might be faithful readers of your word, and not just readers, but doers also. Thank you for the wisdom you grant to others and for their willingness to respond to every call and opportunity you give them to make clear the Gospel message.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
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