Believing Is Seeing

“Believing is Seeing”

-All Things With God are Possible-

John 20:24-31

For the average person when it comes to Christian Faith the person says “I’ll believe it when I see it.” This morning we’re looking at the life of Thomas (called Didymus) – meaning the Twin.

I remember talking to one of the Directors of a Funeral Home in Taylor Michigan. I asked him about his faith in Jesus. He said he had trouble believing in someone he could not see. He said, “If Jesus would sit down with me and have a cup of coffee then I would believe.”

Many of us can identify with Thomas the Twin also known as “Doubting Thomas.” Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my fingers in the nail homes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe he rose from the dead.”

This coming Friday is “Good Friday” the day we remember as the Death of Christ on the Cross of Calvary. Next Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the Grave.

John 20 – On the first day of the week after His resurrection Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene. Matthew, Mark and Luke report that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and John and Salome and the women ran and told the other disciples but the disciples did not believe her story. To the other disciples – “Seeing would be to believe.”

Later on that same day, the disciples had gathered together, but fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, ‘Peace to you.’ Then he showed them his hands and side.

The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: ‘Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.’

The he took a deep breath and breathed into them. ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ he said. ‘If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?’

But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, ‘We saw the Master.’

But he said, ‘Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.’

Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This times Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, ‘Peace to you.’

Then he focused his attention on Thomas, ‘Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving, Believe.’

Thomas said, ‘My Master! My God!”

Jesus said, ‘So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”

John 20:30-31, “Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.”

As you prepare for the Easter Celebration Jesus wants you to have faith to believe that He is who He said He was and that it is a fact of history that Jesus has risen from the dead.

1. Jesus had patience with pessimistic doubting Thomas.

Some people require extra grace because by their nature and temperament they tend to be negative and pessimistic.

# One of my favorite stories is about a farmer that purchased a hunting bird dog. He told his neighbor about his dog and how his dog was a great hunting dog. The neighbor said, “You mean that mangy dog I saw tired up behind your house. I don’t that dog knows the difference between a duck and a raccoon.”

The two farmers went duck hunting together and the bird dog owner took the bird dog with them. The owner of the dog shot a duck and he sent his bird dog to fetch the duck. The bird dog walked on top of the water to the duck and put the bird in his mouth and brought it back walking on top of the water all the way. The owner said, “Now what do you think of my bird dog now.” “Ummmm he can’t swim can he?”

# Some people are like Pessimistic Eeyor in Winnie the Pooh. Eeyor anticipated the worst all the time. “It won’t work!” “We will never be able to do.” “We will never find our way back.”

Thomas the Twin had the tendency to look into the dark corners of life. He had the propensity to anticipate the worst of everything.