I was reading a devotional about belief and it mentioned Thomas, for which most of the Western world knows as Doubting Thomas because he did not believe the disciples’ testimony of Jesus’ resurrection. But let’s not be so hard on Thomas; the other eleven disciples didn’t believe Mary Magdalene’s testimony and the two apostles tried to tell the others about the risen Lord, “but they did not believe them either.” (Mark 16:9-13)
Has anyone ever wondered why our Almighty Powerful God raised Jesus from the dead, repaired his pierced heart and decided to leave his skin blemished? It must be spiritual irony for the Son of God to heal leprosy without any sign of the disease, and yet God Incarnate decides to walk around post-resurrection with nail-scarred hands. Knowing his unbelief, Jesus tells Thomas to touch his scars and then declares, “Because you have seen me, you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) God knows man struggles with faith and yet this is the very thing He asks of us. In Hebrews 11:1 it states, “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT seen.” But God is gracious and knows where to meet us with our level of faith.
Some of us need to see the scars to believe and others are blessed with “blind” faith. Where are you at with your faith? Do you need a sign or are you ready to step out and trust “the substance of things hoped for”? To be continued…