Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.
John 20:25 NIV
On June 27, 2010, the German soccer team beat out England’s team 4-1 for the World Cup Championship in South Africa. In previous soccer matches the German team had not played very convincingly, so many people interested in the match didn’t believe this team would easily win, if at all. However, the German team played hard and won in a suprizing upset.
The day of that game my youngest daughter was on duty at a gas station where she worked from time to time. Though working, she was still able to catch reports of the match on the radio. Not being at the game or watching it on TV, she obviously couldn’t see the German team scoring their goals. After her shift at work, she returned home shaking her head. “I can’t believe it! I just can’t believe it unless I see it for myself!” Of course, as soon as she watched replays of the game on the Internet, she was convinced that the German team had indeed won the match.
My daughter’s experience with doubt brought one of Christ’s disciples to my mind. Thomas. After the Lord’s death and resurrection, most of the disciples were huddling behind locked doors in an upper room when Jesus suddenly came to them. Thomas was not present at this time, so he missed the opportunity to see Jesus for himself. When Thomas later joined the other disciples, they reported, “We have seen the Lord!”
As with my daughter, who’d only heard reports of the soccer match, Thomas found it difficult to believe that his friends were telling the truth about the risen Savior. He exclaimed, “If I don’t see the nail marks in His hands, I can’t believe it!” Since the internet didn’t exist in those days, Thomas had to wait for further opportunity. A week later, when Thomas was together with the disciples, Jesus appeared again. This time the Master specifically sought out Thomas and showed him the nail prints, saying, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29 NIV).
Our proof of Christ’s resurrection is in His Word. We may be tempted to doubt or not trust. But if we are sincerely open to truth, Jesus will seek us out as He did Thomas. Then one day we will see Jesus with our own eyes. Knowing this, even now we can say, “I believe it!”
Altogether Lovely, ©2014 by Review and Herald Publishing Association