“Seeing is believing!” As a people of faith, we believe even though we do not see. The Risen Lord revealed the glory of his resurrection to his disciples over a period. Even after they saw the empty tomb and heard the reports of Jesus’ appearances, their faith was weak. Once Jesus appeared to them, He showed them the wounds of His passion. He told them to “see’ and “believe”.
The last apostle to meet the resurrected Jesus was Thomas who was a natural pessimist. Thomas deeply loved the Lord and still he lacked the courage to stand with Jesus in His passion and crucifixion. After Jesus’ death, Thomas made the mistake of withdrawing from the other apostles. He sought loneliness rather than fellowship. He doubted the women who “saw and believed”. When Thomas finally had the courage to join the others, the Lord Jesus made His presence known to him. When Thomas recognized his Master, he believed and exclaimed that Jesus was truly Lord and truly God.
Through the gift of faith, we, too, see and proclaim that Jesus is our personal Lord and God. He offers us new life in His Holy Spirit so that we may know Him personally and walk in this new way of life. “See and believe.”