From Doubt to Belief

by: Jill Ver Steeg

We like evidence. A person’s word is fine for some things, but we prefer proof. A court will not convict without evidence of guilt. A banker will not invest without evidence of a return. A savvy car shopper will not buy without evidence of a quality vehicle. So we understand when Thomas, who was not with the other disciples on that first Easter evening, wants a little more than the say-so of his friends.

Scripture does not tell us where Thomas was or why he was not there. But a week later the risen Christ appears again to the disciples and this time Thomas is present. Jesus says to him, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe” (v. 27). Thomas answers Christ with an immediate profession of faith: “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28). Jesus, the person with whom he spent so much time, who was crucified, died, and buried, is alive again. The power of death could not conquer Jesus, nor will the power of doubt conquer faith. The darkness of Thomas’s doubt lifts when he sees Jesus.

But in those times when the evidence for Jesus seems small, we are offered these words of comfort, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (v. 29).