Posted on 03/29/2008 10:35:28 PM PDT by Charles Henrickson
Believing Is Better Than Seeing (John 20:19-31; 1 Peter 1:3-9)
The disciples were pretty lucky, werent they? I mean, getting to see Jesus in the flesh, to travel around with him, to see him perform his miracles, to actually see him risen from the dead, to see him with their own eyes. What could be better than that? No wonder they had such a strong faith! Too bad we cant have that kind of faith in our day.
Just look at the advantage they had! Easter day, that evening, Jesus himself comes to them, shows them his hands and his side. No wonder they believed! Well, most of them, at least. Thomas wasnt there that night. Must have been out bowling or something. The other guys tell him, We have seen the Lord. Oh, yeah, right. What you guys been drinkin? He was crucified, remember?! Just a couple days ago. Hes dead, Jim--and John and Peter and all the rest of you. Our master is dead. Roman soldiers dont mess up on things like that. No, I cant believe your crazy wishful thinking. Mass hallucination, thats what it must be. Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.
Well, a week later, Thomas was in the house, there with the rest of them. His bowling league must have had the night off. And guess who shows up? Jesus. Again. Again with the hands and the side. This time for Thomas. Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.
See? Seeing is believing. Thomas gets to see. The rest of them get to see. And they believe. Lucky dogs. Oh, those lucky, fortunate disciples! If only we could have been in their position! Then we would be strong Christians and wouldnt falter in our faith. Right?
Wrong. Thats not how Jesus sees it. Or says it. Jesus says to Thomas, Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Whoa! Jesus kind of rebukes Thomas here. Says that seeing is not an advantage. Seeing is not the same as believing. In fact, Jesus turns it around. He says, basically, that Believing Is Better Than Seeing.
Whats going on here? What does Jesus mean by this, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed? How do we fit into this picture? In a sense, the people were most like in this story are not Thomas and the other disciples. Actually, were like the people, the blessed people, Jesus is referring to when he says, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Hey, thats us! Jesus is talking about us right there! Did you know you are mentioned in the Bible? You are! Those who have not seen and yet have believed. And Jesus says were pretty blessed. We are the fortunate ones! Believing is better than seeing.
Were also in the same category as the people the Evangelist John is writing this account for, some several decades after the fact. When John is writing his gospel, hes writing it for folks who had never seen Jesus up close and personal like he had, either because of the years or the distance. There were only a relatively small number of persons in the world who got to see Jesus during his public ministry, and even fewer who saw him after he rose from the dead.
Although, there were enough eyewitnesses to attest to the physical, bodily resurrection of Christ for all time to come. Jesus did want a core of witnesses to verify the factuality and physicality of the resurrection. Like Peter would testify to the Jewish council, We are witnesses of these things. And the Apostle Paul would later write: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
So there were enough eyewitnesses to establish the facts at the time of the founding of the church. But it wasnt the seeing alone, it wasnt the seeing per se, that produced the faith. Seeing, by itself, is not the same as believing.
No, you and I are like all the many millions and millions of Christians around the world, going back even to the first century, who never got to see Jesus and yet who still believe in him. And Jesus calls us all blessed. We still get in on the blessings that come by faith in him.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Well then, we must be very blessed indeed! Cause think of all we havent seen! We havent seen Jesus turn water into wine like the disciples did. We havent seen Jesus heal a man born blind. We havent seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead. We havent seen Jesus himself risen from the dead like Thomas and those guys did. Yet we believe. And are blessed.
The blessedness of believing rather than seeing is a consistent teaching across the New Testament. You heard it in our Epistle for today. The Apostle Peter, again writing several decades after Christ had ascended into heaven, writes to Christians just like us: Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. There is the blessedness of believing apart from seeing! We know who Christ is and what he has done for us, so that we love him. We rejoice with an inexpressible joy, because we know that we will obtain a glorious outcome, even our eternal salvation.
You see, thats something else that we havent seen. Not only have we not seen Christs resurrection, we certainly do not see our own. I dont know about you, but I havent seen any of the folks Ive buried get up out of the grave. And theres a grave up in Chicago waiting for me, with my name engraved on it. I dont have any YouTube video from the future, showing me getting up out of that grave on the day when Jesus comes again. And yet I am absolutely certain that that is what is going to happen. Well, unless Jesus comes first before I get put in the ground. But thats basically the same thing, believing that Im going to live forever because of my Savior Jesus--whom I have never seen. Believing is better than seeing.
Likewise, Paul writes in Romans 8 that we wait eagerly for the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Or again, in 2 Corinthians 4 Paul writes, We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. And in chapter 5: We walk by faith, not by sight.
The writer to the Hebrews says the same thing in chapter 11 of his epistle: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
You see, all these passages are saying that you dont see! And remarkably, what you dont see is what you get! The eternal things, things like the salvation of our souls and the redemption of our bodies. You and I cannot see those things with our eyes. Yet that is our sure and blessed hope, as sure as the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. How is it that we believe all these things, Christs death winning our salvation, Christs resurrection guaranteeing our own resurrection? We cant see forgiveness. We cant see eternal life.
But seeing does not equate with believing. It never did. There were plenty of people who saw Jesus but did not believe. Think of the chief priests, the scribes and elders of Israel, who mocked Jesus while he was on the cross: He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. Well, no, they wouldnt have believed in him. They wouldnt have trusted in him as their Savior. All they would have done is to see the man they hated and had rejected, and they would have been terrified, not filled with faith. They were like the people Jesus talked about in one of his parables: If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.
Seeing by itself does no good, if it is not accompanied by repentance over ones sin and faith in ones Savior. And if there is repentance over sin and faith in the Savior, then seeing is not needed. For that is not how repentance and faith are produced. And here now is the key. Here is how saving faith is produced: It is by the Word. The living and active word of God works repentance and faith in our hearts. The Law convicts us of our sin and our need. The Gospel leads us to our Savior, Jesus Christ, so that we trust in him to supply our need, which is forgiveness for our sins and life that lasts forever. That kind of faith we get only through the gospel, as the Holy Spirit works that miraculous believing that is better than seeing in our hearts.
The Word, the good news of Jesus Christ, thats what does it! Thats what John says right after the Thomas account, as the purpose statement for his whole gospel: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Its the gospel, the good news of Christ, as it is preached to us, taught to us, sacramented to us--the gospel leads us to believe in Christ our Savior and thus receive the gift of life he gives us.
And even that faith is a gift. As we say under the Third Article of the Creed: I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. The Holy Spirits works this saving faith in us, our whole life long, from start to finish, and the means he uses is the gospel.
Therefore, my friends, in light of all this, what is to be our response today, and in the days to come? Two things, very simply: 1) Be in the Word, and 2) Praise the triune God.
Be in the Word. If, as Paul says in Romans 10, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ, then how important is it to remain in that word? Obviously, all important! How we need the word of God throughout our lives, every year, every week, every day! This is what sustains our faith! Without that life-giving word, coming to us here in church every week, through the preaching and teaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments--without the word in our homes and our hearts in daily devotions--without the word, our faith would grow weak and be in danger of dying. God preserve us from that! But with the word, with the gospel of Christ burning bright in our hearts and minds, our faith will grow stronger and we will be active in good works and bear the good fruits of faith. God help us to that end!
Be in the Word, and secondly, praise the triune God. Praise the Father for sending his Son to be our Savior. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Praise the Son, Christ, who willingly went to the cross to die as the sacrifice for our sins and who rose from the dead victorious over sin and death. We fall down before him in worship and say with St. Thomas, My Lord and my God! Praise the Holy Spirit, who brought us to faith in Christ and who keeps us in that saving faith through the churchs ministry of the gospel. How blessed we are who have not seen and yet have believed! Yes, praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by Gods power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Ping.
Thank you, Pastor Henrickson. Have a blessed Lord’s Day!
Great message pastor. Thanks for spreading the true Word.
Thank you Pastor.
1. Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness;
God hath brought His Israel
Into joy from sadness.
‘Tis the spring of souls today:
Christ hath burst His prison
And from three days’ sleep in death
As a sun hath risen.
2. All the winter of our sins,
Long and dark, is flying
From His light, to whom we give
Laud and praise undying.
Neither could the gates of death
Nor the tomb's dark portal
Nor the watchers nor the seal
Hold Thee as a mortal.
3. But today amidst Thine own
Thou didst stand, bestowing
That Thy peace which evermore
Passeth human knowing.
Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness;
God hath brought His Israel
Into joy from sadness.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #204 from
Text: Ex. 15:1-21
Author: John of Damascus, c. 750
Translated by: John M. Neale, 1859, alt. ab.
Titled:”Aisohmen pantes laoi”
Tune: “Schwing dich auf”
1st Published in: _Geistliche Andachten_
Town: Berlin, 1666
http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh-208.mid
“Ye Sons and Daughters of the King”
by unknown, c. 1600
Translated by John M. Neale, 1818-1866
1. Ye sons and daughters of the King,
Whom heavenly hosts in glory sing,
Today the grave hath lost its sting:
Alleluia!
2. On that first morning of the week,
Before the day began to break,
The Marys went their Lord to seek:
Alleluia!
3. An angel bade their sorrow flee,
For thus he spake unto the three:
“Your Lord is gone to Galilee”:
Alleluia!
4. That night the Apostles met in fear,
Amidst them came their Lord most dear
And said: “Peace be unto you here”:
Alleluia!
5. When Thomas afterwards had heard
That Jesus had fulfilled His word,
He doubted if it were the Lord:
Alleluia!
6. “Thomas, behold My side,” saith He,
“My hands, My feet, My body, see;
“And doubt not, but believe in Me”:
Alleluia!
7. No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;
“Thou art my Lord and God,” he cried:
Alleluia!
8. Blessed are they that have not seen
And yet whose faith hath constant been,
In Iife eternal they shall reign:
Alleluia!
9. On this most holy day of days
To God your hearts and voices raise
In laud and jubilee and praise:
Alleluia!
10. And we with holy Church unite,
As evermore is just and right,
In glory to the King of light:
Alleluia!
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #208
Text: John 20
Author: unknown, c. 1600
Translated by: John M. Neale, 1851
Titled: “O filii et filiae”
Composer: Michael Vulpius, 1609
Tune: “Gelobt sei Gott”
A great one, sir.
Thank you!
Yes, that was our Hymn of the Day.
Vereses 1, 4, and 5 were sung by everyone. (2 & 3 omitted)
Verse 6 by choir men alone.
Verse 7 by choir women alone “No longer...hand, and side”
and choir men “You are my Lord and God he cried”.
Verses 8 & 9 by everyone.
Verse 10, unforunately, is not included in LBW.
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