Lesson #333
We kind of rushed through John 20:29 in the previous lesson
and so we will go back for a few more comments. The verse was: “Jesus said to
him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have
not seen and yet have believed.”” In the matter of faith and unbelief, how
might people be divided? There are those who have been with Jesus, heard him
speak and seen his miracles, but will not believe, like those who came to
arrest Jesus in the garden. As Jesus declares who he is they fall down before
his words, but even at this demonstration of his power, his uniqueness, they
still take him away to be crucified. Of the disciples, Judas was in this group.
As an example from the Old Testament, consider Pharaoh. He witnessed the power
of God through various miracles, but would not let Israel go until the country
was ruined and the first born of every Egyptian was dead. Even after he then
let them go he went after them and his army was destroyed.
There are those, like Thomas, that will not believe unless
they see. Along with Thomas the other ten disciples were in this group for a
while. They lived with Jesus, listened to him and watched him, but they could
not believe until they saw him after his resurrection. In a way this is true
for many people today. For years the Jesus file has provided a way for people
to view the life of Jesus; to hear him speak, to see him perform miracles, to
see him suffer and die for them, and then to rise from the dead. There are many
in various parts of the world who are having dreams and visions in which they
see Jesus and then soon hear a testimony from someone about him and then
believe.
There are those who, like most of us, have not seen and yet
have believed. It is this kind of faith that pleases God. It is this kind of
faith that allows God to do the impossible in and through us. It is with this
kind of faith that one can read or hear the word of God, believe it and apply
it to their lives and enjoy its benefits.
Whether we see in some visible way or we simply believe the
word of God, each believer is blessed by God. How we come to belief is not
important. The important thing is that once we do believe and are born
spiritually, how then do we live out that new life in Christ? Is it clear to
those around us that by our speech and our behavior we are children of God?
“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” (John
20:30 – 31 ESV). Along with what John has written, we have the writings of
Matthew, Mark and Luke. These writings make up the Gospels and provide
sufficient evidence as to who Jesus was, why the Son of God came to earth, and
what Jesus Christ accomplished while here. From this evidence, those who
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, receive the blessing of
eternal life in his name.
Prayer
Father, we have come to the end of another exciting chapter
in the life of Jesus. We could end here and have all that is needed for
salvation, but there is some unfinished business with Peter that need some
attention and that we will learn about in the next chapter. Father, I know
there are lost sheep scattered all over the world, held by the power of
darkness, who need to be found by sharing the gospel that we have studied for
the past two years. I pray for those who suffer and even die as a result of
living out their faith in search for these lost sheep. I pray that we will obey
the command to go and make disciples. We must be poured out and keep being
poured out so that God can keep filling us up with his blessings. That is the
Christian life; to be continually poured out that God can continually fill us
with newness of life. What a marvelous life that is!
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