John 20:29 New Living Translation (NLT)
29 Then Jesus told Thomas, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
St. Thomas was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He is informally called “doubting Thomas” because when the other apostles told him that Jesus appeared to them after He resurrected, he said, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” (John 20:25). But according to St. Mark 16:14, “He (Jesus) rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.” So all of them doubted actually, and not surprisingly even all of us who are called Christians today.
In our times, many belittle St. Thomas when they hear this story in the Gospel. Many would still say, “Oh Thomas, how slow and backward you were!” But the question is, “Do we really believe that Jesus resurrected?” The answer is a fast “Yes!” But if we asked ourselves, “Am I blessed?” and the answer is a fast “Yes!” too, then you are a believer. But if the answer is “No, u umm!” then, you have to truly believe.
The problem now is how to deeply believe, and what we should truly believe. Romans 10:16-17 says, “But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” True faith then comes not from seeing but from hearing.
To understand this, let’s refresh the story of “The Walk to Emmaus”. When Christ walked with His two followers (whom one of them is Cleopas) back to Emmaus, these two were frustrated because they hoped Jesus was the Messiah to rescue Israel, and to them nothing happened. Jesus seeing the problem of unbelief, Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:21,27). They felt their hearts burnt within them as He talked with them on the road and explained the Scriptures to them. But they did not believe and recognize Him until they sat down to eat with them when He took the bread and blessed it, broke it and gave it to them. Now, this is again another “To see is to believe” story. But we should take note that Jesus first tried to make them believers in Spirit and Truth by bringing them to what is written in the Scriptures about Him. Sadly, He needs to show Himself by breaking the bread to aid them believe in Him.
In John 4:48, Jesus asked to an official whose son is very sick, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” This question is the same question that He did to Thomas, the very same question that Jesus Christ is asking to all of us today. Jesus declared in John 4:23-24, “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” This means that until today, the Father is looking (take note that it is present active participle), HE is looking for worshipers who study the Scriptures and who listen to the Good News about Christ, the Word of GOD. GOD is looking for the believers in what HE said in the Holy Scriptures, not only because they have seen miracles and wonders.
If only we know the meaning of Matthew 6:33 ”But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” then, great things and wonders will come our way compared to the miracles we asked to make us believe. To GOD, we should believe on what He told us, not on what only He showed us, then we see great wonders that beyond our expectations. Remember when Nathanael first saw Jesus? Jesus just told him that He saw him under the fig tree, and Nathanael just declared his belief that Jesus is Rabbi, the Son of God and the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1:50-51)
Did you get the eternal news for today loud and clear? Blessed are those who believe in the Word of God. We did not see Jesus as man in the flesh, we only see Him in the Holy Eucharist (if we are Catholics), but if we are behaving only like the two pilgrims of Emmaus, or Thomas to see His body with our naked eyes, then we are “believers by seeing”. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by believing and not by seeing.” The eternal news is, we should be believers on hearing to become truly blessed. We should believe on what Jesus told us like Nathanael, so we can see greater things like seeing heaven open for us.
Let me close this with the question St. Paul asked in Galatians 3:2-5, “Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. AMEN
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