Based on John 20:24-31 (New King James Version)
24 “Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’ 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ 27 Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ 29 Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ 30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
Blaise Pascal said, “In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.” The greatest problem that the majority of people have had and continues having is the lack of faith in God. In all reality, this is the root of all problems between God and man. For some unjustifiable reason, it is very hard for mankind to not only believe in God (or in a god, as in many cases), but rather, in Who God really is. As we read today, even those chosen by God could not find the way to have the faith they should have had, even after seeing and living everything they experienced while living with the Lord. This is not about an attack on Thomas, but we need to see the example of disbelief he gives us so that we can also understand the problem that exists today, because there are way too many Thomases all over the world, principally even among those that call themselves servants of God.
What do we see in Thomas? Thomas must have already heard about the Lord before being chosen as a disciple, that Jesus was someone special. And this can be assumed very easily because how would a person leave everything they had to follow Someone with no value (just as Thomas did)? Moreover, Thomas lived with the Lord during the Lord’s documented, 3-year public ministry (because the three years that were documented “limitedly” only talk about certain things; not everything, just like John himself said). So then, Thomas saw much more during that time than what we read of, and he saw it day and night. Thomas experienced even the most significant miracle which was the resurrection of Lazarus, where the Lord rebuked Martha’s (Lazarus’ sister) disbelief, which has to do with the problem we are talking about today. For it is written: 38 “Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ 40 Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.’ 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’” John 11:38-44. So then, if there is no faith, then you cannot see the glory of God (just as the Lord told Martha). Therefore, what else did Thomas need so He could believe in Jesus as the Messiah? Where did the Lord fail to demonstrate that He was the Son of God? Nowhere. This is not God’s problem. The problem resided only in Thomas.
But now, we are going to move the observation lens from Thomas to today, to put it on us. What is our problem? Why do we have the disbelief that exists today, even within the so-called people of the Lord, and even within those that serve the Lord? For this is clear: just because a person serves God doesn’t mean that they believe in God as they should. You may ask, “How can that be?” The sin that dwells in all of us puts some sort of leveling (per se) on the faith in the Lord. There are many that believe, but in a limited fashion. There is an “up to a certain point” in many people. Because people may believe in God, and believe in Christ, but not to the depth that they need to believe. It’s like if many had different sizes for God. And I’m not talking about the heresy that many people do with God, that they believe that faith is something to put God at your service (because it is a heresy to try to turn God into your genie, or your magician, or into something worse, a servant or a slave). That is not faith! What I am talking about is the problem that many have where they cannot simply just see the Lord fully, or at the very least, they don’t try or intend to see the Lord with His full power, honor, glory, majesty, etc.
This is, in the end, the problem that arises when the Lord is not believed in, as it is written: 6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. When we, at least, don’t even try, or even more clearly, don’t’ desire to see the Lord for who He is, we will not see anything of significance, as we see in this story: 53 “Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. 54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?’ 57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.’ 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” Matthew 13:53-58. This is a very big problem. For the Word declares this, which is what takes away any kind of excuse or justification from mankind for not being able to believe as they should: 18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:18-20. So, we come back to what Pascal said. If there is not at least a desire to believe, the shadows that exist in faith will blind you, and you will never see the Lord just as He is. And if you cannot see Him as He is, then you will never attain what is most important: the salvation of your soul, which is what should be more important than anything else.
So then, do you have that much-needed genuine faith, for your own good? Lord bless! John