Sometimes, the church is a place where no one ever changes their minds. We expect to find a solid foundation in our church built on God and His Word that does not shift like sinking sand. Yet, in His power and authority, God must also be understood as living and active, bringing change and new life in and among us. God challenges us to hear Him as God and trust Him. We know of God but never as much as we think we know. We may not understand what we hear. We may ignore or reject what we hear God say, to our own regret.
Maybe I am better at listening to myself rather than others or God. I forget what I think is not necessarily true. Recently three giant trees were removed from the front of our condo building. Their roots were causing problems with the sidewalk and a retaining wall. Before the trees were cut down, I thought their removal would be disastrous. I was certain that our building would look bare without curb appeal without those trees. I have to admit the building now looks better without them. The curb appeal is better, not worse. I was wrong, once again, in what I thought.
In the Bible (John 20:19-31), God wanted Thomas to change his mind. The problem was that Thomas did not want to believe and accept what he heard. The other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord.” (verse 25) Thomas refused to believe them. “He said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.'” (verse 25)
Thomas was a disciple certain there was no way he would change his mind about Jesus being alive from the dead. Thomas needed to see and touch Jesus himself before he would believe what he had heard. Like Thomas, we tend to trust what we have seen for ourselves more than what others tell us. However, what we see for ourselves is not a matter of trust but sight. Thomas and the other disciples could see Jesus with their eyes and speak with him before and after he was alive again from the grave.
The disciples and more than 500 other people saw Jesus alive after his resurrection from the dead. (1 Cor. 15:6) Thomas was also able to see Jesus with his eyes and touch the nail and sword scares on Jesus's body. His sight and touch of Jesus convinced Thomas that Jesus was alive from the grave.
Jesus told Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) Like Thomas, many are convinced they need to see Jesus to believe in Him. It is valid to want to see for yourself but seeing does not mean you will believe.
Many saw the miracles of Jesus and heard him preach and teach but did not believe in him. They scorned him to save himself on the cross. We are invited to trust what we hear about Jesus in the Bible. Do you trust the word of God?
