John 20:29 “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
How can intelligent people, who are critical thinkers, honestly believe reports of miraculous things that they “have not seen”, neither do they have present day eyewitnesses to give them credible testimony that such things are indeed true. The Lord told “Thomas” that he “believed” “because” he had “seen” the resurrected Lord. Then, He goes on to say, “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”. Thomas did know that the Lord had been Crucified and His deceased body had been secured in the tomb; but, he did not believe that the Lord had risen from the dead until he saw Him for himself. But, what about the rest of us who have not seen our Lord in the flesh, how can we believe that two thousand years ago Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was miraculously conceived in a virgin’s womb, sacrificed Himself, rose from the dead, walked upon this earth in His resurrected body, then ascended to be with God the Father. The answer is “faith” that God places within His people. This “faith” cannot be humanly or naturally acquired or given, only God Himself can give such “faith” (Hebrews 12:2). When God gives His people Spiritual Birth (John 3:1-8), placing “faith” within them, He spiritually plants within them the “substance” and “evidence” (Hebrews 11:1) whereby they know and are assured that these things are indeed true. This “faith” (“substance” and “evidence”) is what compelled Job to declare “I know that my redeemer liveth” (Job 19:25) and the Eunuch to ask “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” (Acts 8:36). It is true that circumstances in a person’s life can hinder the application of their belief, but when the Lord places this miraculous “faith” within a person, both the root and fruit of it is forever present with them. Thus, they are said to be “Blessed” because the inward joy of such knowledge lifts them above this present world and sets their affection upon Heavenly Things.