“Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!’ ‘My Lord and my God!’ Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, ‘You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.’” (John 20:27-29 NLT)
If you believe in Jesus, why do you believe? What was it for you that nudged, pushed, or dragged you over the line of faith? Unlike Thomas you didn’t see His physical presence, yet you DID see Him with your eye of faith; otherwise, you wouldn’t be a believer.
Theology is a word that literally means “God words” or “words about God.” As a student in a literal “School of Theology,” I learned the difference between religion and Theology; the sources of Theology; erroneous sources of Theology, and on and on about what it was and wasn’t; why it was important, and what I needed to understand about it if I was going to be a Pastor.
You know what happens to a lot of “Theology” students? They get so intrigued with words about God, they lose their focus on God. Kelly Kapic touched on this when he wrote: “One of the greatest dangers in theology is making our faith something we discuss rather than something that moves us.”
Do you think Thomas was “moved” when Jesus appeared to him? My sense is Thomas’ knees hit the floor before he had a chance to think about what he should do. He may have been face down, ashamed he ever doubted. I can see Jesus gently cupping Thomas’ face in His strong hands, inviting him to stand, allowing him to do what he now knows he doesn’t need to do.
What about you? Have you “seen” Him? I’ve never seen Him like Thomas did, with my physical eyes, but I “see” Him every day with my eye of faith. He’s just as alive and real to me and millions of others, as He was on that day for Thomas.
We can read books about Him, but all the words in the world won’t make Him “visible” to our spirit until we recognize Him as our Lord and God. Jesus is so much more than God of Creation, Lord of history, Savior of the world, though He is all of those things. To me He is “MY LORD and MY GOD!” as He was for Thomas and the other Disciples.
Theology will never truly make sense until you understand Who it’s about and how He personally loves you. The most profound lesson Theology can teach us is this: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!” In a very real sense, that’s all you need to understand to begin your journey of faith in the God of the Bible.
He’s real! He’s alive! He loves – you and me and every person who has ever lived or ever will live. He can’t help it, it’s just who He is. Please click on the highlighted link and watch this brief description of our King of Kings by Dr. S.M. Lockridge. You’ll be soooooo glad you did!
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 