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." And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 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." And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
John 20: 25 - 29 NKJV
A coworker asked me this week, "Do you trust in Jesus?" I think that he was half expecting the ages old Christian speech that I "believe" in Jesus, so he worded it a bit differently. Without hesitation I said yes. Then the real reason for his question came out. He said, "I don't know if I could trust in someone I'd never met or could not see." Wow. Honestly, I didn't have a answer for him. In my heart I know that Jesus is as real as anything I can see around me, but how is it that we relate this to those around us? We might believe in Christ Jesus, but trust me there are a lot of doubting Thomas' out there in the world. I know because I used to be among them. I used to go to church every Sunday and chant the Christian mantra, all the while doubting in someone I could not even see. This had nothing to do with knowing how Jesus feels for me, but everything to do with what I knew about Jesus at the time. I know that Jesus loves me. I know in my heart that He accepted my sin upon Himself that I would be saved {2 Corinthians 5:21}. He accepted the burden which was meant for me. Knowing this was the beginning of my knowing the Jesus I longed for. I wasn't looking for a glorified Christ who constantly needed to be reminded of what He had done for me. No, what I was searching for was a personal relationship with Jesus who would say to me, "Look what I have done for you." Not seeking His own honor, Jesus gave Himself that all would be saved {John 3:16-17}. All too often, we point people to the verse in John 3:16. That God loved the world so much that He gave us His only Son. All of that is true. Yet we often disregard the next verse, which I believe is key to this passage. That "The world through Him might be saved."
We love Him because He first loved us.
1 John 4: 19 NKJV
The verse which began to turn me to seeing Jesus in a different way was 1 John 4:19. First John 4 speaks a lot to the Lords love for us. We learn of the Lords one true nature {1 John 4:8}. For those Christians who are stuck in the Old Testament belief of a angry, vengeful God I present to you 1 John 4:8. What began to change the way I looked at Jesus was the knowing that I gave Him nothing, that He loved me for who I am. It was Jesus' knowing that I was special and loved that drove Him to that cross. He knew that without Him I was guilty. He understood that without Him I had no future. Knowing all of this, He gave Himself for me. Not that I had anything to ransom. Not that my own status guaranteed that He do what He did. Jesus saw all that I was...and loved me in spite of it. This was the Jesus I had been searching for. The personal connection with Him I had been needing. How wonderful a story where Jesus, knowing all there is to know about me, wraps me in His love. In fact, Jesus loved me even before I first loved myself. So, how is it that we tell others about this Jesus who loves all no matter what they have done? We do just that, we tell everyone that we can. When the world looks upon us and sees what wonders which Christ has worked, they will naturally be curious. We simply need to tell them what we already know in our own hearts...that we love Him because He first loved us.
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4: 8 NKJV
~Scott~
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