“Then Jesus told him, ‘You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.’”
John 20:29 (NLT)
Thomas wasn’t in the room when Jesus first appeared to the disciples—when peace was spoken, the Spirit was breathed, and forgiveness was commissioned. When the others told him they had seen the Lord, Thomas couldn’t receive it secondhand. He needed a personal encounter. He said he wouldn’t believe unless he saw the nail wounds and touched the place where the spear pierced Jesus’ side.
In Aramaic, the word used for the nail wounds carries the image of a blossom. Handmade nails tore flesh in a way that left a flower-like opening. What wounded Jesus became something beautiful for the believer. His hands tell a story—of suffering, love, and sacrifice. They are not marks of defeat but proof of redemption.
Eight days later, Jesus comes again through locked doors—this time for Thomas. Locked doors were no barrier to Him then, and they aren’t now. Jesus invites Thomas to touch the wounds, not to shame him, but to heal his doubt. “Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe.” And Thomas responds with worship: “My Lord and my God.”
Jesus doesn’t rebuke Thomas for needing a personal encounter—but He draws a line between sight and faith. Sight is not required for eternal life. Belief is. We choose what we give ourselves to. We can place our trust in doubt, or we can surrender to belief. Most of us have never seen Jesus with our eyes, yet we know Him because we’ve experienced Him. Like the wind, we don’t see Him—but we see the effect of His presence. Faith doesn’t begin with evidence; it begins with surrender. Believing in your heart is what makes you right with God, and declaring that belief is what brings salvation. Faith is not waiting to see—it is deciding who you will trust.