Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser
Receiving greater blessings is a longing shared by many, yet Jesus reveals a surprising pathway to these blessings in His words to Thomas after the resurrection: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” This statement shifts our focus from relying on visible proof to embracing a deeper trust in God’s promises. Rather than seeking tangible signs or demanding personal evidence, Jesus teaches that true blessing comes to those who exercise faith – believing in Him through the testimony of Scripture and the witness of others. So, how do we unlock this kind of faith? How do we position ourselves for the greater blessings Jesus spoke of? Get ready to be encouraged, challenged, and inspired to believe God in a new way in this article. Be blessed as you read!
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 20:29).
Here is a clearer version of the text:
Let me provide some context for this scripture. After Jesus resurrected from the dead, He appeared to his disciples. The doors were locked, yet Jesus suddenly appeared in the room and said, look at my hands and my side, and the disciples believed him. 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side (John 20:29).
The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. However, in verse 24, it states, 24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But 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.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
He told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus emphasised that a greater blessing is bestowed upon those who believe without seeing. When I first read this, I prayed, “Lord, I want those greater blessings. I want to walk in fullness and possess complete power.” Jesus explained to Thomas that there is a greater blessing than the one he received, as Thomas’s faith was based on sensory knowledge. This type of faith, rooted in what can be seen, tasted, heard, smelt, or felt, is limited and will not bring forth the blessings of God. The Word of God is more certain than anything else, and if your faith relies solely on your physical senses, then you are far behind those who base their faith on what God’s Word says.
The Lord teaches that there is a greater blessing for those who believe His word without needing physical proof or evidence. He acknowledges that some believe because they have seen, but He emphasises that those who believe without seeing are truly blessed. As it is written, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Thomas expressed his need to see and touch the Saviour before he could believe in the Resurrection. However, Jesus pointed out that those who trust in Him without requiring visual evidence of His work and power are especially blessed. My friend, trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what He sees. This is the essence of faith: even when we don’t see God at work, we have confidence in Him, anyway. We must actively obey Him and trust in His love for us before we can receive His blessings. It is evident that some people receive more blessings than others.
" There's greater blessings for those who believe God's word without needing physical proof or evidence. "
The greatest faith is the faith that says, “Speak the word only.” Let’s examine Matthew chapter 8 and compare this with the faith that Jesus declared to be the greatest he had ever encountered. In Matthew 8:5, it states, 5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralysed, suffering terribly.” 7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
Here’s an instance where Jesus mentioned that he had never seen such great faith. When he spoke to Thomas in John chapter 20, he said, “Thomas, there are people who are more blessed than you because they believed without seeing.” What was lacking in Thomas’s faith that caused Jesus to consider it less than great? In contrast, in the eighth chapter of Matthew, we find the greatest faith recorded in the Word of God. The difference lies in the foundation of their faith. Thomas based his belief on what he could see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. In contrast, the centurion recognised the authority in Jesus’s word. He acknowledged his own authority, saying, “I have people under me; all I have to do is say the word, and it will happen.” He stated, “Just speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” This man placed immense faith in Jesus by trusting in his word. Jesus and his word cannot be separated; it is not possible for someone to say, “I believe in Jesus, I love Jesus, I serve Jesus,” while not also loving the word of God.
Jesus is the word. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning (John 1:1-2). Jesus and the Word of God are inseparable, and this man understood that Jesus’s words were as powerful as Jesus Himself. He placed his faith in Jesus and His Word. His faith was rooted in the Word of God, which made it the greatest kind of faith. The centurion didn’t need Jesus to come to his house and touch his servant; he believed firmly in the Word of God. His faith rested solely on God’s Word, without requiring any physical actions from Jesus, such as waving His hand over the sick servant. For the centurion, if Jesus simply spoke the word, that was all he needed. In contrast, consider the faith of Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. There is a clear distinction between human faith and spiritual faith. Human faith alone will never access the supernatural power of God. It is the word of God that generates spiritual faith. Ultimately, it is your choice which one you will believe and the kind of results that will follow.
You can receive greater blessings by believing in the word of God. I cannot overemphasise that this is truly one of the keys to faith. It’s important to prioritise God’s word to the extent that it becomes more certain to you than what you can see, taste, hear, smell, and feel. You must believe in God’s word more than you believe in the words of a doctor, lawyer, or anyone else. Many say, “I believe in God,” but when a doctor tells them that they are going to die, they find themselves more affected by what the doctor says than by what God’s word states. Do you believe the scriptures that say, “I will not die but live and praise the Lord,” as well as, “By His stripes, we were healed; He Himself bore our infirmities and carried our sicknesses”? These verses, along with many others, speak of God’s healing power.
When it comes down to it, many of us tend to place more value on natural circumstances and the teachings of the world than on the Word of God. For instance, most people believe the news media more readily than they trust God. If the news were to announce that inflation is going to ruin us and that the economy is collapsing, many would be quick to take action based on that information. In contrast, God’s promise is clear: He will bless the work of our hands and supply all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. We all know what the Word says. Our actions reveal what we truly believe. This is what James chapter two means when it states that faith without works is dead. Those who claim to believe yet fail to act on their beliefs are only deceiving themselves. Instead, we should put our faith in the Word of God, act on that faith, and receive even greater blessings.
