Thomas, one of Jesus’s twelve disciples, was brought up in a ‘religious’ environment, where he was taught to believe only in what you could touch, handle and see. Jesus had taught His disciples that He would be crucified but on the third day would rise from the dead. When it happened, He appeared to them in a room, where they were gathered together, in Jerusalem but Thomas was not there. When they told him that they had seen the Lord, he did not believe them. His first response revealed the weakness of his faith: ‘UNLESS I SEE in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the print pf the nails, and put my hand into His side I WILL NOT BELIEVE’, John chapter 20 verse 25.

Interestingly, the Lord did not appear to them again for eight days and this time Thomas was with them. The number eight in the Bible is linked with resurrection and new life! To his credit, once Thomas saw Jesus, he believed and exclaimed, ‘My Lord and my God’. In a very gentle and loving way, Jesus took Thomas off the ground of SIGHT and placed him on the ground of FAITH by saying, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’ John chapter 20 verse 29.

People often say that if someone rose from the dead, they would believe. However. Christ has risen from the dead and they have not believed! Thomas shows us that it is ‘by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works. Lest anyone should boast’ Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8-9.

We thank God for a risen Saviour and One in whom we can believe, although we do not see Him yet. The Scriptures give us all the assurance we need. We will gladly send you a Bible and help answer any questions you may have. We will pray for you. Come back again for another Message of Hope.