Come and See | Believe

I don’t think I can believe that this Jesus has risen. No man has risen from the dead on His own. Its impossible!

Out of all the religions in the world, only Christianity claims rather audaciously that their leader rose from the dead. Its a big claim. And if true, its a claim with great consequences. If Jesus did really rise from the dead, then we better listen to what He says!

But did He?

I think the followers of Jesus were as sceptical as us today when Jesus arose. After all, you dont find people rising from the grave on a daily basis. Furthermore, Jesus was buried in an empty tomb with a large stone rolled against it and Roman guards guarding it.

Mary, the first person Jesus appeared to, mistook the risen Christ for a gardener. When she witness the risen Christ, she ran back to tell the disciples who could not believe her. (John 20). Thomas (one of Jesus disciples) refused to believe unless he touched Jesus risen body! He wouldn’t even believe his own vision if Jesus appeared!

Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.  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.” 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!” 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.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

John 20:24-29 NIV

I don’t know about you but I often read the Bible stories as if they didn’t happen. Yet the story of the resurrection is as real as any historic account! And if I were Thomas I might have doubted too. ‘They must all be crazy’ He must have thought.

But Jesus allows room for our doubt. He knows we will find it hard to believe. And He tenderly appears before Thomas, telling him to put his hands in His wounds.

What a kind and compassionate Lord!

Today, just as Jesus appeared before Thomas and asked Thomas to examine the evidence, Jesus invites you to do the same.

Yes, Jesus may not be around physically before you today. But there are evidences for the resurrection.

Look at His body of believers. People who follow Jesus in spite of how they are persecuted and stoned. If the Jesus story was a lie, would someone die for it?

Look at the historical evidences. A man named Jesus did exist. He was crucified and His body was not found.

Look at the BIble, a sacred text written over centuries but all pointing to a God man named Jesus.

Look at the stories of lives being changed by a man named Jesus. Drug addicts getting freed from addiction, convicts putting aside their old lives, cynics like CS Lewis becoming firm believers.

Today, Jesus doesn’t brush you off and leave you with unanswered questions. He invites you to explore the evidence. Not just that, He invites you to give Him a try.

“Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

John 20:27 NIV

I don’t know where you are at in this journey of faith today. Maybe you are just testing the waters, Maybe you are cynical like Thomas, doubting anyone could actually rise from the dead. Maybe you believe but find that God is still so far.

Today, I invite you to examine the evidence. And more than that, I invite you to allow the risen Christ to come into your life. To touch Him to be loved by Him.

Jesus stands before you today. Leave your doubts and believe.

Blessed Resurrection Sunday.

And here is an Easter Message for us all at this time where death seems so near.