jesus – Eye Sights

My pastor’s insight on Thomas made me think. He suggested that the issue involved trust.

Though Thomas surely was informed and invited to that first gathering where Jesus appeared to the disciples, he was absent. Pastor suggested Thomas possibly felt left out.

Yet Thomas had his chance. The initial group saw Jesus in His resurrected body. Had he been there, Thomas could have seen Jesus then. I would blame myself for not being there rather than feel left out.

But if he did feel left out, perhaps he was focusing on Jesus’s appearance to Peter on his own, and the other two men on the Emmaus Walk, Cleopas the uncle of Jesus and another man. Perhaps he wished to have such a one-on-one encounter for himself. That’s possible.

Something in his heart was closed. Look how he refuses to accept the witness of his colleagues. What a slap in their faces. I think I’d believe my other believing friends. Why didn’t Thomas believe them?

He said he wanted to see Jesus for himself. This sounds a bit demanding. Without proof, he refused to believe them. Pastor called this core concept an absence of trust. Thomas was relying only on what was visible. Relying on our eyes is verifying, but not trusting. There are times for both but if we rely on only one, our beliefs are skewed.

How wise of God to propose a method for learning how to walk built on trust. If we’re blind or blindfolded, we must reach out to a seeing person or tool or radar to guide us. God wants us to prefer to Him.

I’ve always wondered why the days after Jesus’s resurrection are scant in detail. I have a hunch God did this so trust would kick in. Jesus was there and yes, He made appearances, but was He with the disciples every day? The Bible doesn’t make this clear.

At the next gathering, Jesus invites Thomas to touch Him—that is, stop doubting and believe. Later, Jesus tells him, “Thomas you believe now because you see me. Blessed are those who do NOT see, and yet believe. “

Thank you, Father, for singling out Thomas to meet him where he was and show that we’re not rescued by sight but by putting our trust in You.

Deborah J. Thomas

Out of the blue, things happen. And God speaks. He does this through something a friend says, or a pastor. From His Word, in the news or stories. In prayer. Or while going about daily life, whether in or in-between an attitude of prayer. He shows up.

Two days ago, He prompted me with an FYI email from my Zoom leader about an Ezekiel study. Out of nowhere, the Spirit nudged me to get the workbook and do the study. I had previously decided to forego it.

A day later, a second incident came out of the blue. While emptying the dishwasher, I prayed about a niggling experience from a former volunteer organization, whose leader set me aside. To process this, I shared it with a few friends, to evaluate my sanity. But now I felt God tell me that this sort of “reporting” or reality checking was no longer needed. My reporting task was done. I love God’s sense of humor! I pictured God with hidden cameras, recording me and taking MRIs of the perpetrator’s mind and mine. He sees what we think, scheme, suffer from and analyze.

God revealed that evaluation is fine but limited. Better still is forgiveness. Just as He allowed the administrator to conduct business as he did, He allowed me the freedom to rehash things for months. Now, I put the story into the Editor’s basket. Perhaps this invites God to work. I relinquish the grapes, for Him to turn into wine.

If a flashback enters my mind, I stop. Satan wants this to be a thorn in my side, a torture. But God is not a tempter, nor one who tortures his beloved. Rather, God can use memories as prompters. With reminders, I pray for the wrong doer and myself.

A strong way to pray is to do as Jesus did. He goes to God and asks Him for Love. God gave it to him. With His Love, Jesus loves those who came to him, healing them or solving their need.

God’s Love can bring a forgiving spirit to our hearts. The ping of others no longer crushes us, if we ask God to love us.

This love is not manufactured but given from the Father’s heart. A miraculous Love that heals wounds, forgives our enemy. Love doesn’t excuse sin—sin brings consequences. But Love puts God’s forgiving ability in us. We love the person, not their actions.

Another Out of the Blue happened this week. Why God allows bizarre or horrific tragedies is a mystery. Murderers and evil thrive in this broken world. The beloved Charlie Kirk of Turning Point Ministries was viciously assassinated yesterday. We reel from the sinful slaughter of an innocent man who adored the Savior of the world, Jesus. We’re filled with grief, dealing with sins’ effects. Thorns remain. Satan is unrelenting. Evil calls itself good and calls Good evil. But heinous sins are addressed by our Lord. God invites us to His Love. If an enemy of God repents, God will receive him.

We can ask God for His Love often. With it, we love others. We can pray and invite healing into painfilled situations.

Amazing love, how can it be? That the Love of God can work in me!

¹⁵Whoever confesses that ‘Jesus is the Son of God,’ in him God remains, and he remains in God; ¹⁶God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ~1 John 4:16 Moffet version