“… because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” John 20:29.
From time immemorial, men have sought a sign to facilitate belief. The Jews especially demanded a sign: to see must precede belief. Even today one of the states of our union is known as the “Show Me” state. But, must sight precede faith? Both the gospel and epistle writers used the power of sight as strong evidence in some cases, but they made it quite clear that seeing is not believing and that sight and faith are opposites.
Moreover, there is an old saying: “The hand is quicker than the eye.” A slight of hand artist may make one believe that he could saw a living person into two parts, then produce that person whole without a scratch, and the list goes on. One can see, but also know that what he sees is invalid, and negates any vestige of belief.
Jesus said to doubting Thomas, “… because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” John 20:29. In spiritual matters, there is Divine order. He who comes to God must first believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Heb. 11:6. Hence it is the exercise of faith (believing) that enables one to see (understand, comprehend) and ensures that one day that which is seen or understood by faith will indeed become sight, physically.
Nicodemus was a master of Jewish religion, but he could not “see” the spiritual things Jesus talked about. Jesus underscored the prime position of belief when He told that man that except one be born from above, he could not see the kingdom of heaven. John 3.
Doubtless, the richest people in this world are not those with the large bank accounts, but those who have gone to sleep many nights on the banks of the Nile River, or hiked the desert with Moses, or bound their Isaac to an altar on Mt. Moriah. Through the medium of faith these and thousands of other life experiences are opened, especially a faith-sight (greater understanding) of Calvary, and of the grace that flows from the old rugged cross. Truly, spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and the carnal mind cannot receive those things. So, in matters that count, believing is seeing, not the other way around.
FOR THOUGHT: If spiritual realities are enigmatic to your mind, would you please ask God to come into your heart, cleanse you from sin, and open your eyes to spiritual things? If you have done this, study, meditation, and prayer are always in order as the life words of the Bible are considered. The more you do this, the more you will marvel at what you find that you did not
“see” before.