This is part of a series. You can read the introduction first or view all the posts together.
One of the passages in the Bible that I’ve always struggled with, not theologically so much as emotionally, is where Thomas sees the resurrected Christ:[bibleblock]John 20:24-29[/bibleblock]The last verse refers to us, of course, and so it ought to be comforting… but how many times do we fall into the fallacy of thinking that if only I could see with my own eyes, I would believe? Not necessarily salvation-wise, but maybe thinking that if Jesus was sitting here next to me, I would automatically do something differently. I remember the summer that I went to camp, we had a big powwow and one of the counselors told this story about Jesus coming to visit at a person’s house, in person, and it totally revolutionized the person’s life. The idea was for us to visualize being in that situation ourselves and see “what books we’d be ashamed to have on our shelves,” so to speak.
I’ve come to the conclusion, though, that if Christ came to my house and stayed a while… I’d still be a sinner. Maybe even things wouldn’t be very much different. Just consider the disciples: they saw Christ every day and they still managed to screw stuff up. Peter was face to face with Christ when he decided the wind was more fearsome than Christ was able ([bible]Matthew 14:28-31[/bible]). I don’t see how my eyes, which are so easily deceived anyway, would do a better job of convincing me of the reality of Christ than the Spirit of God working in my heart does. So when I say, “I want to go to heaven so I can see Jesus,” I don’t mean so that I’ll know “for sure” that He’s real. Seeing Jesus is an end in itself.
When I read the Thomas passage, it, more earnestly than any other passage in Scripture, makes me long to see my Savior. That’s explicitly what Thomas was doing; it’s the whole point, the reason for the exchange. And oh how badly I want to be in that situation as well! The very idea takes my breath away. I know beyond a doubt that I was created to worship God, if for no other reason than the vehemence of the emotional reaction the idea of actually seeing Him causes within me. It isn’t “rational,” from the world’s perspective, to experience an intense longing to meet someone we’ve never “met,” but there it is. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” Can we read those words without intense excitement stirring in our hearts?
And in heaven, that anticipation will be fulfilled: we’ll see Christ! In person! I’m going to see my Redeemer face-to-face at last! [bible]1 John 3:2[/bible] says “we shall see Him as He is”! As He is. Is there anything more amazing?
