John 20 John tells us that it was Mary Magdalene who first found the empty tomb.  She ran to Peter and John and told them what she had seen.  Peter and John wasted no time running to the tomb.  John was faster but it was Peter who went in. They saw the linen wrappings and the face-cloth laying there.  John writes that "he saw and believed." 

They still  "did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.."  It was not until that evening that Jesus entered the room where the disciples were meeting. They were locked in.. frozen in fear.. still not quite believing.. until Jesus stood in front of them and said, "Peace be with you."  It was a week later that Jesus returned to the room. Thomas had missed the first appearance.. but Jesus knew exactly what Thomas had said.. "Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it in My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing." 

That was all Thomas needed to hear.  He recognized Jesus, "My Lord and my God."  Thomas needed to see to believe.  Yet, he was not the only one who needed to see.  John believed when he saw there grave clothes in the empty tomb.  The other disciples believed when Jesus entered the room the first time.  We would like to see too.. we often pray for our eyes to be opened. We long for the day when we will be face to face with our Savior and Lord. But.. we must not forget the Lord's precious words to Thomas.. "Because you have seen Me, have you believed?  Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." 

John reminds his readers of the reason he wrote all of this, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you may have life in His name." 

From his first words of this book, John has carefully told what he witnessed, what he learned, and what he believed. The life that he received from believing in Jesus is the life he wanted to tell others about so that they also could have true life.  It is all in Jesus..who in the beginning was with God.. Who was God.  "All things came into being by Him.. In Him was life and the life was the light of men." The Word.. Jesus Christ .. became flesh and came to live with men.. and they saw His glory; "the glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."  This is what John saw that day when Jesus entered the locked room.  And he greatly rejoiced.. for the rest of his life. 

Father in heaven, how thankful we are for the witness and testimony of those who walked with Jesus.. They believed even when they didn't understand. They believed even more when they saw the risen Savior and heard His voice. When they received the Holy Spirit they were able to remember and write about the things that they saw and experienced. Someday, we will hear about all the rest of the things that John and the others couldn't fit into their books. Yet, we know that what is written is enough.. enough for us to believe that Jesus is the Christ.. that He came into this world according to Your will.. that He died on that cross so that our sins could be forgiven forever.. covered by the sacrifice of His broken body and shed blood. Yes, we believe even though we have not seen.. but we believe that one day soon we will see the fulness of His glory!  Praise the Lord, O my soul! That day may be soon!  Let us be ready. Let hearts and lives trust in the saving blood of Jesus Christ so that many more will find salvation before that last day. We ask this in the powerful Name of Jesus. Amen.