Connect John 20:27 with Hebrews 11:1 on faith and evidence of unseen. Setting the Scene John 20 finds the risen Jesus meeting a roomful of bewildered disciples. Thomas, absent at first, refuses to believe unless he can touch Jesus’ wounds. One week later, Christ returns and invites Thomas to do exactly that. Hebrews 11 opens by defining faith for every generation: trusting what we cannot yet see. Scripture Focus • John 20:27: “Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.’” • Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” Thomas’s Demand for Evidence • Thomas’s words in v. 25, “Unless I see … I will never believe,” reveal a heart chained to physical proof. • Jesus does not scold him for wanting evidence; He supplies it, because the resurrection is a historical, bodily reality (Luke 24:39). • The invitation “Put your finger here” shows God’s willingness to meet honest doubt with concrete facts. Defining Faith • “Assurance” (Greek = hypostasis) means a firm foundation—faith is not wishful thinking but settled confidence. • “Certainty” (Greek = elegchos) carries the idea of proof or conviction, even when the object remains invisible to the senses. • The verse assumes unseen realities are nonetheless real (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:18). The Seamless Connection 1. Evidence first, then faith: Thomas touches, sees, and exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). 2. Faith without seeing: Jesus immediately broadens the lesson—“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). 3. Hebrews 11:1 expresses that blessing: believers possess “certainty” grounded not in physical sight but in the reliability of God’s Word and works. 4. Both passages affirm that faith and evidence are friends, not enemies—faith rests on God’s revealed facts and extends beyond what eyes can verify. Evidence We Can Touch Today • The empty tomb and over 500 eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:4–6). • The preserved Scriptures, historically attested and prophetically fulfilled (Isaiah 53; Psalm 22). • The transformed lives of believers through the Spirit’s power (Galatians 2:20). • The ongoing testimony of creation declaring God’s glory (Psalm 19:1). Practical Takeaways • Doubt is answered by drawing near to Christ, not by drifting away; He still invites, “Reach out your hand.” • The Bible supplies solid grounds for faith—study strengthens assurance. • Living by faith means acting on God’s promises before visible results appear (Hebrews 11:7–8). • We walk “by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7), yet the faith we exercise rests on the unshakable evidence of a risen, bodily Savior. |
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