Never doubt Christ has risen

I’m hearing of people who foretold the possibility of a pandemic like we are experiencing — Bill Gates among them — and you have to respect their insight. But most human thinking trends toward “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Even had the U.S. watched from afar as coronavirus swept other countries, until its devastation came to our shores it would have been very difficult to persuade our population to take extreme measures. It was not until there was irrefutable proof at home that we began to get serious.

Stay quarantined? Close my business? Cancel my trip? With nothing going on? Excuse me, no way.

For all the analysis about not acting fast enough or why there wasn’t a larger stockpile of pandemic inventory, Bill Gates hit it when he said, “It’s hard to invest in what might happen.” Especially when there are so many causes and needs in plain sight.

I’m thinking about such a “doubting Thomas” mindset during this Holy Week — those final days in the earthly life of Jesus leading to the Christian celebration of Easter, a joyous day for remembering an empty tomb and a risen Savior. The promise of life beyond this one.

The “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude was on display over 2,000 years ago in the first Easter. When Jesus appeared to His inner group of disciples at the close of that resurrection Sunday saying, “Peace be with you,” and showing them the marks of crucifixion in His hands and side, one of them, Thomas, was not there for whatever reason.

The other disciples informed him after the fact, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas wasn’t about to believe them. He wanted proof. He had witnessed Jesus’ death on the cross. He insisted he would have to see and touch Jesus’ wounds before he would believe.

A week later Jesus appeared again to His disciples and this time Thomas was there. Knowing the doubt he struggled with Jesus invited Thomas to do just what he’d demanded. “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here with your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

Thomas was astounded crying, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus’ next words give such hope. He said, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!