Many Christians look down upon one of Christ’s disciples for not believing that it was Christ who appeared to them after his resurrection. Thomas said in John 20:25, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” But Jesus came to the disciples again and Thomas was with them. Jesus told Thomas to put his finger into his hands and his hand into his side and “be not faithless, but believing.” And then Thomas believed. Jesus said in verse 29, “Thomas because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” We see here, but for faith, seeing is believing.
God has revealed to mankind his deliverance plan from the beginning. If we see it by faith, we are truly blessed. In the Hebrew translation LORD and ADONAI are interchangeable. In Exodus 6:2-9:35, the LORD (ADONAI) reveals himself as YHVH, Yud Heh Vav Heh (LORD), using four attributes of redemption: “I will free…I will deliver…I will redeem…I will take you.” There is no other Deliverer for Israel—or for us, as stated in Isaiah 43:11, “I, yes, I Am (ADONAI), aside from me there is no deliverer.” The Israelites would “see” YHVH, the LORD (ADONAI) as their Redeemer. Prophetically, this attribute would be fulfilled in Christ through His work on the cross as noted throughout the New Testament writings.
Philippians 2:9-11 reaffirms ADONAI is the Messiah, saying, “Wherefore God also has highly exalted him (ADONAI), and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Christ Jesus is LORD (ADONAI), to the glory of God the Father.” The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 10:9, “that if you acknowledge publicly with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and trust in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be delivered (Complete Jewish Bible).” Verses 11-13 say, “For the scripture says, Whosever believes on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the gentile; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him, since everyone who calls upon the name of ADONAI (the LORD) shall be delivered.”
The Israelites coming out of Egypt and into the Promised Land saw first-hand the acts of their Deliverer. The Disciples and multitudes saw with their eyes the miracles of Christ (ADONAI), most importantly his suffering, death and resurrection. That by what God showed to the Israelites, and then to the world through Christ’s work on the cross, future generations of both Jew and gentile would “see” through faith, his great works and come to salvation. As Jesus–LORD, ADONAI, Messiah—told Thomas “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” We may not be eyewitnesses to the far past, but we believe onto our deliverance what we see by faith.
