When Jesus, a sinless man, was crucified, His followers were devastated. Not only was the man they believed in gone, but they wondered if they would be next. Three days after Jesus was killed and buried in a borrowed tomb, a group of women arrived to finish preparing the body with burial spices. That’s when they noticed something strange. The huge stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty. An angel appeared, telling them that Jesus wasn’t there; He had risen!

You’d expect the women to be elated – right? They should have run off and told everyone, especially the disciples. But they didn’t; they were afraid. It didn’t make sense. Instead they told James and John that Jesus’ body had been stolen. That’s when something incredible happened. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other women. Only after seeing the risen Savior with their own eyes did they believe. The disciple Thomas was no different. He too struggled to understand this miraculous news and only believed after Jesus appeared to him in person.

What about us? How can we believe and encounter the risen Savior if we weren’t there? Through God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. When we study the Bible, especially the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the story of Christ comes to life as the Holy Spirit convicts us that Jesus is truly Lord. Then comes the question we must all ask ourselves: Do we believe that Jesus is the hope for salvation from sin and death? Will we trust Jesus with our lives? Will you believe without seeing? It’s that kind of faith that Jesus says is even more blessed than the original disciples’ faith. That’s real faith!