Day 4 – Be Not Faithless, But Believing

Part 4/19: 40 Days with the Risen Christ

Jesus speaks to Thomas

Words of the Risen Lord

Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
John 20:27–29 (KJV)

The Moment

Eight days after His resurrection, the Savior again appeared to His disciples—this time with Thomas present. Thomas had not believed their testimony, saying, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails… I will not believe” (see John 20:25).

Jesus came and stood in their midst. Without rebuke, He turned to Thomas and said, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands… and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing” (see John 20:27).

In that moment, Thomas’s doubt turned to conviction. He uttered one of the most profound declarations in scripture: “My Lord and my God” (see John 20:28).

Insights from Scripture and Prophets

The Lord’s response to Thomas is not a condemnation, but an invitation. He meets Thomas where he is—in his honesty, his longing, his uncertainty—and gently calls him to belief.

Elder David A. Bednar taught:

“Doubting, disbelieving, or even opposing what we do not yet understand is not new. … The invitation is to act in faith—to choose to believe—and then to open our hearts to the Spirit of the Lord.”
Elder David A. Bednar, October 2021 General Conference

The Savior’s final words to Thomas—“blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”—are a beatitude for our generation. He acknowledges the coming age of spiritual seeking, when belief would often come without physical proof. It is a promise to every disciple who walks by faith.

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