Do You See The Light?

T

he Outer Banks of North Carolina are famous for their serenity, for their pristine beaches, and for providing a haven of rest and relaxation to the weary traveler.  But they are also famous for the lighthouses that dot their shores.  Several of these lighthouses are famous and have been used for years to guide vessels at sea safely to harbors.

One of my end tables has a replica of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.  It has very distinct markings, black and white diamonds.  It truly is a lovely structure.  Saturday morning found me cleaning my house.  As I dusted the den, I came to that replica.  I picked up the lighthouse, dusted it and the table, and returned it to its place. As I finished cleaning up, I thought about that lighthouse. 

Now, I have never visited the Outer Banks and I have never seen the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. However, I am sure of its existence and I know that if I were to go to the Outer Banks, I would find it faithfully performing its task of warning sailors of the dangerous pitfalls of the North CarolinaCoast.  The lighthouse is there and working whether I see it or not and whether I believe in its existence or not.

In John’s gospel, we encounter a well-known figure who had doubts of his own. Thomas was a follower of Jesus Christ. Like his friends, he didn’t understand the death of his friend and master, Jesus.  He was afraid that the same fate would fall to him and, like the others, he kept a low profile. 

Not long afterward, his friends shared with him that they had seen Jesus. He had appeared to them, coming through a locked door and he stood and spoke to them.  Now Thomas was more than a little skeptical.  He didn’t want to accuse his friends of spreading rumors but he wanted to see the evidence for himself.  Soon thereafter, he got his opportunity.  Jesus appeared to the group and he spoke directly to Thomas and had him touch the scars in his hands and in his side.  Thomas was overwhelmed and bowed down and worshiped Jesus as his Lord and his God.

Jesus made the following statement found in John 20:29, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  Here, Jesus was speaking about all those who would believe on him without seeing him physically.  He was speaking about you and me for we have never seen the Lord.  We believe in him by faith and because we know in our hearts that Jesus is God’s son and that there is no salvation apart from him.

Today, the Cape Lookout Lighthouse stands on the North Carolina Coast looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.  Tonight, it will shine its light over the waters showing sailors the only way to arrive safely at their destination.  The light of Jesus shines today over the troubled seas of life.  His light shines in the darkness and in the storm and shows us the safe way home. 

Are we like Thomas, unbelieving unless we see for ourselves or does Jesus’ description apply to us today?  Are we blessed because we haven’t seen and still we believe?  Which situation applies in your life today?