“For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does.”

(Psalm 33:4, NLT)

 

There are two striking occasions in the New Testament when human logic might cry out: “Amazing! We have seen more than enough to be convinced! We believe!”

But God knows our hearts. He knows that even if we see and hear amazing things … we need much more than the evidence of our physical senses to keep our faith strong and unwavering. We need the solid bedrock of biblical truth.

The first occasion I’m thinking of is Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to two of His disciples who were walking on the road to Emmaus. When Jesus approached, they did not know who He was because “their eyes were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16, NRSV). Jesus started talking with them and He commented that they were looking sad.

At that point, if I had been there, I would probably have blurted out to Jesus, “Oh! If You show them the wounds on Your hands and Your feet they will definitely know it’s You! Then they will understand everything!”

Well, if Jesus had done that, the disciples probably would have understood, and their sadness would have turned into overwhelming joy. But their joy – and the accompanying, rekindled faith – would have been based solely on what they had seen in that intense but nevertheless temporary moment.

Jesus certainly wanted to reassure His two disciples, but He did not respond to their sadness with words or actions that would provide only limited comfort. Instead, He said to them: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25).

No tender response there, then! No, but in fact it was the most loving and reassuring response of all. The thing is that Jesus longed for them to know the truth, because knowing the truth is the only source of enduring freedom and of lasting joy. (See John 8:31-32).

Jesus then went on to give the disciples a most wonderful Bible study! … “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). Wow, the Living Word was teaching them the written Word. Glorious!

It is remarkable that the disciples did not recognise Jesus until later that night, when He broke bread with them at table. The Lord had waited until He had poured the truths of Scripture into them before He finally enabled them to recognise Him. It was as though He wanted their hearts and minds to be undistracted and laser-focused upon the Word of God before allowing their physical senses back onto the playing field.



On a completely different occasion, the apostle Peter also conveyed a powerful message about the need to trust in the Word of God rather than upon the evidence of our five senses – however dramatic that evidence may be. And his own experience was certainly as dramatic and awe-inspiring as they come!

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter saw and heard a combination of heavenly events which far surpassed any previous human experience. In front of Peter’s very eyes, the face of Jesus shone like the sun, His clothes became as white as light and He was talking with Moses and Elijah. Then, just when you think that nothing could transcend that wondrous moment … Peter’s ears actually heard the voice of the Father speaking from a bright cloud about Jesus. (See the full account in Matthew 17:1-9).

It is virtually impossible to imagine a more overwhelming and faith-confirming experience.

And yet … Peter does not allow his readers to focus solely on the visible and the audible glory. He takes meticulous care to point out that this experience proves the truth and reality of the gospel which was foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament. Nor does Peter stop there for he goes on to emphasise that the Word of God expressed through these prophets is “something completely reliable” (2 Pet. 1:19, NIV [my italics]). 

These two instances in the New Testament give us faith-igniting insight into just how fervently God wants us to place our trust in His written Word. He wants us to know and to experience that He is our sure and unfailing foundation, and that we can have complete confidence to walk by faith and not by sight.  

How beautiful is our Saviour!

Jesus said: “Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me” (John 20:29, AMPC).

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Ps. 119:105)

By Ann Shakespeare 6 April 2021