Seeing is Believing...or is it?

Today's Reading: John 12:37-50

We often quip that “seeing is believing,” or “I’ll believe it when I see it.”  And this is certainly supposed to be the case in the gospel of John. All throughout the first 12 chapters of John, Jesus has performed signs so that the people will believe. He turned water to wine, he healed, he fed, he walked on water, he even raised Lazarus from the dead. He performed these signs so that people would believe, and yet we get to John 12:37 and read that even though Jesus had done many signs, people still didn’t believe him. In fact, the more clearly he performed signs so people could see, they still did not believe. Or, more accurately, as we read in verse 42, many did believe, but they were unwilling to admit they believed because they were afraid. The more Jesus demonstrated his power, the more violently people react against him.

Approaching this text some 2000 years later, it seems to me we have a couple of options. We could pat ourselves on the back, feeling satisfied that even though we weren’t there to see the signs of Jesus that we have believed him anyway. We could leave this text feeling intellectually or morally superior to those who refused to believe Jesus, even though they were privileged to actually see his miracles and hear his words. Option one is technically true, perhaps, but where does it lead us?

The other option, as I see it, is to realize that belief doesn’t come so easily to everyone. Maybe some of us find it easy to believe. Whatever other spiritual struggles we may have, belief isn’t hard. For those of us for whom this is the case, one lesson we can take from this text is compassion for those who find it hard to believe. In the very next passage, Jesus says he doesn’t judge them. I suspect we shouldn’t either. 

For others of us, however, belief may be more difficult. Having not had the opportunity to look him in the eye, hear him talk or see Jesus, belief may not be so natural. For those of us in this camp, perhaps we can take encouragement from this text. Jesus didn’t come to judge. He came to say what God told him to say, which he summarizes in two words: eternal life.

- Tera Harmon