Seeing and Believing

Bible Reading: John 20:19-20, 24-31

“Let’s play hide-and-seek!” said Ethan. He was at his friend Jin’s house where there were lots of great places to hide. “Mei can play too.”

They found Jin’s sister, who agreed to play. “I’ll be it first,” Jin volunteered. He covered his eyes and counted. “One, two, three, four…” As he continued counting, he heard Ethan and Mei running and giggling. Jin thought he heard one of them go to the basement. “Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five!” Jin yelled the last number. “Ready or not, here I come!”

Jin headed toward the basement, watching and listening for any sign of Ethan or Mei. Suddenly he noticed the window next to the fireplace—and through the long curtain he could see the outline of a person! He recognized Ethan’s red sweatshirt through the thin fabric and pulled back the curtain. “Found you, Ethan!”

“How did you know I was behind the curtain?” asked Ethan.

“I saw you,” Jin replied. “This curtain is thin, and I could see your red sweatshirt through the fabric. That’s how I knew it was you!”

“I guess seeing is believing,” said Ethan.

“I guess so,” agreed Jin. He grinned. “Hey! Remember our lesson at church

last week from the book of John? Remember what happened after Jesus died on

the cross?”

“Yeah,” said Ethan. “A lot of people didn’t think they’d ever see Jesus alive again.”

“But He was resurrected—He rose from the grave,” said Jin. “Before He went back to heaven, He appeared to a lot of His friends. When they saw Him with their own eyes, they knew He really did rise from the dead like He said He would and that He was the Son of God who came to save them.”

“So for them, seeing was believing too,” Ethan said. “And knowing that Jesus appeared to His friends helps us believe in Him too.”

“Yep.” Jin nodded. “And Mr. Michaels said that even though we can’t see Jesus with our eyes like they did, we can see Him working in our lives.”

Suddenly the two boys heard Mei’s muffled voice from somewhere in the basement. “Hey!” she yelled. “I’m still hiding! What’s taking you two so long?”

“Let’s go find her!” said Ethan.

-Jeanette Brooks

How About You?

Do you believe Jesus rose from the dead even though you can’t see Him with your eyes? After He rose, many people did see Him with their eyes. You can believe their testimony in the Bible. If you’re a Christian, you can see Him in your own testimony too. Have you seen evidence of His work in your life? How has knowing Him changed you? Yes, Jesus arose. Believe it!

Today’s Key Verse:
John 20:29 (NKJV) Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Today’s Key Thought:

Jesus arose—believe it