John 20:19–29
Jesus Appears to His Disciples On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This is the army that the Lord sets forth; these are the children of the baptismal font, the works of grace, the harvest of the Holy Spirit. They have followed Christ without having seen Him; they have sought Him and believed. They recognized Him with the eyes of faith, not with those of the body. They did not place their fingers in the nail marks. They have united themselves with His cross and have borne His sufferings. They have not seen the Lord’s side wound, but by grace they have become one with His members and have embraced the Word of the Lord: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed!”
Basileios von Seleukia
