You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent.
Jesus is talking to the people after healing a man on the Sabbath. He’s explaining that they’ve never seen or heard God. I’ve never seen or heard God. Few of us have really seen or heard God. God’s message, or God’s presence, but we’ve not seen God. Jesus continues with the people that because they don’t believe Jesus, they don’t have God’s word abiding in them.
The challenge for me is that although I believe in Jesus and what he said, I’ve never seen or heard Jesus either. The people back then had the benefit of seeing a human being, hearing a human being. And some believed while others did not.
Thousands of years later, we’re left with the same challenge as those first folks had; we have not seen or heard firsthand God the Father. And because Jesus’ mortal body was around for only around 30 years, we have not seen or heard firsthand God the Son.
The benefit I have is that I’ve read Jesus’ words, and I have God the Spirit indwelling in me. Normally, I’m a big fan of seeing firsthand whatever it is I’m supposed to believe, a more peaceful version of ‘trust but verify’. But I’m also incredibly compliant and believing of authority. I read God’s or Jesus’ words in Scripture and a big part of me is wondering whether it’s true; I can’t see or verify. But a bigger part of me trusts precisely because they’re God’s or Jesus’ words. I think my faith is strong in part because I trust authority. At least it’s easier for me to hold on to faith, than if I were a rebel at heart.
This morning I’m thinking about all of the modern-day rebels, those who distrust authority, and don’t have the benefit of seeing Jesus or God firsthand. How do we share God’s message in a way they’ll understand and adopt, without proof and without respect for ‘because I said so’?
Maybe this goes back to the kids’ bible song, ‘They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love’. If many people wouldn’t believe Jesus’ words, I’m unsure that they’ll believe my words. But my actions? They can see, and trust. We need to act more like Jesus if we want people to believe what he has to say. For the rest of the world, maybe it’s more like ‘Distrust first. But seeing is believing’.
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