Blessed are those who have hope

So we have traveled through the days before the crucifixion.
The moments of denial and agony of heart.
The horrific death of Jesus… then the quiet of the Saturday before His resurrection.
One could say, Easter arrived and Hallelujah was the word of the day.
He is risen. He is gone.
Just as he said to them, then He met Mary Magdalene.
It is all in sequence of the story, as it continued to play out with all the characters.
The next time we see Jesus, He is meeting the disciples.
John 20:19
That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them!
“Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side.
They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!
Again he said, “Peace, be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 
If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, was not with the others when Jesus came.
They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them and place my hand into the wound on his side.”
Eight days later the disciples were together again, this time Thomas was with them.
The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them.
“Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. 
Put your hand in the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
There are a few interesting parts of this I want to share.
First of all, As far as we know Jesus didn’t hear what Thomas had said to the disciples.
Yet he came right into the room and approached Thomas with his doubt allowing him to visually SEE and FEEL the wounds.’
Isn’t that a God who hears even before we ask?
Because He was God He knew Thomas heart condition.
The second part I want to challenge us with is the last line he said, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
That would mean us.
Those who were not there, and did not see or experience him in a tangible or real way.
I hope as we traveled through the story, it begins to make sense and feel more sure for us
He is risen, He is all power and all gentle, He is hope that we have needed for a very long time.