With Blind Faith
See if this scenario sounds familiar: An uncle/neighbor/fellow church member starts talking to you about cars and then they narrow their eyes and glance around nervously and say, “You know, cars don’t have to run on gasoline. Scientists found a way to make cars run on water/solar electricity/grass clippings but then Big Oil/corporations/The Illuminati found out and put a stop to it. That’s why we’re still driving gas-powered cars.”
It’s an interesting conspiracy theory (and at least somewhat backed up by GM’s EV1 debacle in the 1990s). Maybe the desire for people in power to maintain status quo was actually strong enough to block emerging technology. Interesting. And then Tesla showed up (and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the first-generation Nissan Leaf, and compliance vehicles like Mini’s first electric Cooper) and proved everyone wrong. Last year, electric cars accounted for a staggering 40 percent of new vehicle launches. Now, it’s too late to believe in an alternative energy revolution. It’s just a fact.
The subject of belief flows thickly through John’s Gospel. Jesus performs miracle after miracle and heals person after person while asking whether people believe in him as their Lord and Savior, or are just there to see a magic show. He fulfills prophecy, and skewers the religious big-wigs when they insist on being skeptical. It all swirls into a question of the interplay between belief and evidence, blind faith and sight, and spiritual longing and lived experience.
Eventually, Jesus is crucified and buried. He pays the penalty for all the disbelief, mockery, and cynicism found in the hearts of people then and every human to come. Then he is raised from death. His life means anyone who believes in him now can be forgiven for all those times they didn’t believe.
This includes Thomas, who famously said he wouldn’t believe unless he saw Jesus. After their exchange, Jesus gives this response:
“‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” (John 20:29)
Those beautiful words describe you and the faith living in your heart. You are connected to a vast majority of the believers who have ever lived, including the people before Jesus’ time who believed that a Savior needed to come and absolve them from their filth, and the people who lived after Jesus’ time who believe in miracles – including a death and resurrection – they didn’t personally see.
No, you didn’t personally see Jesus’ death and resurrection, and in fact you may wonder if you’ve ever seen a miracle. Maybe you feel a longing for a miracle in your life, either for evidence of the existence of God or assurance that he does indeed care about your welfare, or to help prove his benevolence to someone in your life who doesn’t believe. Maybe you want to see a mind-blowing, physics-defying, doubt-shattering miracle.
You may or may not get the chance to see such a miracle, but you always have the chance to believe. And unlike believing that electric cars would one day be mainstream, it isn’t too late to believe in Jesus as your savior. While you have breath in your lungs, it’s never too late to believe.
Tesla’s Model S was well worth the wait. But now it’s old. Tesla’s subsequent production models – the X, 3, and Y – and concepts are all fascinating, but Tesla faithful wonder when the company’s flagship will get the update it deserves. One day they’ll get their answer. For now, all they can do is believe.
