I google youtube.com and get multiple videos on sports, politics, even the Bible and Christian songs. This morning the song “We saw thee not” popped up and I listened to it. You might want to listen to a youtube acapella version of the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d25PYT8v71I

1 We saw Thee not when Thou didst come
To this poor world of sin and death;
Nor yet beheld Thy cottage home,
In that despised Nazareth;

Refrain:
But we believe Thy footsteps trod
Its streets and plains, Thou Son of God:
But we believe Thy footsteps trod
Its streets and plains, Thou Son of God.

2 We saw Thee not when lifted high
Amid that wild and savage crew;
Nor heard we that imploring cry,
“Forgive, they know not what they do!”

Refrain:
But we believe the deed was done,
That shook the earth and veiled the sun;
But we believe the deed was done,
That shook the earth and veiled the sun;

3 We gazed not in the open tomb,
Where once Thy mangled body lay;
Nor saw Thee in that “upper room,”
Nor met Thee on the open way;

Refrain:
But we believe that angels said,
“Why seek the living with the dead?”
But we believe that angels said,
“Why seek the living with the dead?”

4 We walked not with the chosen few,
Who saw Thee from the earth ascend;
Who raised to heav’n their wond’ring view,
Then low to earth all prostrate bend;

Refrain:
But we believe that human eyes
Beheld that journey to the skies;
But we believe that human eyes
Beheld that journey to the skies.

Anne Richter wrote the hymn “We Saw Thee Not”. John Hampden Gurney modified the hymn and published it in Psalms and Hymns for Public Worship in 1851. The tune (Shaw) was composed by Knowles Shaw (1834-1878; see #75).  It first appeared around 1877 in one of his Sunday school song collections and became popular after being included in James H. Fillmore’s The New Christian Hymn and Tune Book, Part III, in 1887. There was a 5th stanza added: Stanza 5 (not used by Shaw) says that we do not see Him now, yet we believe His word “And now that Thou dost reign on high, And thence Thy waiting people bless, No ray of glory from the sky Doth shine upon our wilderness. But we believe Thy faithful word, And trust in our redeeming Lord” (repeat).

What a great song! The life, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Do you remember what Jesus said to doubting Thomas? John 20:²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Thomas was able to put his fingers in the holes in Jesus’ hands and side. It took that for Thomas to believe. That is a great proof for the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection was not just believed by a group of people who were expecting a resurrection. It was believed by the apostles who did not expect Jesus to die, certainly not die and be raised. But it was also believed by Thomas who did not even show up when Jesus first appeared to the 10 apostles on the night of the day he was raised (John 20:19-25). John 20:²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” So he still didn’t believe even though the 10 told him they had seen the resurrected Jesus. He needed more proof. So this adds to the proof that the resurrection of Jesus really happened.

The same argument could be made of James, the Lord’s brother, who did not believe in Jesus when he was alive but became a believer after seeing Jesus raised. We don’t know when the resurrected Jesus appeared to James, but 1 Corinthians 15:⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” The same argument could be made of Saul who was killing Christians until the resurrected Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Nothing could have converted Saul (Paul) other than actually seeing the resurrected Jesus. He had everything in Judaism but gave it all up after seeing Jesus and spent the rest of his life witnessing the resurrection and suffering for Jesus, eventually being beheaded by Nero in 67 AD. So the resurrected Jesus was seen and believed by his skeptics.

But Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” That would be anyone who believed or believes in Jesus even though they did not actually see the resurrected Jesus. That would be us. That’s not saying that we are more blessed than those who actually saw the resurrected Jesus. It is just saying that we can be blessed with faith even though we did not see the resurrected Jesus.

An interesting question: Would you rather have lived back then and have been able to actually see the resurrected Jesus, or live today when you have to rely on the written testimony of those who did see the resurrected Jesus? It would be nice if Jesus would appear to any skeptic today and allow them to put their fingers in the holes, but he doesn’t. Why doesn’t he? A little speculation here. Satan told Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down (from the pinnacle of the temple) and the angels will catch you”. Jesus replied, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test”.

We use the law of gravity and the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2) in many equations and applications in physics. What if, every time we use that, someone says “would you prove to me that the acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/s^2 ? That would be proving something that is a solid, irrefutable,proven law of physics. The same with the resurrection of Jesus. God gave us sufficient proof that Jesus was raised from the dead. We have the credible witness of the apostles. We have many post resurrection appearances of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15), even to 500 (many of whom Paul said were still alive when he wrote that so that skeptics could actually talk to some of them if they so wished). Luke told Theophilus that Jesus was raised from the dead and that he had confirmed that by talking to “eyewitnesses” (Luke 1:1-4). We have skeptics like Thomas, James, and Paul who were very reluctant to believe in Jesus until they actually saw the resurrected Jesus. We have the resurrection of Jesus being preached in the same city in which it allegedly occurred (Jerusalem) just 50 days after the resurrection, and yet no one said “you can’t prove that”. Imagine if I claimed that someone was riased from the dead in Maple Hll Cemetary 50 days ago right here in Huntsville, Al. That would be so easy to disprove if it did not actually happen. But thousands in Jerusalem became believers. Not all did, but there was sufficient evidence to convince thousands right there in Jerusalem where the resurrection happened. I doubt there would be one single believer of my claim that someone was raised 50 days ago in Maple Hill.

Could Jesus have appeared to even more after his resurrection? Sure. Would that have made the proof of his resurrection greater? I suppose. Could he make multiple appearances today to prove to skeptics that he was raised? Sure. Would that help people believe in Jesus? Mabye some. But do you remember what Jesus said to the rich man: Luke 16:²⁷ And he (the rich man in torment) said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” Not everyone would believe if even if Jesus made appearances today. But the bottom line is that God gave us sufficient proof that Jesus was raised and He will not allow us to continually test him over and over to prove that again. A teacher will not stop his physics lesson every time someone asks him/her to prove that the acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/s^2.

Peter felt that the proof for the resurrection of Jesu was sufficient. Acts 10:³⁹ And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, ⁴⁰ but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, ⁴¹ not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” He did not feel that Jesus needed to appear to “all the people” to prove that He was raised.

Back to the song: We did not see him walk the earth, be crucified, be raised, and ascend to heaven. But we believe! We are the “blessed” who did not see the resurrected Jesus and put our fingers in the holes, and yet we believed. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12 “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.”

Now would be a good time to listen to the song, “I know whom I have believed” acapella. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bRV3J4n8cc The song says “I know not” why God and Christ so graciously loved and saved us, how faith saved us, how the Spirit moves to convict men of sin and create faith, or what good or bad times we will face in the future. But one thing is sure: “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded, that He is able, to keep that which I’ve committed unto him against that day”. This is another of those great songs from the 1800’s (1883 AD to be exact). It is interesting that different endings to the refrain appear in different song books based on 2 Timothy 1:12. Some versions, similar to the KJV (for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”), read “He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him” and others read “He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me”. Was it what Paul entrusted or committed to God or was it what had been entrusted to Paul (i.e. the gospel). Let’s just say “both” and get the main point. “I know (without a doubt) whom (Jesus) I have believed”. To know Jesus is to know and believe the intellectual facts of his life, death, and resurrection and that he is our Savior. But it is also to have an intimate knowledge of Jesus like what you have with your mate b/c you made a commitment to him/her to spend your whole life with him/her. You committed your whole life and love to your mate, and your mate committed his/her whole life and love to you. Both is true.

So, begin your day today listening to “We saw Thee not” (and maybe “I know whom I have believed”).