The Power of Vision

The English poet Ralph Hodgson said, some things have got to be believed to be seen. But the disciple Thomas would have said, some things have to be seen to be believed. Thomas had a hard time believing that Jesus was alive because he didn’t see him on that first resurrection day. Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus miraculously appeared in the upper room and spoke with the disciples. Even during a week when his friends tried to convince Thomas that YES, we had seen Jesus alive, Thomas continued to say, unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my fingers in the mark of the nails and unless I put hand in the wound in his side, I will not believe. And it is because of these words that we have given him the name Doubting Thomas.

But I really don’t think that is being fair because Thomas was only asking for what the rest of the disciples needed in order to believe. When Mary arrived at the empty tomb, she couldn’t believe that Jesus was alive. Even after the angel told her that he had risen just as he said, Mary couldn’t believe. Mary didn’t believe that Jesus was alive until she not only saw him, but heard his voice calling out her name. Peter and John raced to the tomb and saw the empty grave clothes but they couldn’t believe that Jesus was alive. Even after Mary told them that she had seen Jesus, they could not believe until Jesus himself appeared in front of them. So really, all Thomas was asking for was what the rest of the disciples got, which was the opportunity to see Jesus alive, and the reason Thomas needed this was because there is power in vision. The vision of Jesus that filled Thomas’ heart and mind was too powerful to overcome with just the words of his friends.

Think of everything that Thomas had seen the past 10 days. Thomas saw Jesus betrayed in the garden and arrested by the soldiers. He may have followed behind at a safe distance, but Thomas certainly saw Jesus beaten and nailed to a cross. He knew that Jesus died and was laid in a tomb for 3 days. What Thomas had seen made it hard for him to believe that Jesus could now be alive, so yes, he had his doubts. Thomas needed a new vision of Jesus to replace the old one.
Like Mary, Peter, John and all the rest of the disciples, Thomas needed a vision of the risen Jesus to replace the vision of the crucified Jesus that haunted his eyes, and the eyes of his heart. It is a very loving act on the part of Jesus to return a week later so that Thomas could see and believe. Jesus returned on the first day of the second week and once again appeared to the disciples. Jesus spoke the same greeting & offered the same blessing, Peace be with you, but then he turns to Thomas and instead of calling him out, Jesus invites him in. Instead of being frustrated or angry, Jesus offers to Thomas what he offered the other disciples, the opportunity to not only see him, but to reach out his hands and put his fingers in the mark of the nail. He invites Thomas to reach out his hand and put it into his side. Thomas not only sees, but he truly believes and he exclaims, My Lord & My God.

Thomas doesn’t just see Jesus, in that moment he sees something more, and in that moment everything changed. The vision of the resurrected Jesus not only drove out the images of Jesus on the cross – but the vision of the risen Savior gave fuel to Thomas’ life, because Thomas didn’t just see a friend standing before him, he saw the living God who brings the victory of life over death for everyone. What Thomas saw in Jesus was a new way of life and a new way of being and it was this new vision that would change his life. Vision is a powerful thing, it can keep us in the dark doubting what God can do, or it can open up our heart and mind and show us what life can be like and what God’s plans are for our world.

Vision is a powerful thing, but the kind of vision we are talking about is not just seeing something with out eyes, the vision we are talking about is a clear, precise mental picture of a better future, a better world. The vision that changed Thomas wasn’t just the person of Jesus; it was seeing what God had in store for the world around him. When Thomas saw Jesus alive, he began to see a world where people could find strength and power in a living God. The future Thomas saw was a world where the teaching and life of Jesus that had captivated his own heart and imagination would not only be able to continue, but could become a reality in this world.
But it went even further than that because Thomas began to see himself as part of God’s new work. When Thomas saw Jesus standing in front of him he knew that he could no longer keep the good news of Jesus to himself, he had to share this news with others, and share it he did. Tradition tells us that Thomas took his vision of the resurrected Jesus and his vision of a world where people could find hope and life in that risen Savior and he shared it with people in the East. While Peter and Paul and the early church moved west toward Rome and the entire the Roman Empire, it is believed that Thomas took the good news of Jesus to the East. Centuries after the resurrection of Jesus, missionaries from England landed in India and they were stunned to find the remnants of Christian churches, and while the people in these churches knew nothing of Peter or Paul, they did know about the resurrected Jesus and the knew about a disciple named Thomas. It’s believed that fueled only with his vision of Jesus & God’s vision for the world – Thomas went East to share the love and power of a risen Christ.

There is power in vision. Once Thomas began to see that people around the world needed to hear about the love of Jesus, and once he saw how the power of God which raised Jesus from the dead could touch people’s lives and bring them hope and healing and new life, Thomas’ life changed forever. Like Thomas, we need a strong God given – live-giving vision for our lives. As followers of Jesus we are to know, love, & serve God with all our heart, soul, mind & strength, but how each of us lives this out will be different. God’s vision for our lives will be different. For Thomas, the vision was to take the good news of Christ’s resurrection and the power of God to people living in the East. For Peter and John it was to share the love of God with people in the West. For some of the early followers of Jesus their vision was to teach, others worked to build up the church the apostles established. Some people had the vision to help support the work of the apostles by raising money or offering their homes and food. For everyone the vision was different, but they all had a vision & the power of their vision changed the world.
What is the vision that God has given you? If vision means a clear mental picture of a better future, or a better world, then what is that better world that you are working for? What unique way of loving and serving God are we offering to the world around us? How are we working to bring the kingdom of God and the life of Jesus into our community? If we do not have a vision for how God wants to use us in this world, then the first thing we need is a vision of the risen Jesus.

What gave the disciples a clear vision for their lives was seeing, hearing and walking with the risen Jesus. During the days after the resurrection and before Jesus was taken up into heaven he gave his disciples instructions and direction. He told them to forgive sin, he told them to feed his lambs and tend his sheep, he told them to go and make disciples of all nations – from the West to the East. The vision that formed in the disciples came from walking and talking with the risen Jesus and we have that same opportunity today. If we don’t have a clear vision of how God wants to use us in this world, then like Thomas we need to take some time and walk and talk with Jesus. We need to pray and read God’s word. We need to talk with others who have vision and learn from them. While a vision for the disciples may have started in the upper room, that vision was expanded and defined through times of reflection, conversation and instruction from Jesus. The God given vision for our own lives may start in this moment of worship where we can experience the living God, but it will be expanded and defined through times of prayer, reflection and the study of God’s word.

Once we have a vision of what God wants for us and from us, it will take some effort to make that vision become reality. Again, Thomas shows us what it takes if we want our vision to come alive and the first step is to see that with any new vision comes the need for change. It’s the very definition of vision that tells us there will be a need for change because vision is defined as a clear mental picture of a better future. Better means that it’s not what it is right now, which means that the right now is going to have to change. God’s vision for our lives will always call for change, a change in us and a change in the world around us. There is not one person in the Bible that God called that he did not change and then use to bring change into the world. Abraham had to leave his home and then he became the father of God’s people. Moses went from being the Prince of Egypt to a child of Abraham and was then able to lead God’s people out of slavery. David went from being a shepherd boy to Warrior King who then established a new nation. Thomas went from being a tax collector to a missionary in India who then called people to change their hearts and lives. God’s vision for Thomas called him to leave behind the comfort and security of his home and country, he had to leave behind his family and friends to face the unknown. If God’s vision is to become reality in our lives it will always call us to change, and then it will call us to work for change.

Change is hard for most of us because the status quo is comfortable and the familiar is safe. It’s easier to stay in our safe little worlds where we know what to expect then to step out and see what God might have in store for us. Here’s how hard change is for most of us. Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you sat in a different seat during worship? It may have been last week because with so many people you may have had to find a different seat (what a great problem, by the way) but seriously, when was the last time you worshipped from the front or the other side. When was the last time you decided to sit next to some new in order to get to know them, or invite someone new or maybe just someone you don’t know to sit next to you? Change is hard because we like to stay comfortable, but we do not follow a God who ever played it safe or stayed comfortable. We worship and follow a God that left the comfort of heaven to come into this world. We follow a Savior who never had his own home or followed the same routine. Jesus was constantly on the move and doing something new. If we close our minds to new ideas, and if we close our hearts to new people, God’s vision can never take hold in our lives and the better future that God has for us and for the world around us will never be realized.

God’s vision becoming a reality requires change and it will also require commitment. Are we willing to commit ourselves to God’s vision? We can’t go half-way, and we can’t give up the first time we hit an obstacle. We have to be willing to commit 100% and then step out in faith again, and again, and again. This kind of commitment will call for us to be courageous. Thomas and the rest of the disciples faced the possibility of arrest, beatings and death when they left the safety of the upper room. In fact, it wouldn’t be many months later when Stephen would be stoned for preaching that Jesus had risen from the dead. It takes courage to follow Jesus and it takes a commitment to stand up and share a new vision of how God wants to work in our world.

Now the good news is that the courage required to stand firm does not come from inside of us, it comes from God. Look again at what Jesus says and does on that first resurrection day. Jesus says, as the father has sent me so I send you. And then Jesus breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. The courage that the disciples needed to leave the safety and comfort of the locked room and go into all the world & the share the good news of Christ’s resurrection did not come from within them, it came from the spirit of God. The courage required to turn God’s vision for our life into a reality doesn’t come from our own inner strength but the strength that comes to us when we are willing to receive the Holy Spirit of God.

There is power in vision, and I believe that God is wanting and just waiting to give us the courage and strength we need to follow through on the vision he has given us. If you don’t have a clear vision for your life, then open your eyes and the eyes of your heart to see the risen Jesus because I believe that the living Christ still stands and offers himself to us and I believe that the living Christ is just wanting and just waiting to fill our lives with the power of his vision.