How many times have you said to someone, “prove it!”?
“Prove it” is a statement of unbelief. You’re not buying what the other person is selling so you stop the conversation by saying “prove it.” This may come across as a prideful statement because you are convinced that the other person doesn’t know what they’re talking about, so you confidently throw down the gauntlet and say, “prove it.”
It’s now post-Easter. Jesus did what He said He would do. He said He was going to be handed over to sinful men who would crucify Him and three days later He would be raised from the dead. If we’re honest, no one believed Him. You might recall how Peter pulled Him aside and said “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to you!” (see Matthew 16:22). Everyone close to Jesus was surprised that He actually did what He said He would do.
What did those early, discouraged and fear-filled followers need? Proof. And God specializes in proof.
Proof appeared on the road to Emmaus on that first Easter Sunday. Two discouraged and disheartened men had left Jerusalem trying to figure out what just happened. Jesus came alongside of them, yet it wasn’t until He explained the teaching of the prophets regarding the Messiah that they saw the living proof for themselves.
In the days following His resurrection Jesus appeared to many people, proving that what He told them on multiple occasions was true. He appeared to His frightened followers who were huddled up in a nearby home. He even added a special touch by entering the room without opening the door. He appeared to Peter, James and John while they were fishing, instructing them to let down their nets on the other side of the boat – and when they did, the proof was in their about-to-bust-open net full of fish.
Luke tells us that Jesus provided proof of His resurrection for the next 40 days by many convincing proofs as He spoke about the kingdom of God.
But there was one hold out – Thomas. For some reason not revealed in Scripture, Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus entered a closed room and showed Himself to those gathered there. When they told him what happened, he didn’t believe it and basically said, “prove it.” A week later, proof appeared, again through a locked door.
Jesus gladly provided the proof Thomas needed (see John 20:27) and He will for you – but maybe not in the way you expect.
Proof is not getting Jesus to do what you want. Proof is realizing what He said was true. Proof is not asking Jesus to jump through hoops. Proof is taking Him at His word. Proof in not necessarily verification, but a realization that Jesus is who He claimed to be and He’ll do what He promised to do.
Jesus was willing to “prove it,” but then He raised the stakes. He told Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” John 20:27 (CSB). The Amplified translation puts it this way: ‘“Because you have seen Me, do you now believe? Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, and favored by God] are they who did not see [Me] and yet believed [in Me].”
Today, the proof you need is all around you. The Psalmist says the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of His hands (Psalm 19:1). The proof is in front of you as you open God’s word. The proof is inside of you through God’s Holy Spirit.
In a current travel website commercial, one of the men boasts that he secured his reservation for $250 per night and he was quite satisfied with his rate. His friends laughed at him and said they got theirs at the same hotel for $100 less through this website. The skeptical first gentleman responded by saying, “prove it” – which they did, by showing him the website.
What kind of proof do you need?
For those early Christ followers, proof made all the difference. Proof made them believe. Proof made them bold. Proof prompted their obedience.
Ask God to provide the proof you need, and just as He provided it for Thomas, He’ll provide it for you. “Don’t be faithless, but believe,” John 20:27
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