| Church School Lesson: I'll Believe It When I See It |
"I Believe It When I See It"
August 2, 2026
Background: John 11:14-16; 14:5-8; 20:24-29; 21:1-2;
Print: John 11:14-16; 14:5-8; 20:24-29; 21:1-2;
Key Verse: John 20:27; Devotional: Psalm 91:1-6
John 11:14-16 (ESV)
14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,
15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
John 14:5-8 (ESV)
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
John 20:24-29 (ESV)
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.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
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.”
John 21:1-2 (ESV)
1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.
2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
John Chapters 11, 14, 20, 21 (Commentary)
John11:12-15 The disciples were confused, thinking that Jesus was speaking about natural sleep (11:12-13). So he said, Lazarus has died (11:14). But the most startling thing he said was that he was glad (11:15)! However, Jesus was not glad concerning Lazarus’s death but glad concerning what he was about to do. Sometimes God will let things get worse before they get better. That’s often because he has something in mind that’s even better than what we requested.
11:16 Later, Thomas would express doubt over Jesus’s resurrection (20:24-29). But for now, he was ready to die with [Jesus]. Those who are spiritually confident today may find themselves in the depths of despair and doubt tomorrow.
John 14:4-7 Jesus promised his disciples that they knew the way to where he was going (14:4). However, Thomas wasn’t so sure: How can we know the way? (14:5). It was as if he said, “You haven’t given us a map, Lord!” But Thomas had misunderstood. “The way” isn’t a path; it’s a person: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (14:6). The Lord Jesus Christ is the universal point of access to God. There is no other entrance into heaven. If you want to know the Father, you must come to him through his Son. Jesus assured Thomas that if he knew the Son, he knew the Father (14:7).
14:8-9 Then it was Philip’s turn to sound dissatisfied: Show us the Father, and that’s enough for us (14:8).
John 20:24-25 One of the disciples, Thomas, had not been present on that evening (20:24). When they told him about what happened, he refused to believe unless he could put his finger into the mark of the nails and put his hand into Jesus’s side (20:25). This is why, in church history, he earned the nickname “Doubting Thomas.” But this isn’t a fair appraisal of his character. Previously, Thomas was prepared to go into hostile territory and die with Jesus (see 11:7-8, 16). So it’s clear that a believer can be spiritually strong one moment and spiritually deflated the next.
20:26-28 Jesus responded to Thomas’s unbelief with grace. He gave the struggling disciple the opportunity to do exactly what he had wanted: to touch the wounds of his risen Savior (20:26-27). Then Thomas made a profound confession: My Lord and my God! (20:28). He acknowledged Jesus’s deity. As John says at the beginning of his Gospel, “The Word was God” (1:1).
20:29 Notice that Jesus did not correct Thomas but accepted his worship, saying, Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. God wants you to believe in him before you see him work in your life.
John 21:1-3 In the final chapter, John describes how Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias (21:1), another name for the Sea of Galilee. Seven of the disciples were together: Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, Zebedee’s sons (James and John), and two others (21:2).