Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.”
- KJV Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
- NKJV Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
- NASB Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
- NLT Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus pronounces a blessing on those who believe without seeing Him physically. It matters because it commends the faith of all later generations of Christians.
Overview
While Thomas believed upon seeing, Jesus looks ahead to countless disciples who would trust Him through the apostolic testimony rather than sight. This is not a rebuke of evidence-based faith but a blessing on faith that rests on reliable witness and the word of God. It directly encompasses readers of the Gospel, who come to faith through what is written. The verse honors the ordinary path by which most believers come to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Pet 1:8Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
- 2 Cor 5:7For we walk by faith, not by sight.
- Heb 11:1Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.
- Heb 11:27By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.
- Luke 1:45Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”
- John 4:48Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”
- John 20:8Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in. And he saw and believed.
- Heb 11:39These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 20:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.