Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that 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.”
- BSB Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who 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 1:8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
- 2 Cor 5:7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
- Heb 11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
- Heb 11:27By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
- Luke 1:45And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
- John 4:48Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
- John 20:8Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
- Heb 11:39And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
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.