Jump Start # 115

1 Peter 1:8 “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” 

  Peter is writing about faith. The verse before talks about the “proof of your faith,” the verse after talks about the “outcome of your faith.” Peter is not giving a symposium on faith, but is talking about THEIR faith.

  In our verse today, Peter twice mentions seeing Jesus. He talks about the past (though you have not seen Him) and the present (though you do not see Him now). Even though Peter’s audience had NEVER seen Jesus, they came to believe in Him and love Him and rejoice because of Him. Although it is not mentioned here, we can’t help but see a contrast between Peter and his audience. Peter HAD seen Jesus. He walked on water with Jesus. He was one of the three invited to witness the transfiguration of Jesus. He saw the healings, he heard the lessons. Not only is there a contrast in Peter seeing and the audience not seeing, but we also remember, at the end of John, Jesus asking Peter if he loved Him. Three times Jesus asked Peter that. Here, the audience had no first hand experience with Jesus. They never saw what He actually looked like. They never actually heard His voice. They never witnessed what Peter did, yet they came to believe, love and rejoice in the Lord.

  How did they do that? The same way you and I do, by faith. Jesus had said, “blessed are those who have not seen yet believed.” We wonder and we ask, “would we loved more if we had seen?” “Would we have stronger faith if we had been there?” In some ways we might think yes. But with that yes comes a faith that is based upon our senses, what we have seen and heard. Peter’s audience had a faith based upon trust and confidence in the word. Like us, we see through faith. The miracles, the lessons, the stories become alive as we read them. It is as if we were there. Our faith is not based upon our eyes and our ears, but upon our heart and the confidence and trustworthiness of the word of God.

  I like those simple words Peter uses here: believe, love and rejoice. We believe in Jesus. We love Jesus. We rejoice because of Jesus. And as a result, our lives have changed and we are the better. Faith, love and rejoicing, these three words define the heart and attitude of the Christian today. Worship ought to be faith, love and rejoicing.

  One day things will be different. It’s hard to imagine. One day, we shall see Him. One day we shall be with Him. One day we will be in His presence. What a glorious day that will be! Keep believing. Keep loving. Keep rejoicing.

Roger