John 20:29-31 -- On Signs and Faith

"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."
John 20:29-31


This is interesting concerning signs. The story of Thomas ends, where Christ did show him a sign, proving to him that he was alive, and Thomas believed even though he had refused to at the testimony of his fellow apostles. Christ mentions how important faith is, and then John ends with a message to the reader that there were many signs, and he is sharing some of them with us so that we will believe. The message seems clear: Accept the witness and seek Christ and the life that he offers. Don't require additional signs.

Alma 32 addresses this subject as well, explaining that many people seek signs, that sure knowledge carries heavy responsibilities, and that faith isn't about having a perfect knowledge (Alma 32:17-21). We're also reminded of several people in the Book of Mormon who asked for signs, and got them, but not ones that they enjoyed. For instance, Sherem was smitten as a sign (Jacob 7:13-15), and Korihor was struck dumb (Alma 30:49-51). Christ basically tells us that he *was* a sign in Luke 11:29, mentioning that he is like the sign of Jonas/Jonah to the city Ninevah. That city accepted the word of the prophet and repented in sackcloth and ashes, and the Lord turned his anger away... suggesting that we, too, should listen when the prophets speak to us, and trust the word of Christ as it is delivered.

It's natural, perhaps, to want proof, but there *is* proof all around us. How much do we need to start our journey with God? Today, let's trust our spiritual sides rather than our "natural" sides, and work on accepting the signs we have already been given. Let's start building a relationship with God, which if we begin, will carry reassurance with it as we communicate with Him through prayer. If we want more signs, let's read the scriptures which are full of them, and trust John and all the rest of the prophets. Before we go demanding our own proof, let's test what we have already, and get on our knees and ask God personally if he is there. That's exercising faith... acting on imperfect knowledge and trusting it enough to try to talk to God directly. Moroni promises us that if we try sincerely, we'll be able to know the truth (Moroni 10:3-5).