Not Seeing and Believing!

Jesus said to [Thomas], “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 

Thomas and the other ten apostles of Jesus were granted a unique privilege. Jesus granted each, not just Thomas, the permission to come and touch the nail marks and to place their hands on the wound in His side. As they did, He assured them that He was not a ghost. He was not an imposter. He truly was their teacher risen from the dead. He had conquered sin, death, and the evil one. He had risen to life. 

What assurance this brought the apostles hidden away in fear in the upper room! All of the doubt and fear of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death faded away in the joy of seeing and touching their risen Lord. They had proof positive of His resurrection. Their eyes beheld Him. Their hands touched Him. He was alive. How blessed they were to see the risen Christ of God! The Holy Spirit would come in full measure upon them at Pentecost, and they would begin the work of carrying out the Great Commission, teaching and baptizing throughout the world. 

Can you imagine this great privilege? What would it be like to trace your fingers along the nail holes or over His pierced side? What would it be like to hear the familiar voice of your teacher for the past three years? What would it be like to again see the love in His eyes as He announced to you His peace? How strongly Jesus’ resurrection appearance must have bolstered their faith! 

Lest we feel sorry for ourselves or feel we have missed out, let us not forget that we have been blessed with a treasure that is just as compelling as the upper room appearances. Jesus appears to us. Jesus appears to us in the pages of Scripture. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit foretells the mission of the Messiah through His promise to Adam and Eve, His promise to Noah, and His promise to Abraham. He sends prophets to paint the picture, brush stroke by brush stroke, of who the Savior would be. He provides intricate details of Jesus’ lowly birth, message of life and salvation, gruesome sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit inspires eye witness accounts of the men who walked and talked with their Master Teacher, His prayers on their behalf, His mission of love and its fulfillment on the cross. From the Apostle John to the Apostle Paul these men proclaim the good news of the resurrection. And through all of these pages of prophecy and testimony, we see Jesus Christ for who He is, our Savior God. 

You are blessed. Even in the roughest of life’s patches, you are blessed. You are blessed because even though you have not seen your risen Lord, the Holy Spirit has led you to believe in Him. You have not seen Him yet. But His resurrection guarantees that you will on that last day of resurrection. Blessings. 

Frank Van Brockin 

Principal/Teacher 

Coming up in the near future for Immanuel Lutheran School:

❖ Please join the piano students of Carey Hartwig for their annual recital on Friday, April 5, beginning at 6:30 PM. 

❖ Student - Parent - Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday, April 8, and Thursday, April 11. 

❖ The School Board meets on Tuesday, April 9 at 6:00 PM. 

❖ Students in grades K-4 will be going to MAES to see Harry and Company on Friday, April 12. 

❖ ILS will celebrate Grandparents’ Day on Tuesday, April 16, beginning with the opening chapel service at 8:00 AM. All grandparents are invited to attend the celebration. Grandparents are free to take their grandchildren home with them after the celebration and lunch. If any members would like to serve as substitute grandparents for students with grandparents living out of the area, please feel free to join us. 

❖ There will be an early release with bus service on Tuesday, April 16. The ILS faculty will meet after all students have departed. 

❖ All are welcome to join us for our ILS Art fair on Friday, April 19, 5:00 to 6:30 PM.

❖ If anyone is interested in possibly volunteering to help drive Immanuel students to Wausau for class at St. Peter or Our Savior in the 2024-2025 school year, please contact me (Mr. V) or Kelsey Sova. We are looking for volunteers that would be able to drive for the whole school year.