Believing Without Fully Understanding

John 20:8-9 (ESV) – Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

“How much of Jesus do I have to get right to be a Christian?” This is an important question. I have had many friends who believed some things about Jesus but wrestled with one or more key ideas before making a total commitment. Does we have to have everything figured out before we can truly believe?

John 20 tells the story of the first Easter Sunday. Mary Magdalene and two other women went to the tomb were Jesus had been buried to anoint him in the Jewish tradition (Mark 16:1). When they got there and found the tomb empty, Mary ran back to tell Peter and John, who ran to the tomb themselves (John 20:1-9). John used very interesting wording in his Gospel to describe what happened: He went in to the empty tomb, he saw that it was empty, and he believed.

Throughout his Gospel, John made it clear that believing is the distinguishing characteristic of a follower of Christ and the means to receive eternal life. He closed Chapter 20 with the Gospel’s mission statement: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Believing is what grants eternal life. Yet, back in our starting passage, John 20:8-9, it is clear that John, the “other disciple,” believed in spite of not understanding something important: the Old Testament scriptures prophesied Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead.

What does this mean? We don’t have to understand everything about Jesus to believe in Jesus.

Does this mean faith is groundless? Absolutely not! John and Peter saw an empty tomb in vs 8. That was reason to believe. In vs 30 John says he chose to record the miracles he did so we could believe. You may have had a spiritual encounter that gave evidence of Jesus’ reality. Someone may have given you an answer to a troubling question that helped you overcome a hurdle to faith. Now, it is time to believe. What if you don’t understand everything about Jesus? That is okay. I don’t and I have a doctorate, read Greek, and have been teaching and pastoring for years. I know enough, though. I have explored and seriously considered a lot of belief systems and worldviews, and I know that the world makes a lot more sense with Jesus in the center than without him. He has changed my lives and thousands of others I know. There is lots of evidence for the Resurrection. I may not be able to answer every question, but I can answer many. I believe in Jesus, and he has changed my life.

I encourage you to take that step John took at the empty tomb. Go inside, take a look, and, even if you don’t understand everything, believe. You will never be the same.