Happy Christmas, mes amis, and welcome to another Gospel According to post! I wasn’t actually planning on writing this one as a full post, but the things I learned today were too good not to share. Enjoy!
Fandom: “Seeing is believing… But sometimes the most real things in life are the things we can’t see.” – The Polar Express
Verses: John 20:29, Mark 9:22-23, 2 Cor. 5:6-8
Takeaway: Taking the step to believe in Jesus leads to stronger faith and confidence.
Fandom: The Polar Express
I took a trip to my local small craft supply store over Thanksgiving break, and spent an inordinate sum of money on the most BEAUTIFUL papers, including some with cut-apart Polar Express designs. I thought I’d be using them to record memories of a school-wide read-aloud and hot chocolate day, but that event was cancelled… and then Illustrated Faith released this Bible journaling printable inspired by the story! Since I already had lots of Polar Express-themed supplies, I decided not to buy this printable, but I was able to glean from the verses provided. Here’s what I learned:
Verses
Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you [now] believed? Blessed [are] they who did not see, and [yet] believed.”
John 20:29 NASB20
This verse is addressed to Thomas, one of the apostles of Jesus, spoken after the latter’s resurrection from the dead. Thomas had previously stated that he won’t believe the accounts of the other apostles until he has physically touched the wounds that the Lord suffered on the cross, proving that He had both died and been physically resurrected. This need for evidence is an almost identical match to the main character in the Polar Express, who goes from certainty that the North Pole is uninhabitable to firm belief in the Big Man and all of his elves.
“It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”
But Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:22-24
These verses are addressed to a man whose son is suffering from demon possession and has already been disappointed by the efforts of the apostles. He recognizes that the problem isn’t Jesus’ ability to heal, but rather his own willingness to believe that He can. It’s a lot like the conversation between the boy and the hobo:
“So, what’s your persuasion on the Big Man?”
“I… want to believe.”“Ahhh, but you don’t want to be bamboozled, tricked, have the wool pulled over your eyes, etc., etc.”
The Polar Express
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Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord–
for we walk by faith, not by sight–
but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8
As I was looking into all the verses and thinking about the Polar Express, I realized that the boy’s choice to climb aboard the train was like the first step in a journey of belief that would last a lifetime. He goes on to have an in-person, up-close experience with the object of his belief (Santa), which to him becomes ironclad proof of his existence. It’s a lot like the apostles, who had constant, daily experiences with the Lord Jesus for a few years, and then went on to proclaim and maintain their faith in Him for the rest of their lives. It’s also a near-identical match to one of the principal quotes from the movie:
Seeing is believing… But sometimes, the most real things in life are the things we can’t see.
The Polar Express
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little reflection on the Polar Express and the idea of believing in what we can’t see. Merry Christmas!
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