Following His resurrection and appearance to Mary Magdalene at the tomb, Christ showed Himself to a group of His disciples. Upon hearing this, Thomas, who had missed the occasion, declared, “except I shall see…I will not believe” (John 20:25). Eight days later, when Jesus appeared once again, He encouraged Thomas to “be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27). Why might it be important to believe without needing a sign? In the Book of Mormon, Alma taught that “if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it” (Alma 32:18).
Perhaps Jesus Christ and Alma want us to consider the power that lies in choosing to believe. Nathan Aldous Johansen’s Faith of a Mustard Seed illustrates this through the cracking of the stone in his piece. The presence of faith, even the smallest amount of belief, represented by the mustard seed, prevents the rock from closing entirely around the seed, leaving space for growth. Similarly, the choice to believe provides room for continuing revelation and progression in testimony.
-Lucy Lacanienta, Research Assistanthttp://book-of-mormon-art.local/catalog/faith-of-a-mustard-seed/