Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. —1 Peter 1:8 & 9, ESV
Their apostle lost his noble life in the most undignified of circumstances. He knew he'd never replace him —God rest his soul—, but these people were waiting for a hope they couldn't find in their homes, their workplaces, their streets. Some learned to smile on the first day of their lives, but by the end of the week, their eyes were filled with tears. His eyes were filled with tears for them! What to do...? What to write...? How could hope be restored...?
Then he remembered: those doubting eyes suddenly burst with wonder. To touch those bones. To feel that hole. To feel that calloused skin and the stroke of His loving cheeck. To see such a beautiful rebuke: "Have you believed because you have seen Me?" To see his friends bow at His feet.
They have never seen such a marvelous scene. They have never seen people liberated from demons. Or their food multiplied. Or been part of the spectacle of Penecost. Perhaps, they weren't even born, or they weren't there.
And yet, nothing has taken away their hope. And nothing has taken away their smile. And nothing will allow them to take out their smile.