Blessed for Not Seeing?

I don't think I've ever quite understood what exactly Jesus meant when he said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."  Can someone please explain it to me?

Comments

[lisa]

I always thought that, even then, there were people who heard about Jesus and His teachings, by word of mouth from friends and family, who believed, though they had never seen Him.

And then I think it means people in the future. Like us. People who've never actually "seen" Him, but still believe.

[Just Me]

I'm with Lisa on this one. Although I have never actually seen Jesus, I have believed - unlike Thomas who had to see the scars in his side to believe that it was him. (I'm not putting myself above Thomas, though, he and have too much in common.)
I also think that "see"ing can be a bad way of understanding something. What we see can easily get in the way of our understanding or completely experiencing a person or an event. Remember "Aunt Beast" in Wrinkle in Time? She was more perfectly able to know because she could not see.

[Bill]

That sort of answers my question. I was trying to ask how that's a blessing. It doesn't seem like it to me, to be honest. I'd rather just see.

[Kevin]

Maybe the blessing comes later when we actually get to heaven. I don't know, but that is what I have thought maybe.