John 20:24-29 KJV
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Thomas--Not Always a Doubter
Thomas is known to most as a “doubter.” Thus, the moniker of “doubting Thomas” came to be.
What do we know about Thomas?
Thomas was chosen by Christ as His 7th disciple. We know that Thomas was also called Didymus, which meant “the twin”, although nothing is known about a twin sibling of his.
Other than the mention of his name, no other details are given about Thomas in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark or Luke.
Tradition holds that Thomas started the church of believers in India and that he died there, being pierced by a spear.
Thomas is first mentioned in John’s gospel.
We know he was a twin as mentioned earlier and that he was paired with Matthew when sent out in pairs to minister and heal.
And we also know that Thomas loved Jesus, was devoted to Him, and even willing to die for and with Him.
We see in John 11, where Thomas was the only disciple to show courage, even to the point of death, when Jesus decided to go and bring Lazarus back from the dead. All other disciples warned Jesus of the danger that awaited Him should he return to Judea. Jesus nonetheless decided to return to Judea and Thomas exhorted the other disciples to be courageous.
John 11:14-16 KJV
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
Thomas said “let us also go that we may die with him.”
This isn’t evidence of a lack of faith, but rather of courage and devotion to His master Jesus Christ.
His love and devotion were demonstrated again, in a question that he asked Jesus about how they could know how to follow Him.
John 14:4-5 KJV
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Thomas loved Jesus and even though he and the other disciples had not yet grasped the cross and resurrection, he certainly didn’t want to be left behind, not knowing where Jesus had gone.
Thomas wanted to “know the way” and not be lost.
Thomas Wanted to See Jesus-He Wanted to Believe
As we look at our scriptural text at the top, we come to the verses that gives Thomas his nickname of “doubting Thomas.”
He had seen the miracles that Jesus performed. He had heard Jesus tell them about his coming death and resurrection. He had seen the crucifixion. He had seen Jesus die on the cross. He had been with the other disciples discussing their role going forward.
But yet, he doubted the words of the other disciples saying they had seen their risen Lord. And in doing so, he was also doubting the words Jesus had spoken to them foretelling of His crucifixion and resurrection.
Thomas said that he had to see Jesus in the flesh. He had to see the nail marks in His hands. He had to put his fingers in the prints of the nails and thrust his hand into His side. Otherwise, Thomas said I will not believe.
Many people have to see PROOF of something before they will believe. In fact, we had a President in the 1980s whose motto was “trust but verify” which can be good advice.
Thomas wanted verification.
Thomas simply had to see Jesus. He wasn’t going on the word of others, even though he knew them well. No, he had to see Jesus and the scars that were inflicted upon Him at the crucifixion.
Eight days later, Thomas was with the other disciples in the house with all of the doors shut, or locked. Then, Jesus appeared among them, saying “peace be unto you.”
Immediately after His greeting, Jesus said unto Thomas “Put your fingers here and feel my hands.” Then He said, “reach forth your hand and thrust it into My side.”
After these instructions and as Thomas did as he was told, Jesus said unto Thomas, “And be not faithless, but believing.”
Imagine for a moment how Thomas must have felt.
For some reason, possibly as a lesson to all, Thomas had doubted that his friends and fellow disciples of Christ, had seen their risen Lord. He was probably somewhat ashamed for doubting, but gloriously happy to be in the presence of his Lord and Master.
Thomas addressed Christ immediately saying “My Lord and my God” acknowledging his Lord and the resurrection.
The Lesson for Thomas and For Us Today
Doubt comes in varying degrees and certainly can display a lack of faith.
Many Christians have asked for signs or “put out a fleece” to see direct proof from God. Yes, believers often want “verification” of something.
For whatever reason there might have been, Thomas wanted verification that Jesus had risen from the dead and no longer was in the tomb. For whatever reason, Thomas momentarily doubted.
But after seeing the nail prints and wounded side of Jesus and proclaiming the words "My Lord and my God", Thomas went on to become the servant he was called to be, spreading the gospel throughout the world and finally giving his life for his Lord and God.
In fact, ALL of the disciples could be said to be lacking in faith before and after Christ was crucified. Especially after the crucifixion their world had been turned upside down and they were downtrodden to say the least.
I believe their faith was being tested, for the jobs they would soon have in spreading the gospel of Jesus throughout the world.
In this instance, we see where Jesus showed Thomas His love and grace in spite of the fact that Thomas didn’t believe what the other disciples had told him about the risen Jesus.
Jesus knew that Thomas wanted evidence and that he wanted to verify for himself that Christ was no longer in the tomb.
Knowing this, Jesus showed great love to Thomas. He didn’t criticize Thomas for his doubt and unbelief. Jesus only wanted Thomas to stop being faithless and believe.
Then comes the most important part of this interaction and the lesson that Jesus was teaching.
Jesus said “Because you have seen me, you have believed! Blessed are those who have NOT seen me and yet have believed!
This is the lesson of faith.
Remember the story found in John 4:48, where Jesus was asked to heal a boy and He told those around Him, “unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”
Jesus knew there would be skeptics and doubters as there are today. Many saw His miracles and wonders during His ministry on earth, yet still doubted or didn’t want to believe.
None of us have ever seen Jesus, as Thomas did.
However, we are filled with the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus as Lord, and we know and trust Him through faith and communion with Him.
Further, we have His word, the word written by the Gospel writers and disciples, to explain what they went through and to guide us in our lives.
When our faith might waver or we have doubts, as Thomas did, we can ask God to give us the truth though His Holy Spirt and Jesus will show us the same great love that He showed to Thomas.
Through prayer, the Holy Spirit and communion with God, it will be done and our faith restored.
As Jesus told Thomas, we ARE BLESSED through and because of our belief in Him.
RVH