Doubting Thomas? More Than What Meets the Eye

S: John 20:24-31

²⁴ Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

O: We usually think of this incident when we think of Thomas. “Doubting Thomas,” he has been called through the centuries.

But remember—this twin (for that’s what “T’oma” means in Aramaic, reinforced by the Greek Didymus) was the one who earlier said in John 11:16, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” That’s not doubt—that’s devotion.

In fact, it is Thomas who utters one of the clearest and most powerful confessions of Jesus’ divinity in the whole Gospel: “My Lord and my God!”

Church history tells us that he eventually preached the Gospel in India, where he was martyred for his faith. The Mar Thoma Church and other ancient Indian Christian traditions honour him as their founder, and he’s still revered in Kerala and beyond.

So he was actually:

• Courageous Thomas – John 11:16
• Confessing Thomas – John 20:28
• Witness Thomas – Mission and martyrdom in India

Incidentally, verse 30 sounds like the end of the book… but wait, there’s more! See the next chapter for the epilogue.

A: Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” That’s us.
So, like Thomas—and like others after him who also believed without seeing (such as Nokseng, whom I discussed in my previous blog post)—let us courageously be Jesus’ witnesses, confessing him to the world.

P: Father, sometimes I am also a Doubting Ian. May I also be a Courageous Ian, a Confessing Ian, and a Witness Ian. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Note: I wrote most of these words, but took some formatting and phraseology improvements from ChatGPT.