Appearance to Disciples and Thomas
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.”
12th May 2026: Weymouth
Thomas, Didymus: Disciple of Jesus
Thomas was one of the twelve disciples, sometimes known by his Roman name of Didymus (which means ‘the Twin’. We know nothing about his life prior to becoming one of those men who spent three years travelling with and learning at the feet of Jesus during his ministry in Galilee and beyond. Having started to believe that he was the Messiah, those early followers of Jesus regarded him as a strong, powerful and invincible leader. None of them understood the lesson that the Messiah must die and be raised again on the third day.
“The Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Luke 9:22
Thomas was no fool. We can’t be surprised that he and his friends believed that if Jesus died, that would be the end of his life. He was ready, if necessary, to die with Jesus. It was Thomas who said, ‘Let us go with him to Jerusalem that we might die with Him.’ John 11:16..
‘Thomas never lacked courage, but he was the natural pessimist. There can never be any doubt that he loved Jesus. He loved him enough to be willing to go to Jerusalem and die with him when the other disciples were hesitant and afraid.’ (Wm Barclay)
Yet when Jesus was arrested in the early hours of the morning, like everyone else, Thomas ran away. Like everyone else, he was overwhelmed with guilt and shame. Like everyone else he was devastated by the death of Jesus. Like everyone else he went into hiding for fear of the Jewish leaders.
We next hear of Thomas when the disciples were in hiding on the day of resurrection, as Jesus appears to the disciples. We hear about Thomas then, not because he was there, but because he was not. At some point, possibly very soon afterwards, Thomas is told that Christ had appeared. By this time he has been seen in the garden by Mary Magdalene, he has been seen by Peter, and he has been seen by two people on the road to Emmaus. In spite of all these witness testimonies, Thomas doesn’t believe it.
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. (John 20:25)
Days later, the whole group were together again, locked in their safe house. This time Thomas is there. Suddenly, Jesus is there amongst them. ‘Peace be with you.’ Don’t be afraid. He turns to Thomas. No reproach. Just put your hand here. The palm of my hands. The wound in my side. “Stop doubting. Only believe.’(v27)
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (V28)
End Piece
Resurrection. It’s easy to understand Thomas’ problem. Easy to understand his doubt. In human terms it makes no sense. People don’t rise from the dead, do they? You may feel the same kind of doubt in your mind as you read the accounts of the resurrection.
A constant theme of my teaching has been to emphasise the personal nature of our relationship with Jesus. When you read Scripture, use it as a mirror to reflect on your own life, to recognise your own gifts and shortcomings (James 1:23-24). Use it to , and to understand your own relationship with God . Don’t use it to judge other people (Matthew 7: 1-5). Our relationship with Jesus, our faith, our fears and our doubts, are intensely personal. We should not assume that Thomas’ faith had abandoned him. We should not assume that Thomas had given up on God. We can understand his doubt.
It’s sort of surprising that the Gospel writer included this account. The fact that Thomas mistrusted the resurrection stories of his friends. It opens the door to doubt. It was ok to doubt. Jesus was supposed to be a very different kind of Messiah, but now he was dead.
I often feel doubts myself. Sometimes people around me talk about the most extraordinary experiences, and I can end up feeling as if I am missing out. There are times when I want Jesus to be something he isn’t. I want him to do the things which I want him to do. I guess I want him to be a different kind of saviour – my kind of saviour. I guess that there’s a bit of ‘doubting Thomas’ in all of us. I’m so grateful this story is here.
The fact is that, as Thomas discovered, this Jesus is much bigger than we think. Thomas was forced to to re-evaluate his personal relationship with Jesus. To accept the fact of resurrection.
I have to do that every day.
My Lord, and my God.
Footnote
It was this Thomas who took the Christian faith to the Indian sub-continent, where we believe that he was martyred in Chennai in 72AD. Imagine where Jesus could take you if you would only stop doubting. Only believe!