John 20:27
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus doesn't just offer Thomas proof; he invites him to actively become believing. The offer to touch the wounds is not merely an exchange of facts, but a gentle correction, urging Thomas to move from a state of potential doubt to a settled confidence in Christ's resurrected reality.
Jesus appears to his disciples, but Thomas is absent and expresses his disbelief, stating he won't believe unless he sees Jesus' hands and side himself. In response to Thomas's doubt, Jesus shows himself again a week later, directly addressing Thomas and offering the exact physical evidence he requested to overcome his skepticism. This profound encounter leads Thomas to confess Jesus as "My Lord and my God," affirming the reality of the resurrection and Jesus' divine nature.
Have you ever felt so lost in doubt that you thought no one understood? Jesus didn't just see Thomas's struggle; He met it head-on.
Jesus Reads the Room
Jesus enters the room where the disciples are gathered, and Thomas is finally there. But instead of a lecture, Jesus offers Thomas something incredible: an invitation to investigate. He repeats Thomas's exact words from when he wasn't there: “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side.”
This isn't just a clever trick; it's a demonstration of Jesus's intimate knowledge. He knew what Thomas had said, what he needed to be convinced. This shows us that God isn't surprised by our doubts. He knows our deepest questions and fears, and He can address them specifically.
Doubt can feel like a dead end, a place where faith ends. But Jesus offers a different perspective – doubt as a point of departure, not arrival.
A Gentle Command to Believe
Jesus’s command, “Do not disbelieve, but believe,” isn't a harsh reprimand for Thomas’s doubt. The original language suggests a transition: "Become not faithless, but believing." Thomas wasn't inherently a faithless person; he was in danger of becoming so if he remained stuck in his disbelief.
Jesus offers the ultimate evidence – His very wounds – not to condemn Thomas, but to guide him to a place of firm conviction. This shows us that God wants us to move from doubt to faith. He provides what we need to make that journey, trusting that His truth will lead us to trust Him.
Thomas wanted to touch the proof of Jesus's suffering. But Jesus offered more than just wounds; He offered the evidence of His ultimate triumph.
Evidence of Love and Power
Understand the original words
apistos · Greek Adjective/Noun
To lack faith, be faithless, or to refuse to trust in the revealed truth of God, particularly regarding the identity and resurrection of Jesus.
pisteuō · Greek Verb
The act of placing one's trust, reliance, and commitment in God or Jesus Christ as the Savior; it is not merely intellectual assent but an active response to the truth of who He is.
Thomas's struggle highlights a common human need for tangible proof, even when faced with the testimony of others. Jesus' patient response reveals His deep compassion and understanding of human limitations, while also calling for faith beyond mere sensory experience.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Crucifixion and Burial
Jesus is crucified on the charge of sedition and insurrection, and is buried in a tomb.
c. AD 30 (Sunday)
Resurrection and Empty Tomb
On the first day of the week, Jesus' followers discover his tomb is empty. Later that day, Jesus appears to his disciples, but Thomas is absent.
c. AD 30 (Sunday)— this verse
Thomas's Doubt
When the disciples tell Thomas of seeing the risen Lord, he expresses profound doubt, stating he will only believe if he can see Jesus' hands and side.
c. AD 30 (Sunday)
Jesus Appears to Thomas
A week later, Jesus appears to the disciples again, this time with Thomas present. Jesus directly addresses Thomas's doubts by inviting him to examine His wounds.
This passage shows Jesus appearing to his disciples, including Thomas, and demonstrating the reality of His resurrected body by showing His hands and feet and inviting them to touch Him, mirroring the physical evidence offered to Thomas.
1 Corinthians 15:5-8This passage lists Thomas's encounter as part of the historical testimony to the resurrection, highlighting that he was one of the witnesses who saw the Lord after His resurrection, underscoring the validity of his eventual belief.
Isaiah 7:9This verse states, 'If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all,' which resonates with Jesus's command to Thomas to 'not disbelieve, but believe,' emphasizing the foundational importance of faith.
1 John 1:1This verse speaks of John and the other apostles testifying to 'what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands,' directly reflecting the sensory evidence Jesus offered to Thomas to prove His tangible resurrection.
vincentJohn 20:27: "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."
Be not (μὴ γίνου)Literally, become not. Thomas was in a fair way to become unbelieving, through his doubt of the resurrection.Faithless - believing (ἄπιστος - πιστός)There is a correspondence of the words here, to which, perhaps, the nearest approach in English is unbelieving, believing.
clarkeJohn 20:27: "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."
Then saith he to Thomas - Through his infinite compassion, he addressed him in a particular manner; condescending in this case to accommodate himself to the prejudices of an obstinate, though sincere, disciple. Reach hither thy finger, etc. - And it is very probable that Thomas did so; for his unbelief was too deeply roo…
Jesus doesn't just offer Thomas proof; he invites him to actively become believing. The offer to touch the wounds is not merely an exchange of facts, but a gentle correction, urging Thomas to move from a state of potential doubt to a settled confidence in Christ's resurrected reality.
Jesus appears to his disciples, but Thomas is absent and expresses his disbelief, stating he won't believe unless he sees Jesus' hands and side himself. In response to Thomas's doubt, Jesus shows himself again a week later, directly addressing Thomas and offering the exact physical evidence he requested to overcome his skepticism. This profound encounter leads Thomas to confess Jesus as "My Lord and my God," affirming the reality of the resurrection and Jesus' divine nature.
Jesus appears to his disciples, but Thomas is absent and expresses his disbelief, stating he won't believe unless he sees Jesus' hands and side himself. In response to Thomas's doubt, Jesus shows himself again a week later, directly addressing Thomas and offering the exact physical evidence he requested to overcome his skepticism. This profound encounter leads Thomas to confess Jesus as "My Lord and my God," affirming the reality of the resurrection and Jesus' divine nature.
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Thomas’s request was to touch the physical marks of Jesus’s crucifixion – the nail prints and the wound in His side. Jesus grants this request, allowing Thomas to engage multiple senses to confirm the resurrection. This act highlights the reality of Jesus's suffering and death.
However, these wounds are not just signs of pain; they are transformed into badges of victory. They are the indelible proof of Christ’s love, His sacrifice, and His conquest over death. By offering Thomas the chance to touch these very wounds, Jesus shows that His suffering was real, His victory is complete, and His love is tangible.
c. AD 30 (Sunday)
Thomas's Confession
Overwhelmed by Jesus' appearance and invitation, Thomas exclaims, "My Lord and my God!" He believes without physically touching the wounds.
"Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”" — Jesus doesn't just offer Thomas proof; he invites him to actively become believing. The offer to touch the wounds is not merely an exchange of facts, but a gentle correction, urging Thomas to move…
