On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
Gospel Trivia:
The story of the doubting Thomas is a familiar one. The following "Gospel trivia" may help us appreciate the impact of this passage to early Christian communities:
- John's gospel was written for Jewish Christians (i.e. those who converted from Judaism to Christianity), as well as for those who were non-Jews (mainly, Ephesians) who converted to Christianity. You can imagine therefore that there were some skepticism encountered by the evangelist regarding the Resurrection of Jesus. The gospel writer was an eyewitness to Jesus' resurrection, but his audience were not.
- Thus, John emphasizes the significance of believing without seeing in this passage.
- Thomas' belief results to his declaration: "My Lord and my God." The word "lord" is translated from the original Hebrew word "Elohim" which is used to address Yahweh in the Old Testament. Until then, no one in the gospel of John uses this title for Jesus.
John emphasizes that our faith, yours and mine, are stronger than those of the disciples as we have come to believe, not through seeing, but through the power of the Spirit and the presence of Jesus through His Church.
- Note that there is no mention in the gospel that Thomas ACTUALLY touched Jesus -- he only saw, and then believed.
Ever wondered what happened to Thomas?
- Thomas eventually traveled to ancient Babylon (present day Iraq), Persia (present-day Iran), and India where he preached relentlessly, built churches, and won Christ over to others. For someone who was slow to believe, Thomas’s new stage of faith certainly enabled him to accomplish so much.
We often say, “to see is to believe.” Through Thomas, John is teaching us that “to believe is to see… and to see so much more.”
With our faith, we see God in the beauty of creation, we see God’s hand in the event of our lives, and we see how other people continue to show the love and forgiveness that only God can make possible. Isn’t this the kind of faith that is more blessed?
References:
*Nil Guillemette, SJ, Hungry No More (Manila: St. Paul's Publications, 1989), p. 265.
*Nil Guillemette, SJ, Hungry No More (Manila: St. Paul's Publications, 1989), pp. 255-259.
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