Commentary - John 20:24-29

Bird's-eye view

In this famous passage, we are confronted with the nature of true, saving faith. It is not a blind leap in the dark, but neither is it a faith that makes demands of God. Thomas, bless his heart, stands in for every empiricist who wants to put God in a test tube. He represents the modern mindset that will only believe what it can measure, touch, and verify on its own terms. But the Lord, in His immense grace, does not cast Thomas off. He condescends to meet Thomas in his unbelief, not to affirm the unbelief, but to overcome it. The climax is not the physical touch, but the glorious confession that erupts from a conquered heart: "My Lord and my God!" Jesus then pronounces a blessing, not on the one who saw, but on all subsequent generations of believers who have not seen and yet have believed. This passage, therefore, is a profound statement on the relationship between evidence, faith, and blessing.

The entire scene is a powerful demonstration of the deity of Christ and the personal nature of His resurrection. He is not a ghost; He has a body, albeit a glorified one. He is not a mere resuscitated corpse; He is Lord and God. And the faith He requires is not a grudging intellectual assent based on overwhelming physical proof, but a joyful surrender to His lordship based on the testimony of His Word, which is confirmed by the Spirit.

Outline

Context In John

This episode is the capstone of the resurrection appearances in John's Gospel. It follows directly after Jesus' first appearance to the disciples (minus Thomas) in the locked room. That first appearance established the reality of the resurrection and commissioned the disciples. This second appearance, a week later, is specifically for the benefit of Thomas, but through him, for the benefit of the entire Church. John places this account immediately before his stated purpose for writing the Gospel: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31). The story of Thomas serves as a real-life illustration of this very purpose. It moves the reader from doubt to a full-throated confession of Jesus' divine identity, which is the exact response John desires from his audience.

Key Issues

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

John makes a point of noting Thomas's absence. He was one of the twelve, an insider, not some peripheral follower. His absence is not explained, but it is providentially significant. God intended to use his skepticism for the instruction of the church for all time. The name "Didymus," meaning "twin," is mentioned, perhaps to emphasize his very human, relatable nature. He could be anyone's twin, anyone's brother. His doubt is not an alien thing.

v. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!”

Here is the apostolic testimony, the foundation of the church's proclamation. It is simple, direct, and explosive: "We have seen the Lord!" This is not a deduction or a theological inference. It is an eyewitness account. The ten of them are united in this testimony. This should have been sufficient. The testimony of ten trusted friends who had just been through the crucible of the crucifixion ought to carry some weight.

But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Thomas rejects the testimony. He sets his own terms for belief. Notice the escalating nature of his demands. It's not enough to see the nail prints; he must put his finger in them. It's not enough to see the wound in His side; he must put his hand into it. This is a raw, gritty empiricism. He wants a faith grounded in his own sensory experience, not in the word of others. He is making himself the judge of the evidence, the arbiter of truth. His statement is emphatic: "I will not believe." This is not the statement of a humble seeker; it is the declaration of a man whose heart is hardened in unbelief, however temporarily.

v. 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.

A week passes. "Eight days" in the Jewish reckoning means the following Sunday. The disciples are gathered again, likely for worship on the Lord's Day. This time, Thomas is present. He didn't abandon the fellowship, which is a mercy. He is still with the people of God, and that is where the Lord meets him. Grace often finds us in the assembly of the saints, even when our hearts are full of doubt.

Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Just as before, Jesus appears supernaturally. The locked doors are no obstacle for His glorified body. This is not the action of a resuscitated man, but of the Lord of creation. His greeting is the same: "Peace be with you." This is not a casual "hello." It is the pronouncement of divine shalom, the peace that comes from sins forgiven and fellowship with God restored, the very peace He purchased on the cross.

v. 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Bring your finger here, and see My hands; and bring your hand here and put it into My side;

Jesus immediately turns to Thomas. He knows Thomas's heart. He knows the very words of his ultimatum, spoken a week earlier. This in itself is a demonstration of His omniscience. He doesn't rebuke Thomas for his arrogance, but rather condescends to meet his demands. He offers the very proof Thomas had stipulated. This is a staggering act of grace. The Lord of glory invites a doubting man to probe His sacred wounds, the very marks of our salvation.

and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

Here is the gentle command. The original language is more like "Stop becoming unbelieving, and become believing." Jesus is calling Thomas back from the brink. The issue is not intellectual, but moral. Unbelief is not a neutral state of inquiry; it is a disposition of the heart that must be repented of. Faith, likewise, is not just an opinion; it is an act of the will, a turning of the whole person to Christ.

v. 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

The dam breaks. Thomas's doubt is swept away in a flood of adoration. It is not recorded that he actually touched the wounds. The sight of his Lord, and the hearing of His gracious words, was enough. His confession is the highest Christological statement in the entire Gospel of John. He does not say, "I believe you are risen." He says, "My Lord and my God!" This is personal ("My Lord") and it is a full-throated declaration of deity ("my God"). The skeptic has become the greatest confessor. This is what true faith looks like: a personal, worshipful surrender to the absolute lordship and divinity of Jesus Christ.

v. 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed?

Jesus accepts his worship. He does not correct him for calling Him God, which would be blasphemy if He were not. He then gently points out the basis of Thomas's faith: sight. It was a valid faith, but it was a faith that required a certain kind of crutch.

Blessed are those who did not see, and yet believed.”

And here is the great beatitude for the rest of us. This is the blessing pronounced on the entire Christian church until the Lord returns. Our faith is not inferior to that of Thomas; in a certain sense, it is more blessed. We believe not because we have seen with our physical eyes, but because we have the sure and certain testimony of the apostles, recorded in Scripture, and confirmed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We walk by faith, not by sight, and in this, we are blessed.

Application

The story of Thomas is often mishandled. We treat him as a hero of intellectual integrity, the patron saint of "honest doubt." But the Bible presents his doubt as a sin to be overcome, not a virtue to be celebrated. Jesus' commendation is not for those who demand proof, but for those who believe the testimony God has provided in His Word. Our culture idolizes the skeptic, but God blesses the believer.

At the same time, we see the immense patience and grace of our Lord. He does not discard us because of our weak faith. He meets us where we are, not to leave us there, but to draw us to Himself. If you are struggling with doubt, the answer is not to set your own terms for belief. The answer is to remain with the people of God, to cry out to the Lord, and to look again at the testimony He has given us in the Scriptures. The same Lord who appeared to Thomas is present with us by His Spirit.

Ultimately, this passage calls us to the same confession as Thomas. Jesus is not simply a great teacher or a moral example. He is our Lord and our God. This is the bedrock of Christian faith. And we who have not seen Him physically are called to this same robust, worshipful, and all-encompassing faith. We have His Word, we have the testimony of the Church, and we have the inner witness of the Spirit. On this foundation, we can stand and say with all the saints, "My Lord and my God!"