Christians have always cherished the story of when Jesus appeared to the Apostle Thomas (aka Doubting Thomas). This Bible passage teaches us how to have faith in Christ, even when we don’t see him face to face after the resurrection like the early church leaders.
Scripture references about Doubting Thomas
- John 20:27 Jesus answers Doubting Thomas
- John 11:16 Thomas quotes in the Gospels
- John 14:5 The Apostle Thomas asks Jesus a question
- Hebrews 11:1 Faith and doubt Bible verse
- John 20:24-29 The complete story of Doubting Thomas in the Bible
- FAQ about the meaning of Doubting Thomas in the Bible
- More Bible Study reference for learning about the Apostle Thomas
John 20:27 Jesus answers Doubting Thomas
John 20:27
(ESV) 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.”
(KJV) 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.
(MSG) Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”
(NIV) 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.”
(NLT) Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
John 11:16 Thomas quotes in the Gospels
John 11:16
(ESV) So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
(KJV) Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
(MSG) That’s when Thomas, the one called the Twin, said to his companions, “Come along. We might as well die with him.”
(NIV) Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
(NLT) Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”
John 14:5 The Apostle Thomas asks Jesus a question
John 14:5
(ESV) Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
(KJV) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
(MSG) Thomas said, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?”
(NIV) Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
(NLT) “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Hebrews 11:1 Faith and doubt Bible verse
Hebrews 11:1
(ESV) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
(KJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(MSG) The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.
(NIV) Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
(NLT) Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
John 20:24-29 The complete story of Doubting Thomas in the Bible
John 20:24
(ESV) Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
(KJV) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
(MSG) But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
(NIV) Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
(NLT) One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came.
John 20:25
(ESV) So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
(KJV) The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
(MSG) The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.” But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.”
(NIV) 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.”
(NLT) They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
John 20:26
(ESV) Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
(KJV) And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
(MSG) Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”
(NIV) 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!”
(NLT) Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.
John 20:27
(ESV) 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.”
(KJV) 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.
(MSG) Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”
(NIV) 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.”
(NLT) Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
John 20:28
(ESV) Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
(KJV) And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
(MSG) Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”
(NIV) Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
(NLT) “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
John 20:29
(ESV) Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
(KJV) Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
(MSG) Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”
(NIV) Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
(NLT) Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
John 20:30
(ESV) Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
(KJV) And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
(MSG) Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book.
(NIV) Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
(NLT) The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book.
John 20:31
(ESV) but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
(KJV) But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
(MSG) These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.
(NIV) 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.
(NLT) But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
FAQ about the meaning of Doubting Thomas in the Bible
The story of Thomas is a powerful reminder that we should never give up on our faith. No matter how many times we fail, God is always there for us, waiting to take us back. Just like Thomas, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus and never lose sight of what is truly important.
The name Doubting Thomas comes from the Gospel of John. After Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas did not believe that the other disciples were telling the truth when they said that they had seen Jesus alive. So Jesus appeared to Thomas and told him to put his finger into the holes in his hands and his hand into his side. Thomas then believed and professed his faith.
Most Bible scholars say the Gospel of Thomas isn’t important. It’s a gnostic gospel that was written in the second century, and it’s not considered to be canon Scripture. While it does have some interesting insights, it’s not worth focusing on when compared to the four canonical gospels. The Gospel of Thomas is not considered one of the canonical Gospels, but it is still an important early Christian text. It contains some sayings of Jesus that are not found in the canonical Gospels. Many scholars believe that the Gospel of Thomas was used by early Christians as a source for developing their understanding of Jesus’ teachings, and that it may even have been used as a source for the writing of some of the canonical Gospels. However, since it is not included in the Bible, it is not considered to be as authoritative as the canonical Gospels.
Thomas, also called Doubting Thomas or the Twin, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He is best known for his skepticsism of Jesus’ resurrection when he demanded to see and touch Jesus’ wounds before believing (John 20:24-29). However, after this event, Thomas proclaimed his faith in Christ saying “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) Thomas was born in Galilee and is thought to have twin as his brother is also named Thomas (Matt 10:3, Mark 3:18).Little else is known about his early life.
Thomas first appears in scripture during Jesus’ earthly ministry.
There’s no doubt that doubting Thomas is one of the Bible’s most interesting characters. The story of his doubting is true, there are certainly some compelling arguments in favor of its historicity. First, it’s important to note that the Bible often records events without passing judgment on their truthfulness. For example, the Gospels record Judas’ betrayal of Jesus without saying whether it really happened or not. So just because the Bible records an event doesn’t mean that it necessarily happened. That said, there are good reasons to believe that the story of Thomas doubting is true.
A doubting Thomas is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience — a reference to the Gospel of John’s depiction of the Apostle Thomas, who, in John’s account, refused to believe the resurrected Jesus had appeared to the ten other apostles until he could see and feel Jesus’ crucifixion wounds. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doubting_Thomas
No. There isn’t a film about Doubting Thomas, but there are several films about doubt and faith. However an unrelated film by the title “Doubting Thomas” was released in 2018 by Will McFadden about a black baby is born to white parents, and explores the legacy of racism in America. See more information https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5076150/
More Bible Study reference for learning about the Apostle Thomas
The episode is related in chapter 20 of the Gospel of John, but not in the three synoptic Gospels.
https://www.christianity.com/jesus/life-of-jesus/disciples/was-he-really-a-doubting-thomas.html
https://www.openbible.info/topics/doubting_thomas
https://www.gotquestions.org/doubting-Thomas.html
https://biblehub.com/john/20-27.htm