Many of us have doubts we are afraid to say out loud. We worry that if we admit them at church, people will think less of us. So we keep quiet and feel alone with our questions.
One of Jesus's closest friends had doubts too. His name is still attached to them.
Thomas was not there
After Jesus died, his followers hid together in a locked room, afraid. That evening, Jesus came and stood among them, alive, and showed them his hands and his side.
But Thomas, a disciple who was one of the twelve, was not there. When the others told him, he did not believe them. He said he would not believe unless he could see the nail marks in Jesus's hands and put his hand in his side.
That is where the name "Doubting Thomas" comes from. But his friends had all seen Jesus. Thomas had not. He only asked for what they had already been given.
A week later
Eight days later, the followers were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked. And Jesus came and stood among them again.
He went straight to Thomas. The Gospel of John, one of the four accounts of Jesus's life, records his words.
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.
John 20:27 · King James VersionThe original Greek
εἶτα λέγει τῷ Θωμᾷ· Φέρε τὸν δάκτυλόν σου ὧδε καὶ ἴδε τὰς χεῖράς μου, καὶ φέρε τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ βάλε εἰς τὴν πλευράν μου, καὶ μὴ γίνου ἄπιστος ἀλλὰ πιστός.
Found in Codex Vaticanus (about AD 325), Codex Sinaiticus (about AD 350).
Jesus offered Thomas exactly what he had asked for. He came back for the one who missed it.
And Thomas said, "My Lord and my God." It is one of the clearest statements of faith anywhere in the Gospels, and it came from the doubter.
What it means for you
Jesus did not shame Thomas. He did not leave him out. He met him in his doubt.
If you have questions, you can bring them to God honestly. You can tell a friend. You can keep asking. Doubt is often what an honest person feels when they are still looking. And the Jesus in this story came back for the one who was still looking. He can come back for you too.