John 20:25 - Printer Friendly

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."

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."

NASB: So the other disciples were saying to him, 'We have seen the Lord!' 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.'

CSB: So the other disciples were telling him, "We’ve seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never 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.'

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.

NKJV: The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Modern believers often look back on the disciples in frustration, wondering how they could be so slow to understand. We have the benefit of two thousand years of hindsight, not to mention the completed New Testament. Much of what they confronted had never been considered, or at least not clarified, and they lived those experiences through moments of intense emotion and confusion. In that sense, we should have sympathy. There are reasons why concepts we can now see as obvious went over their heads.

Even so, it's hard to justify Thomas' stubborn skepticism. The other disciples resisted believing that Jesus had been raised, despite having eyewitness accounts (John 20:17–18; Luke 24:10–11). They didn't believe until Jesus appeared in a locked room and showed Himself to them (John 20:19–23). Thomas not only rejects all this evidence, but he also demands the most absolute, personal proof possible. He wants more than adequate evidence, even more than visual proof. He insists on disbelieving until he can physically touch the wounds in Jesus' resurrected body.

The parallel between Thomas and many modern "skeptics" is hard to miss. Jesus was, in fact, alive. There were reliable witnesses to this fact. Jesus had predicted it would happen (John 2:19–22; Luke 18:33). He'd performed miracles to prove His words—including resurrecting someone from death when Thomas thought the trip was a suicide mission (John 11:16, 43–44). Thomas' resistance is not reasonable. He is not asking for evidence or logic. He is deliberately setting the bar so high that there's no good reason to think it will ever be met.

Scripture embraces the idea of reasonable skepticism (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1). It does not humor those who are merely looking for excuses not to believe. In Thomas' case, we're not sure what his motives are. He might be worried about multiplying his anguish over Jesus' death. He may be afraid of being taken advantage of. Whatever the explanation, Thomas' "doubt" is driven by a deliberate choice to disbelieve, not sincere caution. When he finally sees Jesus, this is exactly how Christ will describe Thomas' mindset (John 20:27).

John 20:24–29 is the source of an unfortunate nickname: "Doubting Thomas." Thomas was not present when Jesus came through a locked door and proved to the other disciples that He was alive. He makes an exaggerated demand for proof before he will believe, insisting on more evidence than is reasonable. Once again, Jesus passes through a physical barrier to appear. Thomas is reminded of his earlier stubbornness, but humbly confesses that Jesus is God.

Peter and John get a report from Mary Magdalene that Jesus' body is gone. They arrive to find an open grave, and empty grave clothes, along with a folded face cloth. When the two men leave, Mary remains and suddenly encounters a resurrected Jesus. Though she tells the others, they resist believing until they see Jesus in person. Thomas is especially stubborn, and Jesus remarks on how blessed they are to have been given so much proof. John points out that his writing is meant to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, arranged to encourage those who read to come to faith.

Most of Jesus' disciples scattered and hid when He was arrested (Matthew 26:56). Only John and some women were present to see His death and burial (John 19:26–30, 41–42; Matthew 27:60–61). When Jesus' tomb is seen empty, there is further confusion. Jesus appears to His followers, proving that He is alive, and remarking that they are blessed to have so much proof. John will complete his account in the next chapter with another encounter and more reminders about the nature of his writing.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.