John 20:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, 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.

NASB: But Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

CSB: But Thomas (called "Twin"), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

NLT: One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came.

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

NKJV: Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

When Jesus appeared in a locked room (John 20:19–23), the disciples would have been shocked. Prior to that, the last they knew of Jesus was that He'd been brutally murdered and buried in a borrowed grave (John 19:30, 41–42). Of course, they knew His tomb was found to be empty. And women like Mary Magdalene had insisted they'd seen Jesus alive. For whatever reason, this didn't seem to convince them (John 20:17–18; Luke 24:10–11). It was not until Jesus appeared in person, directly before them, that they really believed He was risen.

Thomas, it seems, was not there. He will continue the pattern of stubborn disbelief. In fact, his demand (John 20:25) for outrageous proof will go well beyond the skepticism of the other disciples. Refusing to accept even the eyewitness accounts of his closest friends will earn Thomas a mild rebuke from Jesus (John 20:27–29) and the unfortunate nickname of "Doubting Thomas."

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 4/29/2024 8:06:37 AM