John 20:24-29 - Stop Doubting & Believe
- Chad Werkhoven
- 10 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Faith is not a blind leap; it's reasonable trust that what God says is true.
John 20:24-29 (NIV)
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 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.”
26 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!” 27 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.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Canons of Dordt
Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints
Article 10 & 11 - Assurance Despite Doubts
Accordingly, our assurance
does not derive from some private revelation beyond or outside the Word,
but
from faith in the promises of God which he has very plentifully revealed in his Word for our comfort,
from the testimony of the Holy Spirit testifying with our spirit that we are God’s children and heirs (Rom. 8:16-17),
and finally from a serious and holy pursuit of a clear conscience and of good works.
And if God’s chosen ones in this world
did not have this well-founded comfort
that the victory will be theirs
and this reliable guarantee of eternal glory,
they would be of all people most miserable.
Meanwhile, Scripture testifies that
believers
have to contend in this life with various doubts of the flesh
and that under severe temptation they do not always experience this full assurance of faith and certainty of perseverance.
But God, the Father of all comfort,
does not let them be tempted beyond what they can bear,
but with the temptation he also provides a way out (1 Cor. 10:13), and by the Holy Spirit revives in them the assurance of their perseverance.
Summary
This episode that takes place a full week after Jesus' resurrection is exactly why so many people often prefix Thomas' name with the word Doubting. Thomas had missed out on Jesus' earlier appearance to the other disciples, and then he dismissed their excited claims by stating that he not only needed to see Jesus alive, but he also needed to touch His wounds before he would believe.
Jesus accommodated his request. But this grace quickly transitioned into a command to Thomas, and others like him: Stop doubting, and believe.
Instantly, Thomas' need for tangible proof disappears. He no longer needs to touch the nail marks on Jesus' hands; rather he simply affirms His Savior's command with a beautifully simple statement of faith: My Lord and my God.
Jesus accepts Thomas' profession, but as He does so, He broadens the audience He's speaking to. No longer is He just conversing with Thomas, or even with the other disciples in the room; in v29 He's talking directly to you and me when He says blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
Throughout John’s gospel Jesus has been talking to us... in fact, by the power of the Holy Spirit, He's been talking to you. He is talking about the faith that you've been given, and here He commands you to stop doubting and believe.
Dig Deeper
It's not wrong to be a doubter. In fact, in this world filled with lies, you need to be a doubter! Thomas will not rely on potentially fanciful testimonies of the other disciples. He demands certain proof that Jesus was indeed risen from the grave. And he wasn't wrong to do so!
Remember, the Bible never demands that you take a blind leap of faith or rest your hope on a wish and a prayer. The faith we profess is reasonable and rational. It can be defended and it demands intellectual respect. In other words, there are lots of good reasons you ought to trust in a Triune God, who became incarnate to atone for your sin and fulfill your covenantal obligations to Him.
But also notice that Thomas ultimately doesn't put his hope in proofs. He never actually puts his finger where the nails were, or puts his hand into Jesus' side, and yet He still believes. He saw and experienced the living God standing before him and he fell down in worship.
You won't see Jesus standing before you as he did with Thomas. Yet you can experience Him and believe just the same. You do so by putting your faith in the promises of God which he has very plentifully revealed in his Word for our comfort, from the testimony of the Holy Spirit testifying with our spirit that we are God’s children and heirs (Rom. 8:16-17), and finally from a serious and holy pursuit of a clear conscience and of good works.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who gives an abundance of proof of His existence through His creation and His Word;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would follow Jesus' command to stop doubting and believe;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 3
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