Why does John conclude his Gospel with Doubting Thomas?

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Gospel: John 20: 24-29

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But Thomas said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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After Jesus spent such effort strengthening the faith of his Apostles, appearing to them for forty days and nights, why would John conclude his Gospel with doubting Thomas?

Perhaps John wanted to give us all permission to be Thomas. To doubt. To ponder. To question.

Interestingly, Thomas is also referred to as, “Didymus,” Greek for “twin.” Perhaps his nick-name signals that he not only had a physical twin, but that spiritually, we might also be related.

Like Thomas, we want our faith to make sense. But there can be a skeptical, unbelieving voice within that pokes at the soft spots in our faith. 

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“Doubting Thomas” may show up when children ask us questions about God and we don’t know the answer, such as, “Who made God?”

Or when someone we love is sick; when an important prayer request goes unanswered; when we stand at the graveside of a loved one weeping; when we see unnecessary suffering in our world.

Or whenever we cannot get to the other end of how or why.

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Thomas reminds us that it’s important to ask questions about our faith, because it matters; it shapes our lives. Thus, we should be equally determined to find the answer to our questions.

Fortunately, we know where to look – in the scriptures; the Tradition of the Church; the wisdom of the Saints; the silence of prayer; and the certain testimony of Thomas himself.

“My Lord and my God!”

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Image credits: (1) The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio (2) Wikipedia (3) Faculty Focus