John 20:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He comes for the salvation of one man, though he was more stubborn than the others. Thomas sought assurance through the coarsest sense and did not even trust his eyes. He did not say, Unless I see, but, Unless I touch, in order to know whether what I see is not a phantom. Without doubt, the disciples who announced it were already worthy of belief, as was He Himself who had promised this. Nevertheless, since Thomas sought something greater, Christ did not refuse him even this. But how did he know that the side too had been pierced? He had heard this from the disciples. Why did he believe this, but not that? Because that event was wholly extraordinary and wondrous. Notice the Apostles' love of truth. They do not hide either their own faults or those of others, but describe them with complete truth. Thus the disciples said to Thomas when he finally came: "We have seen the Lord." We have seen Him who said, "I am the light of the world" (Jn 8:12). We have seen Him who said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life," and "the Truth" (Jn 11:25; Jn 14:6). We have found the truth of these words shining in deeds. We have seen Him who said, "After three days I will rise" (Mt 27:63). Having seen the Resurrection, we worshiped the Risen One. We heard Him saying to us, "Peace be to you" (Jn 20:19), and He changed the storm of sorrow into the joy of stillness. We beheld His hands, which received the points of the nails. We beheld His hands accusing the fury of the God-fighting dogs. We beheld the hands that wove incorruption for us. We also beheld the side, proclaiming more clearly than any preacher the mercy of the One who was struck. We beheld that very side which angels hymn, believers venerate, and demons fear. We also received the divine breath from His divine mouth, a spiritual breath, a breath that conducts every grace. We were ordained by the Master as masters of the remission of sins. We also became lords for judgment over sinners, receiving from Him this saying as a sign: "Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; whose sins you retain, they are retained" (Jn 20:23). We enjoyed such words of the Savior and tasted such gifts. Having encountered the rich Master, it was impossible for us not to be enriched. Only you, by not being present, remained poor. What then did Thomas say to them? You have seen the Lord? Good. Therefore you honor more greatly Him whom you beheld. You remain in the preaching of Him whom you examined. But I, "unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." You would not have believed unless you had first beheld. So too I, unless I see, will not believe. Remain, Thomas, in this desire. Remain diligently, so that I may be confirmed in soul when you look. Remain, seeking Him who said, "Seek, and you will find" (Mt 7:7). Do not examine merely in passing, but continue until you find the treasure you seek. Remain, striking the door of uncontradicted knowledge until He who said, "Knock, and it will be opened to you" (Mt 7:7), opens it to you. Your disagreement is dear to me, because it cuts off every disagreement. I love your inquisitive disposition, because it removes every dispute. I gladly hear you saying again and again, "Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." When you do not believe, I learn to believe. When with the spade of your tongue you dig up the field of the divine body, I reap the fruit without labor and store it for myself. Unless with these eyes of mine I see on His holy hands the furrows made by the godless, I will in no way agree with your words. Unless I place this finger of mine into the hollow made by the nails, I will not receive your Gospel. Unless with this hand of mine I hold that side, the unquestionable witness of the Resurrection, I cannot believe your opinion. Every word remains firm and solid when supplied with the defense of deeds. Every speech easily vanishes, pouring from the mouth into the air, when deprived of testimony from deeds. I must preach to men about the wonders of the Teacher. How shall I speak in words of what I have not received with my eyes? How shall I persuade unbelievers to believe what I myself have not yet followed? Shall I say to Jews and Greeks that I beheld my Master being crucified, but did not see Him risen, only heard of it? Who will not laugh at my speech? Who will not reject the preaching? Hearing is one thing, sight another. The report of words is one thing, and the contemplation and experience of deeds another. Thus the other disciples said to Thomas, who had arrived late: "We have seen the Lord." We have seen Him who said, "After three days I will rise" (Mt 27:63), and we are witnesses that His words were justified in deed. We have seen Him who said, "I am the way and the truth and the life" (Jn 11:25; Jn 14:6). We received Him as Resurrection, Truth, and Life from Life. We have seen Him who said, "I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again" (Jn 10:18). We came to know this authority of His in deed. Suddenly the Savior stood in our midst without opening the doors of the room. As one can easily imagine, struck by His wondrous appearance, we could not recover from this new wonder. Then we heard Him say to us, "Peace be to you" (Jn 20:21), and the storm of sorrow in our hearts changed into quiet joy. Then we saw His hands, pierced by sharp nails and wiping away the sins of men. We saw His hands, by which He crushed death and granted resurrection to all men. We also saw His holy side, pierced for us and pouring forth blood and water, those two springs of our salvation. From His divine mouth we received the divine breath, the breath of the Spirit, the breath that sends down every grace. From our Master we were clothed with authority to forgive sins and to render judgment over sinners. We received from Him this covenant: "Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; whose sins you retain, they are retained" (Jn 20:23). See what words we enjoyed. See what gifts from the Savior we were counted worthy to receive. It was impossible for us not to be enriched in communion with the Master of all. You alone were late, and now you have remained poor. At once Thomas began to answer them: You have seen the Lord? Was I alone unworthy to behold Him? Was I not called as you were called? Was I not honored by Him as you were honored? Did I not see Him crucified together with you? I passed through the days of sorrow equally with you, and equally with you I wish to know joy. As I saw Christ's end, so I wish to behold His Resurrection. "Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." For you too would not have believed unless you had first seen Him. So too I, unless I see, will not believe. Hold fast, Thomas, hold fast in this good unbelief. Hold fast firmly until you are established on the rock of faith. Remain in this desire of yours until you see the Desired One. I welcome your distrust, since it disperses every distrust. I praise your contentiousness, born of devotion to Christ and striking down all contentiousness of heretics. Do not believe, do not believe yet and again, so that I may believe more firmly. Seek the Lord and demand His presence, so that through your efforts and persistence I may embrace my Redeemer. Be persistent in calling upon Him who said, "Seek, and you will find" (Mt 7:7). Do not cease inquiring until you find the treasure you seek. Do not cease knocking at the door of knowledge free from contradiction, until He who said, "Knock, and it will be opened to you" (Mt 7:7), opens it to you. I listen with pleasure to the frequent repetition of your words: "Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, I will not believe." Your unbelief teaches me faith. As though with a plow, with your tongue you turn up the field of the divine body, and I reap the fruit without labor and make it my own. Unless with my own eyes I see those furrows which the impious made on His holy hands, I will in no way believe your words. Unless I place my own finger into the wounds opened by the nails, I will not receive your good tidings. Unless with this hand of mine I touch His side, the unlying witness of the Resurrection, your testimony will not move me at all. With my own eyes I will examine what you preach, since eyes are more trustworthy than hearing. Only then will I agree with your declarations. Every declaration becomes firm and trustworthy only when confirmed by deeds. Words deprived of factual proofs are light and shake the air in vain. I must preach to men about the wonders of the Teacher. How then shall I speak of what I have not seen with my eyes? How shall I persuade unbelievers to believe what I myself have not examined? How shall I say to Jews and Gentiles that I saw my Master crucified, but did not see Him risen, and only heard that He rose? Who will not mock such words of mine? Who will not despise such preaching? To hear is one thing, and to see is wholly another. Oral transmission is one thing, and observation and experience are wholly another.

Perhaps he thought he would be altogether deprived of this vision. He certainly knew that the Lord is Life by nature, and that He is not powerless to escape even death itself and destroy the power of corruption.

He who drove this away from others, would He not remove it from His own flesh? Yet because of very great joy, Thomas draws near to unbelief.

With a strong and swift impulse, as it were, he longs to see Him already present and to be fully assured that He has lived again, according to the promise He had given.

For the Savior said: “Little children, a little while, and you will no longer see Me. And again a little while, and you will see Me, and your heart will rejoice” (Jn 16:16, 22).

I think this temporary lack of faith in the disciple was most providential. Through his assurance, we also, who live after him, might believe without doubt that the Father through the Son gave life to the flesh which hung upon the tree and underwent death.

Therefore Paul also says: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9).

The nature of flesh was not of itself able to give life. Rather, this work was accomplished by the operation of the ineffable and divine Nature, to which by nature belongs the power to make all things live.

Thus the Father acted through the Son upon that divine temple, the body of Christ. This was not because the Word was powerless to raise His own body.

It was because whatever the Father does, He must do through the Son. The Son is the power of the Father, and whatever the Son does is undoubtedly from the Father.

Therefore, by the small lack of faith of blessed Thomas we are taught that the mystery of resurrection is accomplished upon our earthly body and, as in the firstfruits of the race, in Christ.

We are taught that this was neither a phantom nor a shadow, as some suppose, appearing in human form and falsely assuming the features of our appearance.

Nor was it, as some foolishly claimed, a spiritual body, that is, a most subtle and airy body, or some other body as different from flesh as some understand and accept a spiritual body to be.

After the confession of the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity, the whole meaning of our hope and the power of blameless faith are concentrated and contained in this mystery of the flesh.

For this reason the blessed Evangelist judged it profitable to set this matter forth in the following chapters.

Indeed, notice that Thomas does not merely wish to see the Lord. He requires “the marks of the nails,” that is, the wounds that were in the flesh.

Only in this way, he declares, will he fully believe and agree with the others that Christ has truly lived again. And He lived again, of course, according to the flesh.

For only what has died is naturally conceived as returning to life. Resurrection, of course, belongs only to that in which death had been present.

He himself wants to see the Lord. More than this, he wants to see the wounds from the nails. Yet Thomas's scrutiny does not stop even there. He wants to put his finger into the wounds from the nails and his hand into the Savior's side, so that this may not be a phantom.

As is known, he had heard from the other disciples that the Savior had only shown them His hands and side. Thus Thomas considers touch more trustworthy than sight.

Why, Thomas, skilled examiner, do you insist that only wounds can bear witness to faith? What if they had disappeared with the others? What danger would your curiosity have held for faith? Do you think the signs of His piety and the Lord's Resurrection could not have been found unless you tested with your hands His inward parts, laid bare by such Jewish cruelty?

Brethren, His piety sought this, and His holiness required all this, so that henceforth even impiety itself could not doubt that the Lord had risen. Thomas was concerned not only for the uncertainty of his own heart, but also for the hearts of all men. Since he was to carry preaching to the Gentiles, this searching investigator carefully sought the grounds of faith needed for this mystery. [...] The only reason the Lord preserved His wounds was as testimony to His Resurrection.

For the unbelief of Thomas was more useful for our faith than the faith of the believing disciples. When he is brought back to faith through handling, our mind, set above every doubt, is strengthened in faith.

The Lord, after His resurrection, allowed the disciple to doubt, yet did not leave him in doubt. So also before His birth He willed that Mary should have a betrothed, who nevertheless did not enter into marriage with Her.

The disciple who doubted and handled became a witness of the true resurrection, just as the betrothed of the Mother was the guardian of Her most pure virginity.

5. "Proclaim to all the people what you have seen and heard. Do not hide the lamp under a bushel, disciples. What you speak in darkness, preach in the light. Come outside with me in boldness. Until now you remain in the cave, and yet you are brave. When the doors are shut, you speak lofty things. In a hidden place you say, 'We have seen the Creator.' Let Him appear to all. Let all creation know Him. Let mortals learn to cry to the Risen One: 'Thou art our Lord and our God.'"

6. "How can I believe you, when I hear words that are not credible? If the Redeemer had come, He would have sought His servant. If the day had shone forth, this untimely gloom would not have appeared. If the Shepherd had appeared, He would have called the sheep. Once He asked, 'Where have you laid Lazarus?' But now He has not said, 'Where have you left Thomas?' He has forgotten the one who wished to die with Him (Jn 11:16). I remain unbelieving until I see Him. When I see and touch Him, then I shall believe and say: 'Thou art our Lord and our God.'"

Or perhaps zeal for preaching stirred unbelief in him. That is, he desired to see and touch, so that his preaching would be worthy of all credibility.

He wished to testify and preach to the world that he had not only heard, but also seen and handled the risen Christ. In this way he would confirm what he had to teach about Christ, both as a hearer and as an eyewitness and witness.

Such indeed was the intention of the Lord's Apostle. Unbelief is not praiseworthy, but such an end of unbelief is praiseworthy. Therefore the Lover of mankind, who searches hearts and reins, knew Thomas's most holy intention and took special care to convince him, and with him the whole universe.

For the Gospel history relates:

It is commonly thought that Thomas showed greater unbelief than the other Apostles. Since then, anyone who does not believe even entirely trustworthy witnesses, but insists on being assured personally through his own senses, is identified with the Apostle Thomas and called doubting Thomas. But is this so? Did not the other Apostles seek the same thing? Did they not also examine the wounds of Jesus and touch His side? Thomas expressed the same general unbelief, only in a more precise and definite form. This may have depended both on his character and on his manner of expressing his thoughts.