Thomas Was Not With Them!

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle

Eph 2:19-22; Jn 20:24-29

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas, the apostle of India. 

The apostle of Christ is often remembered as ‘Doubting Thomas,’ though his life accounts show him to be a man of immense faith. 

The faith journey of St. Thomas can be analysed through his statements in the Gospels. 

Honesty of St. Thomas

It is said we are defined by the questions we ask. But Thomas asked, ‘Lord, we know not where you go; and how can we know the way?’ (Jn 14:5). He was already bothered about knowing the ‘Way.’ In that sense, his question triggered one of the most important ‘I’ statements of Christ, who said in response, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life’ (Jn 14:6). The question of Thomas reflects the fact that he was a seeker, unafraid of searching for the truth till he found it. In every likelihood, other disciples too did not understand Jesus’ statement. But only Thomas had the honesty to reveal to Jesus that he did not understand him. The genuine seeker in Thomas sought genuine answers to grow and mature in his faith. And he achieved it in the end. 

Courage of St. Thomas

The first time we hear Thomas speak is in John 11, and the first conversation is about Thomas’ love and loyalty for Jesus. When Jesus decides to return to Judea after Lazarus has died, the other disciples are afraid because of the growing hostility toward Jesus that they remind him, ‘A short while ago, the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?’ (Jn 11:8). However, it is Thomas who upholds Jesus’ decision by convincing the rest of the disciples, saying, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him’ (Jn 11:16). For love of Jesus, Thomas even anticipates his martyrdom. This response of Thomas shows that he is not a man of weak faith. Instead, we find a man who was ready to risk everything for Jesus, though he did not fully understand who Jesus was. In his readiness to die for Christ, Thomas reveals his courage. 

Humility of St. Thomas

If there is one statement that defines Thomas for most people, it is his reply to the disciples who claimed that they had seen the Risen Lord. Thomas had the audacity to say, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands and put my finger into the nail marks and my hand into His side, I will not believe’ (Jn 20:25). Though Thomas might look incredulous thanks to his statement, if we can read it from a different angle, it suggests that he was a person who was averse to second-hand experience as regards faith. For Thomas, faith is a personal, direct, and first-hand encounter. As if to prove the same, when Jesus shows up, Thomas does not verify the wound marks of Jesus but expresses his unconditional surrender by proclaiming, ‘My Lord and My God!’ (Jn 20:28). It is no exaggeration to claim that Thomas’ highest declaration of faith in the Risen Lord forms the wonderful climax and conclusion of John’s Gospel. When Thomas’ yearning for a personal encounter with the Lord was fulfilled, he revealed his humblest person. Hence, Thomas is a model of our faith. 

If there is one description that would undoubtedly move readers, it is the first verse of today’s Gospel: ‘Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came’ (Jn 20:24). 

We read from John 20:19 that ‘On the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors of the house where the disciples had gathered were locked because of their fear of the Jews.’ 

If everyone was frozen in fear of Jews and did not dare to go out, Thomas was not with them when Jesus came. Where was he? What was he busy with? Were there no threats for him?

These questions reveal that Thomas was a tireless seeker, and in his constant search for truth, he journeyed from doubt to faith and from faith to witnessing. 

Let us pray that St. Thomas may move us to faith just as he did.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar