After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to many people. One day, He appeared to a group of His disciples, who were meeting in a room. However, Thomas was not there. It’s important to note that the initial blessing of Jesus’ appearance was to the disciples who were meeting together in Jesus’ name. The one who was not blessed was the one who, for whatever reason, did not come to the meeting. This seems to be true today, too. Those who attend church meetings where the Word of God is taught are blessed with a meeting from the Lord and a revelation of His person and character. Those who miss these meetings allow doubt to creep into their life and fester.

Thomas told the disciples that he would not believe in Jesus’ resurrection until he saw Him and put his hands in the holes in Jesus’ hands and side. Although Thomas added a unique requirement for his faith by wanting to touch Jesus’ wounds, his requirement to see Jesus before he would believe was the same as the other disciples. After the crucifixion, they needed to see the resurrected Christ before they believed, too. It’s interesting that Thomas is often the villain and the example of how Christians shouldn’t be, but all of the disciples needed to meet the resurrected Christ before they would become a powerful and faithful witness to this world.

In John 20:24-29, Jesus does two amazing miracles. First, the scriptures tell us that the disciples were meeting behind shut doors. We do not read that Jesus opened the door or broke it down, but we find that He simply entered the room. It is likely that this room was locked and that He went through the door because this was one of the privileges of His deity and His resurrected body.

The next miracle we find is one of omniscience. The scriptures do not tell us that Jesus was bodily present when Thomas declared the requirements for his faith. However, Jesus knew all of them and repeated them to Thomas at His appearing. Only God could know things that only an omniscient being could know.

It’s interesting to consider how there is no record of Thomas’ requirements being met. He had said that he must touch Jesus’ wounds before he would believe. However, after Jesus appeared to him and offered to let Thomas touch the holes in his hands and side, Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!” It is obvious here and throughout time that Jesus knows our true needs, even when we perceive that we have different needs. It is also obvious that He fully intends on meeting our true needs. Thomas apparently forgot about his previous demands and fully believed, declaring Jesus to be both his Lord and his God, after encountering His resurrected body.

Jesus used this opportunity to convey an important truth. This truth has been repeated in churches for centuries and it is one that we should take to heart. In John 20:29, Jesus said, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” There may be no greater verse in the Bible that declares our need for faith. Certainly, Jesus knew that He was leaving after 40 days on Earth. He also knew that people would seek signs and wonders, throughout the centuries, before they would have faith. This verse speaks to Thomas just as much as it speaks to everyone. Blessed are those who have not seen, yet have believed, because without faith, it is impossible to please God.