New Testament · New Testament
Thomas (Didymus)
“Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!'”John 20:28
Biography
Thomas, called Didymus (the Twin), is remembered primarily for his refusal to believe in the resurrection until he saw Jesus's wounds himself. Yet this same Thomas showed courage earlier: when Jesus announced he was returning to Judea despite danger, Thomas said 'Let us also go, that we may die with him.' After Jesus appeared and showed him his wounds, Thomas made one of Scripture's highest confessions: 'My Lord and my God.' Church tradition holds he took the gospel to India, where Christians of the 'Thomas tradition' remain to this day.
Spiritual Lesson
Thomas's doubt is not his defining characteristic — his confession is. Jesus did not rebuke him for doubting but met him exactly where he was. The invitation 'reach out your hand and put it into my side' is Jesus meeting doubt with evidence, not contempt. Thomas teaches us that those who wrestle hardest with doubt often arrive at the most profound confessions. 'My Lord and my God' is the fullest declaration of Jesus's identity in the Gospels.