No Doubts

John 20:24-29

Introduction

Doubts are a universal thread woven into the fabric of human faith, touching even the most revered figures like Mother Teresa. In a heartfelt letter to her spiritual director, she confessed, “Where I try to raise my thoughts to heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul.” Yet, her director responded with a profound insight: her doubts were not a flaw but a testament to a faith that was authentic and alive. This perspective challenges the long-held stigma that doubts are a mark of weakness or failure in belief. Far from being a liability, doubts emerge as a natural part of our spiritual journey—evident in the questions we ask when prayers seem unanswered, when tragedy strikes the innocent, or when we face personal trials like illness. The Bible itself is filled with stories of faith intertwined with wrestling, where doubts propel growth rather than defeat. So, this raises a compelling question: Are doubts oh to have—something to be welcomed as a vital part of a robust faith, or merely hurdles to overcome? The exploration ahead dives into this tension, examining how doubts shape us and whether they might, in fact, fortify the very beliefs we hold dear.

Doubt comes in varying degrees. When you experience illness, a family breakup, financial hardships, a crisis of faith, or a major life change, doubts can find their way into your mind and heart. Doubts are a part of the human experience.

For a long time, many religious communities fostered an environment where doubts were seen as taboo, a sign of spiritual weakness or a lack of faith. People were often discouraged from voicing their uncertainties, fearing judgment or ostracism from their peers and leaders. This culture of silence around doubts created a facade of unwavering belief, where individuals felt pressured to suppress their questions and struggles. The prevailing notion was that true believers should have unshakable faith, and any admission of doubt was perceived as a personal failing or a betrayal of the community’s values. This mindset persisted for generations, reinforcing the idea that admitting doubts was not only unacceptable but also a shameful act that could damage one’s standing within the group. Many believed that to question the teachings or doctrines was to question the very foundation of their faith, leaving no room for discussion or exploration. This unwritten rule of silence forced individuals to hide their uncertainties, even from themselves, out of fear of being seen as disloyal or spiritually inadequate. Over time, this suppression became a deeply ingrained norm, perpetuating the expectation that doubts should never be spoken aloud or acknowledged.

Often though, when we experience doubts, we pull back, we withdraw, we isolate ourselves, and we step back from our Jesus and other believers. Our mind reasons that if we doubt a relationship or a situation, we should step back and examine it. But how do we examine our questions and discover the truth when we're not engaged? Maybe stepping back is actually counterintuitive to finding the truth. In reality, it's going deeper that answers our questions. Today, I want us to see that doubts can lead to breakthroughs.

John 20:24–29 ESV

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Scriptural Analysis

Verses 24-25 

The disciples who had experienced the surprising appearance of Jesus were apparently enthusiastically ready to share the details of their post-resurrection experience of “the Lord.” But like many of us who have experienced the marvel of transforming grace and the desire to share it, these disciples were met with a cold, skeptical face. Thomas had not been at the meeting, and he had no immediate sense of the significance of the miracle that had occurred. Although this statement of Thomas may seem to be quite obstinate, there is a sense in which contemporary believers ought to thank God that someone like Thomas was there to ask the question that millions have wrestled with.

We should not jump to the conclusion that Thomas should be blamed for not being present at the first meeting. Thomas is to be blamed for his unbelieving attitude, which is based on fear.  He must have visible, tangible proof of the Lord’s resurrection; otherwise, he will not believe. This is the attitude of many today. Only the evidence of his senses could persuade Thomas that the other disciples had not seen merely a phantom or apparition, a ghost or spiritual vision. Thomas does not doubt that his friends think they saw something; he doubts the nature of their experience. 

Verses 26-27

One week later, the Lord appeared to His disciples again. They are still fearful and worried. This time, Thomas was with them. Again, the Lord Jesus entered the room in a miraculous way and again greeted them with “Peace to you!” The Lord dealt gently and patiently with His doubting follower, Thomas. He invited him to prove the reality of His resurrection by putting his hand into the spear wound in His side. Jesus was never severe on a person besieged by doubt. He was not hard on Thomas. Jesus did not say to him, “I am shocked by your doubt, Thomas. You have been one of My disciples, and I have expected better things of you.” He was very gentle and affirming. He simply said to him: “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.”

Sincere Christianity has always welcomed sincere research and all questions. Jesus did not scold Thomas or condemn his hesitation. He provided the evidence, and then he said to him, "Stop doubting and believe."

Verses 28-29

Thomas was convinced. He acknowledged the divinity he did not see by the wounds he did see. Thomas’s response, My Lord and My God! is the high point of the Gospel. Jesus  commended Thomas for recognizing his true identity as “Lord” and “God.” Here was a fearful, skeptical man, confronted by the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. He announced that Jesus, the Man of Galilee, is God.  

John opened this book by declaring that the Word was God in chapter 1. Now, near the end of the Gospel, Thomas names Jesus his Lord and his God. One more important thing to notice is that Jesus accepted worship as God. If He were only a Jewish man, He would have refused it.

Jesus pronounces a blessing on those who do not share the experience granted to Thomas of seeing so that they might believe. Jesus here states that the willingness to accept his report by faith is a blessed condition. This does not denigrate Thomas's way of seeking evidence, but it does commend a certain posture to the Gospel's audience: John’s audience hears from Jesus' lips that they are blessed if they hear and believe, though they have not seen.

TODAY'S KEY TRUTH 

Facing our doubts can transform us and drive spiritual growth.

Application

Thomas has often been vilified by Christians because of his early doubts expressed in these verses. He even earns a nickname: “Doubting Thomas.” But throughout this Gospel, he has been presented as a realist, a person who evaluated situations on the basis of what he could perceive and someone who, despite some doubts, stays committed to the cause. Thomas was just as committed as the other disciples, perhaps even more so in some ways. Just weeks before Christ’s Crucifixion, Jesus told the disciples that he had to go to Bethany because his friend Lazarus was very sick. Most of the disciples cautioned him away from the idea because of all the hatred towards him fuming in nearby Jerusalem. Yet, Thomas responded, in John 11:16, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Thomas is not merely a pathetic doubter. He is a paradigm of many Christians who are capable of great possibilities while also experiencing some hesitations in faith.

But Thomas isn't the only biblical hero who wrestled with doubts. 

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the LORD appeared to him. God proclaimed He would make a covenant with Abram and make him the father of many nations. He and Sarah both had serious doubts about becoming parents in their nineties.

Moses was tending his father-in-law’s flock at the mountain of God. While there, God told Moses He was sending Moses to Egypt to speak to the Pharaoh about freeing God’s people, the Israelites, from slavery. Moses stuttered, You got the wrong guy. God came to Gideon and told him to save the Israelites. Years before, the Israelites were doing evil, so God allowed a large number of Midianites to ruin the Israelites’ crops and kill their livestock. Gideon said I'm the weakest dude from the weakest clan; there's no way you're asking me. 

John the Baptist, the famous wilderness preacher who was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, started out confident and certain. When baptizing Jesus, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! And, I have seen, and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” But when he found himself in jail, he questioned if Jesus was really the Messiah. 

And look at this one with me. Have you ever noticed the two verses before The Great Commission in Matthew 28? “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, BUT SOME DOUBTED.” Wait? What? In the eleven disciples, who have been with the resurrected Jesus for weeks now after seeing him brutally murdered, there were some still wrestling with doubt. He’s ascending into Heaven at this moment, and yet, doubt still existed in the minds of some disciples. 

Clearly, asking for “signs” won’t quiet your doubts when the people who witnessed the resurrection and ascension still struggled. Doubt is a part of the human experience. But how did these doubting men still become heroes of our faith? 

Because instead of allowing doubts to drive them away from Jesus, they went toward Jesus.  Their doubts drove them to drive deeper. And the deeper you go into the Christian faith, the more you begin to see the truth.

The key to properly handling your doubts is to go toward Jesus, not away. Every one of these examples went toward Jesus. They didn't withdraw, step back, or become reclusive. They went toward Jesus. Thomas showed up at the next meeting to see if Jesus had been resurrected. There's no way to honestly examine your doubts and Jesus unless you head toward Him.

Facing our doubts can transform us and drive spiritual growth.

Conclusion

We do not think little of a Christian who gets sick or becomes crippled. We know that physical illness and infirmity are a part of the human experience. It happens to all of us. It's part of the human experience. You and I will wrestle with doubts. It's part of the human experience. But don’t seclude yourself or withdraw when it happens. It was when Thomas was away from the other disciples that his doubts were strengthened. Isolation magnified the doubts that he had. He missed Jesus’ first visit, and now his doubts grew. If you separate a piece of coal from the rest of the fire, what happens? It goes out. 

There are too many people who become recluses when they start having these feelings of doubt or depression. Instead of running toward Jesus and getting surrounded by people to help us, most of us try to eat the problem away or starve the problem away and stay behind closed doors. When life is toughest, we withdraw. Don't run away. Don't withdraw from God and His people.

Facing our doubts can transform us and drive spiritual growth.

I don’t know if y’all realize this, but… We need each other. When you feel least like going to church, that’s when you need to go the most. When you most want to hide out, that’s when you need to force yourself to reach out to others, if not in person, then by phone or FaceTime, Facebook, or something. Together, we are the body of Christ, and when one hurts, the whole body hurts; when one celebrates, the whole body celebrates. Where two or more (Brothers and Sisters in Christ) are gathered, Jesus is there in the midst! You can't deal with the doubts of life alone.

If you look at the post-resurrection appearances, Jesus almost always appeared to groups of people, not individuals: Mary and Mary, Peter and John, the two friends on the road to Emmaus, the ten disciples, a week later to the 11 disciples, later to 500 people at once, and after that, to 120 folks gathered at Pentecost. Jesus seemed to honor groups. We need each other to fight off the doubts.

So, Be on Guard, Be Accessible. Be Together. Withdrawing from something when you have doubts is counterintuitive. Draw closer, examine, study, read, and seek the truth.

Facing our doubts can transform us and drive spiritual growth.

Jesus was never severe on a person besieged by doubt. He was not hard on Thomas, or John the Baptist, or Peter. Do you remember how gentle Jesus was with the father of the boy who was deaf and dumb? The boy had suffered much, but the father had suffered too. The father came to Jesus half believing and half doubting. “If you can do anything,” he said, “have pity on us and help us” (Mark 9:22). He was saying in effect: “I am not sure You can do anything, but if You can, please help us.” And Jesus was not severe on him. Jesus responded, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.” And the father confessing his ambivalence said: “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

We can learn a lot from Jesus. Jesus was never harsh on someone to help them overcome doubts. Jesus always responded by creating a deeper relationship that encourages faith and trust. 

A few years after this event in our scripture, Thomas caught a cargo ship to India to preach the risen Jesus. Thomas was warned to be quiet. When he kept preaching, his opponents ran a spear through his back. He died in pain and suffering never denying his faith in Jesus. The church he started in India still flourishes today.

Facing our doubts can transform us and drive spiritual growth.

Show me a faith that has never experienced doubt, and I’ll show you a day-old faith, a faith that hasn’t had a chance to grow… or worse, a pretend faith, a fake faith. Doubts are apart of the human experience. But if we believe that Jesus is the real truth, if what we believe is real and certain, then why would we ignore our doubts when they arise? When you examine the truth, it's still the truth. So ask the hard questions, wrestle with your unbelief, and deal with the doubts while you run toward Jesus. He will not rebuke you. He will not refuse you. He will not abandon you. He will not reject you. As He did with John the Baptist, as He did with Peter, like He did the father of the ill son, and as He did with doubting Thomas, Jesus will embrace you and your doubts with His love, patience, and understanding.

Thomas was one of the twelve, a disciple who walked with Jesus, yet when he heard the testimony of the resurrection, he doubted. He would not believe unless he saw the wounds for himself. And yet, Jesus did not reject him. He did not shame him. Instead, He met Thomas in his doubt. He invited him to touch His hands, to place his fingers in the wounds, and to see for himself that Jesus was alive. In response, Thomas proclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). Thomas was tranformed and went on to become a hero of our faith.

Jesus does not fear our questions. He does not shrink back from our uncertainty. He steps into our doubts and meets us there with His presence. Like Thomas, when we bring our struggles to Jesus, He answers—not always with physical proof, but always with Himself. Our doubts, when handled with honesty and faith, do not push us away from God; they pull us closer. They refine us. They deepen our understanding. Don’tbelieve the lie you should ignore, suppress, or pretend like there’s no doubts.

Jesus says, "All things are possible to him who believes. Blessed are those who believe." Jesus knows He is the truth and the life. He's not afraid, upset, or angry at our doubts. He knows that if you draw closer and embrace Him, your doubts will be answered, and your life will be transformed. Doubts can grow your faith.

So when you wrestle with uncertainty, don’t let it drive you away—let it drive you to Him. Like Thomas, let your doubts lead to deeper faith, to a moment of true surrender, where you, too, declare, “My Lord and my God!”

Facing our doubts can transform us and drive spiritual growth.