💫WEB · John 20:25
What does John 20:25 mean?
"The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”"
— John 20:25 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit!
If you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven them. If you retain anyone’s sins, they have been retained.”
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, wasn’t with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
After eight days again his disciples were inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being locked, and stood in the middle, and said, “Peace be to you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.”
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Explanation
John 20:25 records the moment when Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, responds with skepticism to the news that Jesus has risen from the dead. The other disciples had already encountered the resurrected Christ, and their announcement to Thomas is simple and joyful: "We have seen the Lord!" Thomas, however, was not present for that appearance, and his reply sets a high bar for belief. He insists that he must personally see the nail marks in Jesus's hands and touch the wound in his side before he will accept that Jesus is truly alive. This is not a vague doubt but a demand for tangible, physical proof of the very wounds that killed Jesus.
The context is the Gospel of John, traditionally attributed to the apostle John, written likely toward the end of the first century for a community of believers who needed assurance about who Jesus was and what his resurrection meant. This scene takes place shortly after Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection, in the same room where he had already appeared once to the other disciples while Thomas was absent (John 20:19-24). John includes this episode as part of his larger purpose, stated explicitly at the end of the chapter: he wants readers to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and to have life in his name (John 20:31). Thomas's doubt serves that purpose by setting up the powerful scene that follows, in which Jesus appears again, invites Thomas to touch his wounds, and Thomas responds with the climactic confession, "My Lord and my God!"
Theologically, this verse highlights the reality of
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