The Daily Devotional Podcast

To Boldly Go - 5 | John 20: 24-29

• Waypoint Church

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This reflection explores how Jesus welcomes honest questions and doubts rather than rejecting those who struggle with uncertainty. Through Thomas’ encounter with the risen Christ, it demonstrates that faith grows not by suppressing doubts but by bringing them openly into the presence of Jesus.

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“May the Lord bless you and keep you — and may His presence guide you this week.”


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Today I'm reading John twenty, verses twenty four through twenty nine. One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, nicknamed a twin, was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him we've seen the Lord. But he replied, I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side. Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but suddenly as before, Jesus was standing there among them.

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Peace be with you, he said. And then he said to Thomas, put your finger here and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound at my side. Don't be faithless any longer.

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Believe. My Lord and my God, Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, You believe because you've seen me.

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Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. We pretty commonly conflate doubt and disbelief. There are some connections to be sure, but they're not quite the same thing.

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Disbelief closes the door. It reaches a conclusion and refuses to consider anything further. Doubt is often much more complicated. Doubt asks questions, it wrestles, it searches for understanding. At times doubt can even be a sign that someone is taking faith seriously enough to engage it honestly. For generations, the nickname doubting Thomas has circulated through rings of believers, as though doubt was the defining characteristic of his life. Yet when we meet him in John twenty, his response feels understandable. The other disciples have seen the risen Jesus. They've heard his voice and witnessed his scars. Thomas has not. When they tell him Jesus is alive, he struggles to believe what he can't yet see. Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. It's a bold statement, but perhaps not the way we usually think. Thomas is honest. He doesn't pretend to have certainty he doesn't possess. He doesn't hide his questions behind spiritual language. He simply tells the truth about where he is. What happens next reveals something important about the character of Jesus. A week later Jesus appears again, and he doesn't ignore Thomas. He doesn't shame him for struggling. He doesn't lecture him for asking questions. Instead, he invites Thomas closer. Put your finger here, see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. This invitation is deeply personal. Jesus meets Thomas in the very place where his doubts reside. The scars Thomas wanted to examine become evidence of the grace Jesus offers. By the end of the encounter, Thomas responds with one of the clearest declarations of faith in John's gospel. My Lord and my God. It's worth noticing that Thomas arrives here not by suppressing his questions, but by bringing them into the presence of Jesus. Hebrews invited us to approach the throne of grace with confidence. Psalm eighty eight showed us that we can bring our darkness. Bartimaeus taught us to keep calling out when obstacles arise, and the woman in Luke eight reminds us that shame doesn't disqualify us from grace. Now Thomas reminds us that questions don't disqualify us either. The invitation remained the same all week. Come near, bring the grief, bring the need, bring the shame, and bring the questions. The confidence of faith is not found in having everything figured out.

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It's found in knowing that Jesus welcomes us into His presence and meets us there. Before I close in prayer, here's a question to wrestle with. What questions or doubts do I need to bring honestly before Jesus? Jesus, thank you that you're not threatened by my questions.

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Help me bring my doubts, fears, and uncertainties into your presence, rather than allowing them to pull me away from you. Meet me there, and deepen my trust in your faithfulness.