“If I were Thomas, I probably would have doubted too,” says Zoe, 11. “Dead people don’t usually come back.”
That’s honest. It’s probably why Thomas has been known for centuries as “Doubting Thomas.”
In John 20:24-29, we learn that Thomas wasn’t with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared to them after the resurrection. When they told him, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas replied, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
“Thomas wanted proof, and that’s not always a bad thing,” says Caleb, 10. “If someone told me a frog had flown a plane, I’d want proof too.”
Fair enough. Faith isn’t blind belief in something ridiculous. Jesus never asked people to believe in him without evidence. His miracles, teachings and resurrection were seen by many.
Thomas had spent years with Jesus. He had seen him walk on water, feed thousands and raise the dead. But when it came to believing that Jesus himself had conquered death, Thomas needed to see Jesus for himself.
A week later, Jesus appeared again. This time, Thomas was in the room. Jesus didn’t shame him. He didn’t scold him. Instead, he invited Thomas to do exactly what he had asked for: “Reach your finger here, and look at my hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas responded with a clear declaration of faith: “My Lord and my God!”
What can we learn from Thomas? For one, Jesus can handle our fears and questions. He meets us where we are and gives us what we need to grow in faith.
“Sometimes you don’t believe until something becomes real to you,” says Logan, 10.
Doubt isn’t the enemy of faith. It can be the doorway to deeper faith. Thomas’s doubt led to an encounter that transformed him. Church history says he later traveled to India to tell others about Jesus and died a martyr’s death.
Christian apologist Dr. Norman Geisler wrote, “God never asks us to take a blind leap of faith into the darkness. Rather, He asks us to take a step of faith into the light – light based on evidence.” That’s what Thomas received. Evidence lit the way to stronger belief.
But Jesus ended his conversation with Thomas by saying something for all of us: “Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
That’s us. Most people reading this have never seen Jesus in person. But Jesus calls us blessed when we believe without seeing.
“Believing in Jesus without seeing him means trusting what he said is true,” says Emma, 10.
Faith is like that. We may not see Jesus with our eyes, but we see the effects of his work in changed lives, answered prayers and peace that can’t be explained logically. Jesus didn’t write Thomas off. He came back, scars and all, to bring faith to a doubting heart. And he still does that today.
Think About This: Doubt isn’t something to hide from God. Jesus meets honest doubts with honest answers. The goal isn’t to stay in doubt, but to move through it toward deeper faith.
Memorize This Truth: John 20:29 quoted in a previous paragraph.
Ask These Questions: What questions do I have about Jesus? Am I willing to bring them to him?
— Kids Talk About God is designed for families to study the Bible together. Research shows that parents who study the Bible with their children give their character, faith and spiritual life a powerful boost. To receive Kids Talk About God three times a week in a free, email subscription, visit www. KidsTalkAboutGod.org/email. Bible quotations are from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
© 2026 Carey Kinsolving
