Mary, the Mother of Jesus
July 24, 2026
Stephen, An Early Interpreter of Christianity
August 9, 2026Here is the class lesson for Sunday, August 2. This is week nine of our Summer Quarter which is titled “The Testimony of Faithful Witnesses.”
Today’s lesson is called, “Thomas, the Honest Doubter” and comes from various readings from the Gospel of John.
Historical Background
Today’s lesson is about the Apostle Thomas. So let’s look at what is known about the Apostle, especially his ministry after the resurrection of Christ.
Thomas (Toma meaning twin; Didymus in Greek) was once of the original 12 Apostles of Jesus. He is commonly referred to as “Doubting Thomas.” Syrian Christian documents from the third and fourth century A.D. state that Thomas’ full name was “Judas Thomas” with the latter name being more of a descriptor (Judas the Twin).
Thomas is believed to have been born in the Galilee region, probably somewhere in the 0-15 A.D. timeframe. He is assumed by many Biblical scholars to have been a fisherman based on John 21-1-2 where he has gone fishing with six others of the Apostles. His moniker, “Doubting Thomas,” has become a synonym for anyone who is a skeptic.
Roman Catholic Saint Card of Thomas
Thomas Touching the Spear Wound of Christ
Reliquary with Spear that Killed Thomas
Thomas with Blood on his Finger
According to two early Christian writers (Origen, Eusebius), after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles drew lots as to where to go to start their ministry. Thomas drew east to Mesopotamia. He began preaching in eastern Turkey, moving eastward into Mesopotamia in the 34-45 A.D. timeframe. He founded what has become known as the “Church of the East.” Thomas continued to move eastward reaching India in 52 A.D. Between 52-72 A.D., Thomas founded at least 7 churches in India. He is known as the “Patron Saint of India” and the name Thomas remains the most popular boys name among Christian Indians today.
Thomas also visited Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and founded a church there. According to Indian Christian sources, Thomas may have also visited China as well as Indonesia. The “Law of Christianity”, an Indian book states:
- Through St. Thomas the error of idolatry vanished in India
- Through St. Thomas the Chinese were converted to the truth
- Through St. Thomas they accepted the sacrament of baptism
- Through St. Thomas they believed and confessed the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
- Through St. Thomas they preserved and accepted faith of one God
- Through St. Thomas the Kingdom of Heaven took wing and ascended to China
The Apocryphal book, “The Passing of Mary” says that after Mary died, Thomas was miraculously transported to the tomb only to find that the tomb was empty as Mary had been assumed into Heaven. Thomas told this to the other Apostles who doubted his story until they too visited her empty tomb. Thus Thomas the doubter was doubted!
There is a strong tradition among the Guarani Indians of Paraguay that Thomas came and preached Christianity to them. This was recorded by Spanish explorer Ruiz de Montoya in 1639. Thomas was known as “Tume” – which was Thomas’ name in Aramean.
“The Paraguayan tribes have this curious tradition. They claim that a very Holy man (Thomas the Apostle himself), whom they call “Pai Thome”, lived amongst them and preached to them the Holy Truth, wandering and carrying a wooden cross on his back”
Thomas was martyred in Mylapore, India on July 3, 72 A.D. (or possibly 76 A.D.). His relics, including the spear head that killed him, are in St. Thomas Basilica in Mylapore, Andhra Pradesh. Thomas is typically depicted in art as either holding a spear (double reference to his wanting to touch the spear wound in Jesus’ side and the weapon that killed him) and/or holding up fingers touched in blood. Besides being the Patron Saint of India, Thomas is also the Patron Saint of the blind, craftsmen, geometricians, and theologians.
| Matthew 10:2-4 |
Mark 3:16-19 |
Luke 6:12-16 |
Acts 1:13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Peter | Simon Peter | Simon Peter | Peter |
| Andrew | Andrew | Andrew | Andrew |
| James (Elder) | James (Elder) | James (Elder) | James (Elder) |
| John | John | John | John |
| Philip | Philip | Philip | Philip |
| Bartholomew | Bartholomew | Bartholomew | Bartholomew |
| Thomas | Thomas | Thomas | Thomas |
| Matthew | Matthew | Matthew | Matthew |
| James (Less) | James (Less) | James (Less) | James (Less) |
| Thaddeus | Thaddeus | Judas (son of James) |
Judas (son of James) |
| Simon (Zealot) |
Simon (Canaanite) |
Simon (Zealot) |
Simon (Zealot) |
| Judas (Iscariot) |
Judas (Iscariot) |
Judas (Iscariot) |
Matthias |
Tomb of St. Thomas Mylapore, India
Lesson: John 11:14-16; 14:5-8; 20:24-28; 21”1-2
OK, time to get your Bibles out and turn to John 11. Key highlights of these verses are as follows:
1. John 11 – V14-16: This is the first time Thomas is quoted in the New Testament. Jesus has tarried on the east side of the Jordan River and his friend Lazarus has died. Most of the apostles want to turn back to Galilee but Thomas says they should follow Jesus. If He wants to go to Jerusalem and face danger, then we his apostles should also go.
2. John 14 – V5-8: Jesus tells his apostles that where He is going, they cannot follow as their work on earth is not yet finished. The apostles do not understand and Thomas speaks up saying what they all are thinking. Thomas asks where Jesus is going and how can we know the way since we don’t know where. Jesus tells them all that He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to God except by believing in Him.
3. John 20 – V24-28: These are the verses about Thomas that everyone recognizes and where he gets his moniker, “Doubting Thomas.” He had run away while Jesus was being arrested and crucified. He has returned to find the rest of the apostles who are hiding out together in Jerusalem. Peter and John come back from visiting the tomb to tell the others that the tomb is empty and Jesus has risen from the dead. Thomas does not believe and says unless he sees the wounds, he will not believe. Just then, Jesus appears and allows Thomas to inspect the still present wounds. Thomas is immediately convicted of his disbelief and exclaims that he is now a committed believer. Jesus commends him but then says those who believed without having to see the wounds have an even greater faith.
4. John 21 – V1-2: After the resurrection, Jesus tells the disciples to go back to Galilee and He would visit them there. A group of seven, Peter, James, John, Nathaniel, Thomas, and two unnamed disciples, are on the Sea of Galilee fishing. These verses are what has led some scholars to believe that Thomas’ pre-apostle profession was fishing.
Conclusions
Thomas is one of the more relatable Apostles. He is depicted in the Gospel of John just four times, the most famous being his need to see Christ’s wounds before he would believe in the resurrection. Thus he is best known as “Doubting Thomas.”
However, once he had satisfied his doubts, Thomas became one of the most ardent and successful spreaders of the Gospel. He brought Christianity to Eastern Turkey, Mesopotamia, and India (and possibly to China, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. Like all the Apostles except John, he was eventually martyred for his faith, dying by the weapon that he had originally doubted.
All of us, even the most ardent believer, periodically have doubts. Thomas demonstrates that faith in God’s truth can not only overcome our doubts but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can become strong disciples for Christ in the world.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we give thanks for the story of the Apostle Thomas. We too, have doubts about the things that we cannot yet see and know. However, like Thomas, grant us the faith to overcome our doubts. Give us the strength to them become ardent witnesses of You and Your truth. In Christ’s name, we pray, Amen.
Next week we continue studying witnesses who helped spread the Gospel with a lesson titled “Stephen, An Early Interpreter of Christianity” and comes from the book of Acts. As our historical background, I will talk about the execution method of stoning.
Have a great week in the Lord and I will see you next week.
Dub
