Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 20:26-31

"And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace [be] unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and see my hands; and reach [hither] thy hand, and put it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed [are] they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed. Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name." — John 20:26-31 (ASV)

1. Now the Evangelist presents our Lord’s second appearance. It was to all the disciples, including Thomas.

   First, he mentions Christ appearing.

   Second, we see that Thomas is now convinced: then he said to Thomas: put your finger here.

   Third, the Evangelist comments on what he has included in his Gospel: Jesus did many other signs as well.

   He addresses the first point in three ways:

   • the time of Christ’s appearance is mentioned;
   • then to whom He appeared;
   • and third, the way He came.

2. The time was after eight days, that is, from the day of our Lord’s resurrection, on the evening of which He first appeared. One literal reason for mentioning the time was so that the Evangelist could show that although Christ had appeared frequently to the disciples, He did not remain with them continually, since He had not risen to the same kind of life, just as we will not rise to the same kind of life: all the days of my service I would wait, till my release should come (Job 14:14). A reason for the delay was so that Thomas, hearing about our Lord’s first appearance from the disciples, would develop a stronger desire and become more disposed to believe.

   A mystical reason for our Lord’s appearance after eight days is that this indicates how He will appear to us in glory: when he appears we will be like him, for we will see him as he is (1 John 3:2). He will appear to us in the eighth age, which is the age of those who have risen from the dead.

3. The Evangelist shows to whom He appeared when he says, his disciples were once again inside, and Thomas was with them. Note that Thomas was the only one who needed this appearance of Christ, but even so our Lord did not appear to him alone, but to the group. This shows that it is not very pleasing to God to exist in isolation, but it is to live in a unity of charity with others: for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).

   Those to whom Christ appears are not all gathered into one group, and this present assembly of the disciples did not include all of them. But in the future all will be gathered together, and no one will be absent: wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together (Matthew 24:28); he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matthew 24:31).

4. He shows the way Christ appeared by saying, the doors were shut, and Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said: Peace be with you. This was explained before. The Evangelist notes three things here.

   First, how Christ came: the doors were shut. As Augustine says, this was done miraculously, by the same power which enabled Him to walk on the water.

   Second, where He stood: in their midst, so He could be seen by all, as was fitting.

   Third, we see what He said: Peace be with you. This is the peace coming from reconciliation with God, which Jesus said had now been accomplished: we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son (Romans 5:10); making peace by the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:20). Jesus also announced to them the future peace of eternity and immortality, which He had promised them: he makes peace in your borders (Psalms 147:14); and also the peace of charity and unity, which He commanded them to maintain: be at peace with one another (Mark 9:49).

5. Now the Evangelist shows how the doubting disciple was rescued and persuaded. Here we see a second sign of God’s pity, which is that He quickly comes to help His elect even though they fall. Indeed, the elect fall at times, just like the reprobate. But there is a difference: the reprobate are crushed, but the Lord quickly puts His hand under the elect so they can rise up: when a just person falls he will not be crushed, for the Lord will put his hand under him (Psalms 37:27); when I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up (Psalms 94:18).

   And so our Lord quickly puts His hand under the fallen Thomas. When Thomas said, unless I see... I will not believe (John 20:25), our Lord rescued him, saying, put your finger here.

   Three things are mentioned here:

   • First, our Lord shows His wounds.
   • Second, we see Thomas’s profession: Thomas answered and said to him: my Lord, and my God.
   • Third, his slowness to believe is reproved: because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed.

6. Regarding the first point, note that Thomas laid down his own conditions for believing, which were that he see and touch Christ’s wounds, as was said. If these conditions were met, he promised to believe. So our Lord, helping him by the presence of His divinity, rescued him by meeting these conditions.

   • First, we see the conditions being met.
   • Second, Thomas is asked to keep his promise: and do not be faithless, but believing.

7. One condition was that he touch the wounds, so Christ said, put your finger here.

   A problem arises here because there can be no defects in a glorified body, and wounds are defects. How then can there be wounds in the body of Christ?

   Augustine answers this in his book, On the Creed, when he says: Christ could have removed all traces of his wounds from his risen and glorified body, but he had reasons for retaining them. First, to show them to Thomas, who would not believe unless he touched and saw. Again, he will use them to rebuke unbelievers and sinners at the judgment. He will not say to them, as he did to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed,” but rather, to convict them: “Behold the man you have crucified, the wounds you have inflicted. Look at the side you have pierced. It was opened for your sake, and you refused to enter.”

8. Another question on this point is whether or not the traces of the martyrs’ wounds will remain on their bodies. Augustine, in his The City of God, answers this in a similar manner, saying they will remain, not as a disfigurement but like a great ornamental beauty. He says:

   These wounds in their body will not be a deformity, but a dignity. And although on their bodies, they will radiate not a bodily but a spiritual beauty. Of course, the martyrs who suffered amputation or decapitation will not appear in the resurrection without their hands and members, for they too have been told that not a hair of their head would perish. Indeed, even though their members were mutilated or cut off, they will be restored, yet the traces of their wounds will remain (Book 22).

9. Gregory asks how the Lord could offer His body to be touched because it was incorruptible, for what is incorruptible cannot be touched. Christ being raised from the dead will never die again (Romans 6:9). The heretic, Eutyches, was influenced by this to say that the Body of Christ and the bodies of all those who rise will not be touchable, but fine and spiritual, like the wind or a breath.

   But this is contrary to what our Lord said: handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have (Luke 24:39). Our Lord showed that He was incorruptible and touchable to demonstrate that His body after His resurrection was of the same nature as before, and what had been corruptible had now put on incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:53). It was the same in nature, but with a different glory: for what had been heavy and lowly arose in glory and subtlety, as the effect of spiritual power.

10. Our Lord continued, saying, see my hands, which hung on the cross, and bring your hand here and put it in my side, which was pierced by the spear, and realize that I am the same person who hung upon the cross. As for the mystical interpretation, a finger signifies knowledge, and a hand signifies our works. Thus when Thomas is told to put his finger and hand into the wounds of Christ, we are being told to apply our knowledge and works to the service of Christ: but far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14).

11. Our Lord holds Thomas to his promise, saying, do not be faithless, but believing. Be faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10).

12. The Evangelist now mentions Thomas’s profession: Thomas answered, and said to him: my Lord, and my God. It seems that Thomas quickly became a good theologian by professing a true faith. He professed the humanity of Christ when he said, my Lord, for he had called Christ this before the Passion: You call me Master and Lord (John 13:13). And he professed the divinity of Christ when he said, and my God. Before this, the only one who had called Christ God was Peter: you are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16); this is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20); I will praise you, O Lord my God (Psalms 86:12).

13. Our Lord reproaches Thomas for being slow to believe: because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed.

    • First, He reproaches his slowness.
    • Then He praises the others for being quick to believe: blessed are they who have not seen, and have believed.

14. Therefore, He said, because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed.

    A problem arises here: for since faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction about things unseen (Hebrews 11:1), why does our Lord say, because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed?

    We should say in answer that Thomas saw one thing and believed another. He saw the man and the wounds, and from these he believed in the divinity of the One who had risen.

15. There is a second question. Because Thomas said that he would not believe unless he saw and touched, and our Lord was willing for him to see and touch, it seems our Lord should have replied, “Because you have seen and touched me you have believed.”

    One can say, with Augustine, that we use the sense of sight for any of the senses. We say, see how warm it is; see how it sounds; see how it tastes and smells. So our Lord said, put your finger here, and see, not because the finger can see, but as meaning, “touch and perceive.” So Christ says here, because you have seen me, that is, because you have perceived through touch.

    Or, one could say that Thomas became flustered when he saw Christ’s wounds and scars, and before he touched Christ with his finger he believed and said, my Lord and my God. For Gregory, Thomas did touch Christ, but did not profess his faith until he saw.

16. When Christ said, blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed, He was praising the readiness of others to believe; and this applies especially to us. He uses the past tense rather than the future because of the certitude.

    Luke seems to say the contrary: blessed are the eyes which see what you see (Luke 10:23). Thus, those who have seen are more blessed than those who have not seen.

    I answer that blessedness is of two kinds. One is the actual state of blessedness, which consists in God’s reward, where the better one sees, the more blessed he is. In this respect, the eyes that see are blessed, because this is the reward of grace. The other blessedness is the hoped-for blessedness, which is based on one’s merits. In this case, the more one can merit, the more blessed one is. And the one who believes and does not see merits more than one who believes when he sees.

17. Now the Evangelist gives his epilogue. First, he mentions the incompleteness of his Gospel; second, the benefits it will give: but these are written, so that you may believe.

    Its incompleteness is clear, for Jesus did many other signs and deeds, which are not written in this book: lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways; and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand? (Job 26:14); many things greater than these lie hidden, for we have seen but few of his works . According to Chrysostom, John said this because he mentioned fewer miracles than the other evangelists and he did not want it to be thought that he was denying these other miracles, and so he especially added, which are not written in this book.

    Or, John could be referring to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, meaning that after His resurrection Christ gave many indications of His resurrection in the sight of his disciples that were not shown to others: God... made him manifest; not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses (Acts 10:40).

18. Now he mentions the benefits given by this Gospel. It is useful for producing faith: these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. Indeed, all Scripture, both of the Old and New Testaments, is for this purpose: the beginning of the book writes about me (Psalms 40:7); Search the Scriptures... they give testimony about me (John 5:39).

    Another benefit of his Gospel is that it also produces the fruit of life: and that believing you may have life. This is the life of righteousness, which is given by faith—the righteous will live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4)—and in the future, the life of vision, which is given by glory. This life is in His name, the name of Christ: there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).