‘Doubting’ Thomas

Doubting, Painted by John Granville Gregory,
Oil on canvas, Painted in 2010, © John Granville Gregory

Reflection on the Painting

With thanks & acknowledgement to www.christian.art

Saint Thomas has unfairly been tarnished with the name of ‘doubting Thomas’, when in fact he is like you and me, more of a ‘seeking Thomas’…seeking answers all his life with a thousand questions. Looking at the other disciples, Peter denied Jesus three times, but we don’t call him Peter the denier; James and John wanted to sit next to Christ at the table, we don’t call them opportunists; at the cross most disciples were nowhere to be seen, but we don’t call them names… So Thomas did get his name of ‘doubting Thomas’ rather unfairly. Remember, Jesus didn’t tell him off when they met… Jesus simply showed the scars on His body… Maybe we can lead others to Christ, if at times we share our scars and vulnerabilities a bit too…

As this is a modern painting, based on Caravaggio’s composition, it sets the reading of today (John 20: 24-29) in a contemporary context, and Jesus would probably react in exactly the same way when confronted with our 21st century doubts: he would simply show us his scars… Would we then also say, as Saint Thomas did, ‘My Lord and my God’? These are probably some of the most important words in the whole Gospel , as St Thomas encapsulates in five words who Jesus is: human (My Lord) and divine (My God). For those words alone should we be eternally grateful to St Thomas. For the first time, a disciple of Christ acknowledged not only that Jesus was a great teacher; not only that He was the Son of God; but that He was God Himself…

Like Thomas we all have experienced moments of doubt and difficulty in our Faith, but Christ has promised us that one day we would meet Him, see Him, even touch Him like St Thomas, surrounded by His love… at that moment of meeting Him I hope we too will be able to say in amazement “My Lord and My God!’…