Following Jesus · Part 37 of 40 · 2 min
Jesus Visits His Friends and Thomas
Jesus' disciples were gathered behind closed doors. They were afraid after the terrible events of the past few days.
Then Jesus came and stood among them. He greeted them with peace.
“Peace be with you.”
The friends listened in the quiet room.
He showed them that it truly was him. Their fear began to turn into joy. Jesus was alive!
But Thomas had not been with them. When the others told him, he found the news hard to believe.
He wanted to see Jesus for himself before he could be sure.
A week later, the friends were together again, and Thomas was there. Jesus came among them and once more greeted them with peace.
He invited Thomas to see for himself. Jesus knew the questions Thomas had been carrying.
Thomas answered with faith, calling Jesus his Lord and his God.
Jesus moved close to his friends.
Jesus also spoke of the blessing for those who would believe without having seen him in person.
Questions do not need to be hidden. We can bring them honestly to God and seek understanding through the Bible and trusted helpers.
Jesus met his frightened friends with peace and his questioning friend with patient care.
Retelling of John 20:19–29.
Supporting reading: The Desire of Ages, chapter 84. Open the book
Talk about it together
- Patience
- Faith
- Why had Thomas not seen Jesus during the first visit?
- How might he have felt when Jesus met his questions patiently?
- Which trusted person can you ask when you need to understand something?
Activity · 2–5 minutes
Questions Are Welcome
Each person asks a question about Jesus’ visit to Thomas. Listen without laughing at the uncertainty and look together for a clue in the story. If an answer is still missing, choose a trusted person to ask.
Try it today: We can share our questions and respond patiently to other people’s questions.
More stories with these values
Match pairs
Open the interactive activity or prepare a printable sheet for home, classroom, or family.
Open activity →