The following is excerpted from my book, The Mystical Language of Icons.
After his resurrection, Christ on different occasions showed himself to his anxious disciples, thereby assuring them of his continual presence. They were reluctant to believe, however, and Thomas openly demanded a proof.
In the icon reproduced here, we see how Thomas is cured of his incredulity. The cloak hanging over the wall and roof top denotes that the event takes place indoors, and the trees behind the wall indicate the same. This significant point is clearly shown in the design of this icon. Christ stands on a footstool in front of a shut door. Sometimes this motif is actually called The Shut Door. The disciples had locked themselves up in fear, nevertheless the risen body of Christ was capable of penetrating matter. In spite of this supernatural feature, Christ several times, when encountering his disciples, insisted that he was not a spirit, but a real person with a physical body. He demonstrated this by eating something they had prepared, like fish or a honey cake. Although he was able to enter through shut doors, his body still carried the scars of the crucifixion. Hence he was recognizable.
When Peter, John and the others declared that they had seen the resurrected one, Thomas refused to believe. He had not been present. For him it was not enough to hear the testimony of his fellow disciples in order to believe; not even to see the risen Christ with his own eyes would necessarily convince him. He went a step further and stated that unless “I place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe” (Jn. 20:25).
When after eight days Christ all of a sudden appeared again among the stunned disciples, Thomas was with them. Christ did not rebuke Thomas for his lack of faith, but instead invited him to confirm the reality of his presence by touching the wounds: “Put your finger here and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn. 29:27 – 28)
The icon depicts the moment when the risen Christ uncovers his side so that Thomas can see and touch the wound left by the spear. The title of this icon — The Doubting of Thomas — is also referred to as The Convincing of Thomas, thus marking his transition from disbelief to belief. The other disciples stand on either side, witnessing how the Master, with this moving gesture, manifests both his divine and his human nature.
Thomas challenged the Lord, and Christ generously displays his tortured and glorified body. However, after the ascension, there is no longer direct access to his physical presence. Those seeking the risen Christ will have to rely on the word of those who witnessed it. Christ has those in mind who at a later stage will come to believe in him when he says, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (Jn 20:29).
Modern man can easily identify himself with the doubt and hesitation of Thomas. His struggle makes him a comforting figure. He does not accept what he is told straightaway, but wants to investigate for himself. Thus eagerly seeking the truth, in the end he finds it.
Gregory the Great (ca 540 – 604) comments on this particular aspect in a homily: “The considerable time it took for the disciple to believe in the Lord’s Resurrection may have been a weakness on their part; nevertheless, it served to our strength. In response to their doubts, they received numerous proofs of the Resurrection: when he became aware of them, we can say that the apostles’ doubts are the opportunity for us to affirm our faith. Mary Magdalen, who believed immediately, is less useful to us than Thomas, who doubted for some time. For this doubt led him to touch Christ’s wounds, thereby healing in our hearts the wound of doubt” (Homily 29).