This Caravaggio painting of doubting Thomas has become well-known thanks to the Internet, and I do like its graphic, realistic portrayal of the Lord’s submission to Thomas’s probing finger. 
However, a visually less realistic portrayal by de’ Rossi may be more true to our text for this week, John 20:19-31. Though Jesus invites him, it does not say that Thomas actually touched the holy wounds. And the apostle’s kneeling poster reflects the spirit of the words we are told he did say, “My Lord and my God!”
As I’ve thought about the text this week, I’ve reflected not just about what it teaches regarding the role of doubt in the lives of active believers, but about what it may have to say to Christian communities about the way we treat doubters among us. Before Jesus even appeared to Thomas, the rest of the apostolic fellowship, the whole church at that time, made a place for him to be with them and among them. In other words, Thomas was not ostracized or excluded because his faith did not quite measure up to that of the rest of the community.
I think there is something to learn here as we respond to doubts among us, especially from our young people, who seem to be struggling with faith in increasing numbers. There is also something to learn from Jesus’ own willingness to provide Thomas a satisfying answer and from Thomas’s reaction, which was a deep and life-transforming affirmation of Jesus as Lord and God.
that is a terrific challenge to think through our welcome to the doubter–a really astute point about the fact of the open doubter still allowed to hang out. the communists faced similar issues very unsuccessfully. we do not want our orthodoxy to turn into a party line where we force schism, or worse ostracism, on our young (or old) questioners. we need to have a some trust in Jesus to give them the ultimate answer of his presence, as he did for Thomas.