What did Thomas want before he would believe?

To see and touch the print of the nails.

Free Bible lesson for kids · He Is Risen

Thomas Believes

Jesus stood among His disciples and showed them His hands and side. Thomas was not there and would not believe. Eight days later Jesus came again, and Thomas said, “My Lord and my God.”

Teach this lesson: film, sheets and guide Print the coloring page

Bible passage: John 20:19–31 · Luke 24:36–49
Big idea: Blessed are those who believe without seeing.
Memory verse: Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. John 20:29 (KJV)
Ages: Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
Time: About 45 minutes
Included, free: Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game

The story

On the evening Jesus rose, the disciples were behind shut doors. Jesus stood among them and said, “Peace be unto you” (John 20:19). He showed them His hands and His side, and they were glad (John 20:20). But Thomas was not there. He said he would not believe unless he could see and touch the print of the nails (John 20:24–25).

Eight days later Thomas was with them, and Jesus came again (John 20:26). He told Thomas to touch His hands and side: “be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27). Thomas answered, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus said, “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). These things were written so that we might believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and have life through His name (John 20:31).

Read it in the Bible: John 20:19–31 (KJV)

¹⁹Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. ²⁰And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. ²¹Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. ²²And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: ²³Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. ²⁴But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. ²⁶And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. ²⁷Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. ²⁸And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. ²⁹Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. ³⁰And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: ³¹But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Read it in the Bible: Luke 24:36–49 (KJV)

³⁶And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. ³⁷But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. ³⁸And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? ³⁹Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. ⁴⁰And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? ⁴²And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. ⁴³And he took it, and did eat before them. ⁴⁴And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. ⁴⁵Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: ⁴⁷And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸And ye are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Questions to ask

What did Jesus say when He stood among them?
“Peace be unto you.”
What did Thomas want before he would believe?
To see and touch the print of the nails.
What did Thomas say when he saw Jesus?
“My Lord and my God.”

What this story teaches

Jesus really rose from the dead with a real body (Luke 24:39).
Jesus gives peace to His frightened followers (John 20:19).
Jesus is patient with people who doubt (John 20:26–27).
Jesus is our Lord and our God (John 20:28).
God blesses those who believe without seeing (John 20:29).

Jesus Is God’s Son

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Everyone who believes in Him has life through His name.

John 20:31

A 45-minute lesson plan

5 min	Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Thank God for the gift of faith.
10 min	The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next.
10 min	Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “Blessed are those who believe without seeing.” What does that mean for us?
5 min	Memory verse. Say John 20:29 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone.
10 min	Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions).
5 min	Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week.

Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.

Game time

For kids · game · indoors · about 10 minutes

Mystery Box

You need: A box with a hole to reach into, safe objects (a sponge, a pinecone, a toy car, a feather)

A child reaches into the box without looking and feels an object.
They describe it, then guess what it is.
Talk: Thomas wanted to see and touch before he would believe.

Jesus said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” That includes you.

For youth group · activity · indoors · about 25 minutes

Evidence Room

You need: Evidence cards: the empty tomb, more than 500 witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:6), the disciples changed from afraid to bold, Thomas’s doubt

Teams study the evidence cards like detectives.
Each team builds a two-minute case for the resurrection and presents it.
Talk: what questions do your friends ask? How would you answer?

Thomas said, “My Lord and my God.” Honest questions can lead to strong faith.

Pray

Thank God for the gift of faith.