I suspect that following his experience of missing out on the appearance of the Lord Jesus to the disciples after His resurrection, that Thomas remained close by them from now on, so that he would not make the same mistake again. Later on, at the suggestion of Simon Peter, seven of the disciples, including Thomas, went fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Thomas, no doubt, concluded that remaining close by disciples of the stature of Peter, John and James would provide him with the best opportunity to meet the Lord again. If this was his thinking, he was not wrong! He might have been excused for thinking that he had made the wrong choice that night, because ‘that night they caught nothing’, John chapter 21 verse 3.

However, the difference between success and failure was just the width of a boat! And He (the Lord Jesus) said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish’, John chapter 2 verse 6. Unlike former occasions, Thomas did not say anything. He had learned from his previous encounters with Jesus that there was no reason to doubt that it was the Lord; indeed, only He could perform such a miracle! He joined the other disciples and dragged the net, with the fish, to the land. Graciously, the Lord Jesus allowed him to see, touch and handle!

May the Lord help and challenge us not to be faithless, but believing.