Gospel in Art: I am the way, and the truth, and the life

Saint Thomas by Georges De la Tour, 1634-1638 © Louvre Museum, Paris

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 3 May 2026
John 14:1-12

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.' Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.'

Philip said to him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

'Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.'

Reflection on the painting

There is something rather unfair in how history has remembered Thomas the Apostle. He has been branded "the doubter", as if that one moment defined his entire discipleship. And yet, we do not speak of 'Peter the Denier', nor of 'Judas the Betrayer' in quite the same way. Thomas' so-called "doubt" was not cynicism or refusal... it was honesty. He simply didn't know what was going on post-Resurrection and so he simply asked questions. I think we probably would have done the same. He wanted to understand. And in doing so, he gave voice to what so many others were perhaps thinking but did not dare to say.

In today's Gospel of John, we meet Thomas again, not in doubt, but in clarity of questioning: "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" It is a deeply human question, again direct, sincere, searching. And because Thomas asks it, Jesus gives one of the most profound theological revelations in all of Scripture: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." Without Thomas' question, we might never have received these words in quite the same way. His question opens the door to one of the Church's greatest theological treasures: that we cannot know God unless we know Jesus. Perhaps, then, instead of Thomas the Doubter, we might see him as Thomas the Seeker... the one who reminds us that faith often begins not with certainty, but with the courage to ask.

In our painting by Georges de La Tour, Saint Thomas is depicted holding two powerful symbols of his identity. In one hand, he holds a book, representing the Gospel in which his story is told, the very place where his questions and his journey of faith are preserved for us. In the other, he holds a lance, recalling the tradition that he was martyred in India, pierced by spears for his witness to Christ. The lance also echoes the spear that pierced Christ's side on the Cross, creating a profound visual link between the suffering of the disciple and that of his Master. De La Tour, known for his dramatic use of light and shadow, strips the scene of all distraction, focusing instead on interior depth and silence. In doing so, he invites us to see Thomas not simply as the doubter, but as a man shaped by Scripture, marked by sacrifice, and ultimately one of the Church's very first missionaries.

LINKS

Christian Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reading: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-14-1-12-2026/