John’s Champion Witnesses: Nathael and Thomas

In the Gospel of John, two distinct characters frame the narrative in a way that reveals something profound about the nature of belief. These two men—Nathanael and Thomas—serve not simply as minor disciples, but as champion witnesses to the truth about Jesus. Their stories are unique, and their placement in John’s Gospel is anything but accidental.

Nathanael appears first, in chapter one, just as Jesus begins his public ministry. Thomas appears last, in chapter twenty, after Jesus has risen from the dead. Together, they stand as intentional bookends to the Gospel. Their presence marks both the initiation and culmination of Jesus’ earthly mission. And in both cases, their responses serve John’s stated purpose in writing: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

What makes these two men compelling is not just where they show up—but how they respond. Neither of them is quick to believe. Nathanael scoffs at the idea that anything good could come from Nazareth. Thomas famously refuses to believe unless he sees and touches Jesus’ wounds for himself. In both cases, there is a kind of holy skepticism—an unwillingness to be persuaded by secondhand claims or popular opinion. They each require a direct encounter, a firsthand revelation. And when they get it, they respond with clarity and conviction.

Nathanael, after being told by Philip to “come and see,” encounters Jesus and declares, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49). This is no mild compliment. Before Jesus has performed a miracle or preached a sermon, Nathanael becomes the first to confess Jesus as both divine and royal. John makes a special point to say that this man is “an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit” (1:47). He is honest, discerning, and not easily swayed—and yet he believes.

Then comes Thomas, on the other side of the story. After hearing from the other disciples that Jesus is alive, Thomas refuses to take their word for it. He won’t be swayed by excitement or rumor. But when Jesus does appear to him, showing his wounds, Thomas responds with the highest confession in the Gospel: “My Lord and my God!” (20:28). Thomas’ journey from doubt to faith is not a sign of weakness—it’s the kind of deeply tested belief that John wants his readers to share.

It’s also worth noting that John alone includes both of these stories. Neither Nathanael nor Thomas gets this kind of treatment in the Synoptic Gospels. And at the end of the Gospel, in the fishing scene of John 21, John once again names Nathanael and Thomas alongside Peter—while the rest of the disciples go unnamed. It’s subtle, but it seems that John is highlighting these men for a reason.

They are not just background characters. They are models of witness. Nathanael represents a true Israelite, pure of heart, waiting for the consolation of Israel—and he finds it in Jesus. Thomas represents the honest doubter, the rational inquirer, who needs more than stories. When even he is convinced, we know that belief is reasonable and grounded. These two figures are persuasive because they are not easily persuaded.

But here’s the brilliance of John’s design: these two demanding, careful witnesses—Nathanael and Thomas—are not meant to set the standard for us. They are meant to validate it so that we don’t have to. Their skepticism is our assurance. Because Jesus passed their test, we are freed from having to make our own. That’s why Jesus blesses those “who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). The credibility of their witness gives strength to our faith.

John is telling us: if these two—one in whom there is no deceit, and one who demanded to see the scars—believed, then we can believe too. Their faith is not merely recorded; it’s offered to us as an anchor. They are the ones John chooses to stand at the front and back of his Gospel, because they give us every reason to trust that Jesus is who he says He is. And in believing, we may have life in His name.