“Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. When the other disciples told him that they had seen the Lord, he declared, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'” John 20:24

It’s too bad Thomas missed out on Jesus’ appearance to the other disciples.
Where was he, anyway?
Was he emotionally spent?
Did he need some alone time?
Was he out picking up lunch for the other ten?
Checking up on his twin brother?

Imagine the disappointment, to learn the resurrected, glorified Jesus had stopped in and you missed it. We don’t know what took Thomas away, but we do know he came back. He was a hard nut to crack, though — eye-witness reports from ten of his closest friends wasn’t enough for him. “Doubting” Thomas was really more like “Defiant Skeptical Unbelieving” Thomas.

Because he stayed away
from his community of believers and fellowship with them,
he missed an encounter with the Risen Lord,
which fed his doubt
and made him demanding,
setting his own conditions
for belief.
Sound familiar?