John 20:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

NIV: Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

NASB: Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'

CSB: Thomas responded to him, "My Lord and my God!"

NLT: My Lord and my God!' Thomas exclaimed.

KJV: And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

NKJV: And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Thomas had stubbornly refused to believe Jesus was resurrected, despite the eyewitness accounts of Jesus' closest followers (John 20:17–23). That resulted in an outrageous demand: to put his fingers into Jesus' wounds before accepting that He was alive (John 20:24–25). When Jesus appeared, again, He confronted Thomas with that challenge (John 20:26–27). As part of that, Jesus noted that Thomas was not merely failing to accept truth: he was actively dis-believing.

Skepticism, to a point, is a good thing (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1; 2 Corinthians 13:5). What's not good is pretending to want evidence while demanding more evidence than is necessary—or even possible. When Thomas made his ultimatum, he probably assumed there could never be any scenario where that would even be possible. There's a parallel in modern "skepticism," which often sets exorbitant demands for God to "prove" Himself…while ignoring available evidence and having no intent of believing, anyway (John 5:39–40).

Thomas may have touched Jesus' wounds before he believed, but the Bible does not explicitly say so. What seems more likely is that he responded to Jesus' appearance—and scolding—with this declaration of faith. Jesus won't refer to Thomas responding to touch, but only to what he has now seen.

Incredible meaning is attached to what Thomas says here: he not only declares Jesus his Master, but he overtly refers to Jesus as "my God!" If Thomas is saying something wrong, this is an opportunity for Jesus to correct him. Other spiritual beings do exactly that when someone attempts to worship them (Revelation 19:10; 22:8–9). Jesus does not dispute this title, because He is God (John 5:18; 8:58; 10:30). His next remarks gently reprimand Thomas for insisting on excessive proof. He will point out that many people will not have the opportunity which the disciples were given (John 20:29)

John 20:24–29 is the source of an unfortunate nickname: "Doubting Thomas." Thomas was not present when Jesus came through a locked door and proved to the other disciples that He was alive. He makes an exaggerated demand for proof before he will believe, insisting on more evidence than is reasonable. Once again, Jesus passes through a physical barrier to appear. Thomas is reminded of his earlier stubbornness, but humbly confesses that Jesus is God.

Peter and John get a report from Mary Magdalene that Jesus' body is gone. They arrive to find an open grave, and empty grave clothes, along with a folded face cloth. When the two men leave, Mary remains and suddenly encounters a resurrected Jesus. Though she tells the others, they resist believing until they see Jesus in person. Thomas is especially stubborn, and Jesus remarks on how blessed they are to have been given so much proof. John points out that his writing is meant to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, arranged to encourage those who read to come to faith.

Most of Jesus' disciples scattered and hid when He was arrested (Matthew 26:56). Only John and some women were present to see His death and burial (John 19:26–30, 41–42; Matthew 27:60–61). When Jesus' tomb is seen empty, there is further confusion. Jesus appears to His followers, proving that He is alive, and remarking that they are blessed to have so much proof. John will complete his account in the next chapter with another encounter and more reminders about the nature of his writing.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.