How does John 20:28 affirm the divinity of Jesus? Text of John 20:28 “Thomas answered Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ ” Immediate Narrative Setting The risen Jesus has just invited Thomas to inspect the nail prints and pierced side (20:24–27). Thomas’s response is instantaneous and worshipful. John’s Gospel has been building toward this climax since 1:1; Thomas articulates the book’s thesis aloud for the first time from a human voice (compare 1:18; 20:31). Grammatical Force of the Confession The Greek reads, ἀπεκρίθη Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου. Two definite articles (Ὁ… ὁ…) govern both nouns, binding “Lord” (Κύριος) and “God” (Θεός) to the same person by the Granville Sharp rule. Thomas is not addressing two beings but one. The possessive pronoun “my” (μου) precedes both nouns, reinforcing personal acknowledgment of Jesus as his own Lord and his own God. Old Testament Resonance: Yahweh Titles Applied to Jesus In the Septuagint, Κύριος and Θεός routinely translate the tetragrammaton YHWH (e.g., Psalm 35:23; Isaiah 44:6). By employing the same titles, Thomas attributes to Jesus what belongs uniquely to Yahweh. John has already appropriated such language for Christ (John 12:41 cites Isaiah 6:1–5; John 8:58 echoes Exodus 3:14). Thomas’s confession therefore places Jesus within the divine identity, not alongside it. Integration with Johannine Theology John opens with “the Word was God” (1:1) and closes human dialogue with “my…God” on the lips of Thomas—an intentional inclusio. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus performs divine prerogatives: authoritatively forgiving sin (5:14), commanding creation (6:19), giving life (5:21, 25–29), and accepting worship (9:38). John 20:28 serves as the narrative seal that validates every preceding sign. Early Patristic Reception Ignatius (c. AD 110) echoes the phrase “Christ our God” (Ephesians 18.2). Irenaeus cites John 20:28 as proof of Christ’s divinity (Against Heresies 3.16.3). Tertullian employs it against modalism (Against Praxeas 27). None treat Thomas’s words as mere exclamation; all regard them as formal confession. Common Objections Answered 1. Exclamation theory: Greek interjections of shock normally appear in the vocative without articles (“Oh God!” = ὦ θεέ). The double definite article and direct address “to Him” (αὐτῷ) destroys the idea of indirect speech. 2. “Representative” deity: Scripture forbids attributing divine titles idolatrously (Isaiah 42:8). Jesus does not correct Thomas—in sharp contrast to Peter (Acts 10:26) and angels (Revelation 22:9) who refuse worship. Harmonizing Witness across Scripture Thomas’s declaration dovetails with Philippians 2:6 (“existing in the form of God”), Colossians 2:9 (“in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily”), Hebrews 1:8 (“Your throne, O God, is forever”), and Revelation 1:17–18 where the risen Jesus self-identifies as “the First and the Last.” The cumulative testimony exhibits internal coherence throughout canon. Resurrection as Empirical Validation Thomas’s confession follows direct empirical encounter—seeing, touching, and auditory interaction—paralleling the multiple attested post-resurrection appearances catalogued in 1 Corinthians 15:3–8. As modern scholarship notes (e.g., Habermas & Licona, 2004), the resurrection enjoys a “minimal facts” consensus among scholars, grounding the divine claim in verifiable history rather than mystical speculation. Practical Application for Worship and Doctrine The church’s historic baptismal formula “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19) assumes Christ’s co-equality with God. John 20:28 undergirds practices of praying to Jesus (Acts 7:59), singing to Him as God (Revelation 5:9–14), and grounding salvation exclusively in His person (Acts 4:12). Archaeological and Historical Corroboration The Nazareth Inscription (1st century edict against grave tampering) testifies to early rumors of an empty tomb. Ossuary inscriptions invoking “Yeshua,” Christian house-church remnants in Judea, and the sudden Sunday worship shift among monotheistic Jews align with an explosive recognition of Jesus’s divine status—exactly what Thomas’s words declare. Summary John 20:28 is an explicit, unambiguous confession of Jesus’ full deity. Linguistically precise, textually unassailable, theologically consistent, and historically corroborated, the verse stands as a keystone in the biblical affirmation that the crucified and risen Jesus is both “Lord” and “God.” |
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