What is the meaning of John 20:28? Thomas replied - Thomas is the same disciple who earlier struggled with doubt (John 20:25) yet showed courageous devotion back in John 11:16. His journey displays: • Reluctance (“Lord, we do not know where You are going” – John 14:5). • Honest questioning that Jesus graciously met with evidence (“Put your finger here” – John 20:27). • A wholehearted response once convinced, proving that sincere doubt can lead to stronger faith when met by the risen Christ (1 John 1:1–3). My Lord - “Lord” is not a polite title here; it is a declaration of absolute authority. • Personal surrender: the possessive “My” echoes Romans 10:9, where salvation is tied to confessing “Jesus is Lord.” • Fulfillment of messianic prophecy: Psalm 110:1 speaks of the Messiah as “my Lord,” a text Peter cites in Acts 2:36 to preach that Jesus is “both Lord and Christ.” • Universal lordship: Philippians 2:10-11 pictures every knee bowing and every tongue confessing Jesus as Lord—Thomas voices that future reality ahead of time. and my God! - Thomas moves beyond lordship to full deity. • Identifying Jesus with God Himself aligns with John’s prologue: “the Word was God” (John 1:1). • Jesus had already hinted at equality with the Father (John 5:18), and here a disciple openly affirms it. • New-covenant revelation: Colossians 2:9 teaches that “all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form” in Christ, and Titus 2:13 calls Him “our great God and Savior.” • God the Father approves this confession: Hebrews 1:8 records the Father addressing the Son as “O God,” and Jesus neither corrects nor rebukes Thomas, confirming its truth (cf. Revelation 1:17-18). summary Thomas’s exclamation unites two critical truths—Jesus is both sovereign Lord and very God. His personal pronouns make the confession relational; his words ground the church’s faith in the risen Christ’s deity and authority. John includes this moment so that we, like Thomas, may move from doubt to worship, echoing, “My Lord and my God!” |
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