Why does Thomas call Jesus "My Lord and my God" in John 20:28? Immediate Narrative Context Thomas had declared, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands… I will never believe” (20:25). Jesus appears, invites empirical examination, and Thomas reverses course. The confession stands at the literary climax of the Gospel; immediately afterward John states his purpose: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (20:31). Literary and Theological Function in John Throughout John, titles escalate: Lamb (1:29), Messiah (1:41), Son of God (1:49), I AM (8:58). Thomas’s words crown the progression. They echo the prologue—“the Word was God” (1:1)—thus bookending the narrative with identical Christology. Old Testament Background: Yahweh as Lord and God Exodus 34:6 presents the covenant name Yahweh, “the LORD, the LORD God.” Jewish monotheists reserved these titles for the Creator alone (Isaiah 44:6). Thomas, steeped in that heritage, equates the risen Jesus with Israel’s God—a radical but coherent fulfillment of “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Christological Significance: Jesus Identified with Yahweh Jesus repeatedly employed the “I AM” formula (e.g., 8:58; 18:6). His resurrection validates those claims (Romans 1:4). Thomas’s confession is the first explicit acknowledgment of Jesus as “God” by a disciple after the resurrection, confirming the deity that the empty tomb and physical appearances demonstrate. Resurrection Proofs Experienced by Thomas • Physicality: “Put your finger here” (20:27) indicates tangible body. • Continuity of identity: same scars, same voice. • Presence among multiple witnesses (Luke 24:36-43; 1 Corinthians 15:5). Psychological explanations fail to account for group sightings and willingness to suffer martyrdom (Acts 12:2). Thomas later evangelized as far as India, attested by first-century trade records along the Malabar coast, demonstrating lasting transformation. Historical and Manuscript Reliability Papyrus 66 (AD c. 175) and Papyrus 75 (AD 175-225) contain John 20 and read exactly as modern editions. Bodmer Papyri’s fidelity predates doctrinal controversies, confirming no later “divinizing” redaction. The Rylands Fragment (P52, c. 125) proves the Gospel circulated within a generation of authorship. Early Christian Reception • Ignatius of Antioch (AD 107) calls Jesus “our God, Jesus the Christ” (Letter to the Ephesians 18:2). • Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.16.5) cites Thomas’s confession to refute Gnosticism. • Pliny the Younger (AD 112) reports Christians singing “to Christ as to a god” (Ephesians 10.96). External testimony aligns with Johannine Christology. Answering Common Objections • “A startled exclamation”: Jewish law forbade casual use of God’s name (Exodus 20:7). The narrative commends, not rebukes, Thomas. • “Copyist addition”: Continuous manuscript stream, Western and Alexandrian, contains the phrase with no significant variant. • “Lord but not God”: The Greek grammar presents a single compound confession; splitting is foreign to the syntax. Miraculous Consistency The same power that healed the man born blind (John 9) and raised Lazarus (John 11) now stands vindicated in Jesus’ own resurrection. Biblical miracle reports align with modern documented healings where prayer in Jesus’ name results in medically authenticated remissions, underscoring continuity of divine action. Integration with Creation and Design John opens with creation (“All things came into being through Him,” 1:3). If Jesus is Creator, Thomas’s confession is ontologically necessary. Fine-tuning parameters—cosmological constant, strong nuclear force—display deliberate calibration; intelligent design points to a personal designer revealed in Christ. Archaeological Corroboration of Resurrection Era • The Nazareth Inscription (1st-century royal edict against tomb robbery) is best explained by an imperial reaction to the empty tomb claim. • Ossuary of James (“James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus”) places Jesus within verifiable first-century family context, grounding the narrative in history. Salvific Application Jesus responds, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (20:29). The text invites every reader to echo Thomas, surrendering to Jesus as personal Lord (sovereign authority) and God (object of worship), receiving the eternal life promised in 20:31. Conclusion Thomas calls Jesus “My Lord and my God” because the empirical reality of the resurrection compelled him to recognize that the crucified Rabbi is the incarnate Yahweh, Creator, and rightful object of worship. The exclamation is historically reliable, theologically definitive, and eternally consequential. |
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