Understanding John 20:28 Did Thomas call Jesus God?
John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
John 20:28 is a verse that is often cited as biblical evidence that Jesus is in fact God. It is claimed by many trinitarians that Thomas literally calls Jesus both the Lord of him AND the God of him. It is further claimed that Jesus does not correct Thomas, which Jesus obviously would do if he was not God, as calling Jesus God if he wasn’t would be blasphemy.
On the face of it, it certainly can appear as if Thomas was indeed calling Jesus God and if we just took this verse alone without looking at context or without understanding then it could stand up as good evidence for Jesus being called God. Jesus did not correct Thomas for the statement, in fact, Jesus told him he believed because he had seen and continued, “blessed are those that believe without seeing.” It would almost seem like Jesus was agreeing with the statement.
John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
But is Thomas actually calling Jesus God? If truly this was God, the creator, the Almighty standing in front of Thomas …surely there would be a little more animation on the part of Thomas (conjecture but still worthy of note). Although some portray that Thomas worshipped Jesus or bowed to him at this point there is no indication from the text that Thomas did any such thing. This is nothing more than an assumption, an assertion with no scriptural support whatsoever. It should be asked where is this same proclamation from the rest of the disciples? This is God standing in their midst yet there is not one mention of any other disciple stating Jesus was God. It all seems like such a simple thing , no big deal. John doesn’t seem too bothered by it either as his gospel ends just 1 chapter later, after Jesus’ reply. Without any further mention.
In fact, just 3 verses later, John even states that the reason for writing his gospel was so people would know Jesus was the son of God,
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
…If John believed Jesus to be God, wouldn’t this be a good time to make that proclamation?
We see that John reiterates many times that Jesus is the son of God, as do many of the other disciples
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Matthew 1:1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Mark 1:1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Simon Peter Calls him the christ the son of God.
Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus confirms this and then tells his disciples not to tell anyone
.Matthew 16:17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 20Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Simon Peter also states that we (the disciples) believed that Jesus was the Christ . The one that had been promised, the saviour of Israel the Messiah.
John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
After Peter and John had healed a lame man people were filled with wonder how they had done such a thing. Peter told the people that it wasn’t because of there own power
Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
Peter continues that it was because of God who glorified his son.
Acts 3:13The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.14But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
Jesus had told why he was glorified by the father.
John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
The father glorified the son so that through the son the father would be glorified.
And we see they were not the only ones.
The angel speaking to the shepherds when Jesus was Born pronounced him as the Christ
Luke 2:11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord
When Jesus Raises Lazarus from the dead He asks Martha
John 11:26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Her reply was to call him the Christ the son of God. the one that should come into the world (The awaited Messiah)
John 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
After Jesus had fed the 5000 the men who had seen the miracle sated he was the Messiah the prophet who should come.
John 6:14Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
Even a roman soldier calls him the son of God.
Matthew 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
During the temptation in the wilderness Satan calls Jesus the son of God
Matthew 4:3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Matthew 4:6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Satan who was an angel and most certainly would have known God. Why did he call Jesus the son of God? If anyone was going to know the pre existent son surely it would be Satan.
Now probably the most importation of mention of Jesus being the son of God and not God or even pre existing comes from God himself.
Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
At the transfiguration of Jesus God says Jesus is his son and to hear him.
Mark 9:7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
And probably Gods most powerful statement where he said he has CHOSEN his servant
Matthew 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Did God really choose the son part of him to be his servant on earth.
Jesus Calls himself the son of God
John 9:35Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
He claimed to be the Christ
TRUE MEANING>>
So if Thomas wasn’t calling Jesus God what does the comment actually mean. It clearly meant something. It wasn’t a flippant remark.
Let’s put the verse back into context and see if we can get the answer from the Bible
Earlier in the Gospel of John, we see that Thomas himself had asked Jesus a question
John 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
and Jesus response was to tell him that knowing Jesus was knowing the father. Seeing Jesus was seeing the father.
John 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Jesus told Thomas that if he had known Jesus that he would know the Father, and tells him that basically he has seen the father if he has seen Jesus. Clearly, even in the trinitarian understanding this cannot be a literal meaning as in the trinitarian understanding Jesus, who is the son, is not the father. As Jesus is not the father, seeing Jesus was not literally seeing the father.
Jesus has declared him, made him known. Not physically he makes him known in character, in what he did just as we are told to show Jesus in us through what we do.
(see my work on the manifestation of God)
Philip, in direct response to the statement made by Jesus, asks Jesus to show them the father.
John 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Jesus then replied to Philip that those that had seen Jesus had seen the father.
John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Again Jesus clearly isn’t saying he is the father. Jesus represents the father and shows him through his character and actions.
The Greek Grammar used by John.
Many trinitarians use The Granville Sharpe “rule” in order to demonstrate the deity of Christ in verses such as Titus 2:13. However, on closer examination of this verse we can see that John does not make use of this construct. If the trinitarian wishes to use this “rule” then they must also acknowledge that had John wanted to assert Thomas was proclaiming Jesus as both his Lord and his God then the construct of Greek he uses in this verse would not help support this.
When we look at the Greek it is much more likely that there are 2 referents in this verse
καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Ὁ Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου
The Granville sharp rule states “When the copulative kai connects two nouns of the same case, [viz. nouns (either substantive or adjective, or participles) of personal description, respecting office, dignity, affinity, or connexion, and attributes, properties, or qualities, good or ill], if the article ho, or any of its cases, precedes the first of the said nouns or participles, and is not repeated before the second noun or participle, the latter always relates to the same person that is expressed or described by the first noun or participle”
we have ὁ (Ho)(the definitive article) followed by the noun κύριός (Kyrios) Lord followed by καὶ (and) then followed by another ὁ (Ho)(the definitive article) again followed by the noun θεός (Theos) God
Using the Granville sharp rule it is very clear in the Greek that Thomas has 2 referents and is NOT referring to Jesus as Both Lord of him and God of him. There are in fact 2 (Ho) definitive articles in this verse. One (Ho) preceding the first noun Kyrios which is in the Nominative masculine singular form and another (Ho) article before the second noun Theos which is also in the nominative masculine singular form. So Ho precedes the first noun but then IS repeated before the second noun.
The “rule” is not used within John 20:28.
Thomas was not calling Jesus God but declaring the recognition of Jesus as Lord and also of his God who had raised Jesus from the dead. There 2 separate referents in the statement by Thomas.
Jesus was made Lord by God.
Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Jesus being the human representative of God and God who dwelt within Jesus, just as Jesus had proclaimed seeing him was seeing the father.
1 John 4:2 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Jesus wasn’t saying he was God here but that God dwelt IN him.
The proclamation of Thomas, which came on his realisation that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, was not him calling Jesus his God but that Jesus was the Messiah and seeing him was seeing the father who Jesus represented.
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