"My Lord and My God!" — What Did Thomas Actually Mean?

*Understanding John 20:28 and how the Bible uses the word "god"* --- Thomas wasn't there when Jesus first appeared to the disciples after his resurrection. When the others told him they'd seen the Lord, he refused to believe unless he could see and touch the wounds himself. Eight days later, Jesus appeared again — and this time Thomas was present. Jesus invited him to touch his wounds and stop doubting. Thomas responded: > "My Lord and my God!" — John 20:28 For Trinitarians, this is one of the clearest proofs that Jesus is God. Thomas addressed Jesus directly as "God," and Jesus didn't correct him. What more do you need? But as with most proof texts, the picture becomes more complicated when you examine the context, the language, and how Scripture uses the word "god" elsewhere. Let's work through it. --- ## Was Thomas Addressing Jesus — Or Exclaiming to the Father? Some have suggested Thomas was exclaiming in shock — looking at Jesus but crying out to God the Father, the way someone today might see something astonishing and say, "Oh my God!" This interpretation has some appeal, but it's probably not the best reading. The text says Thomas answered "him" — Jesus. And Jesus responded to Thomas's statement approvingly: "Because you have seen me, have you believed? Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29). So yes, Thomas was addressing Jesus directly. But that doesn't end the conversation — it opens it. The question is: in what sense did Thomas call Jesus "god"? --- ## The Biblical Use of "God" for Others Besides Jehovah Here's where most Trinitarians stop too soon. They assume "god" (*theos* in Greek, *elohim* in Hebrew) can only mean Almighty God. But Scripture itself uses these terms more broadly. **Moses was called "god" to Pharaoh:** > "Jehovah said to Moses: 'See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will become your prophet.'" — Exodus 7:1 Moses wasn't Jehovah. He was Jehovah's representative, acting with divine authority on his behalf. **The judges of Israel were called "gods":** > "God takes his place in the divine assembly; in the middle of the gods he judges." — Psalm 82:1 > "I have said, 'You are gods, all of you sons of the Most High.'" — Psalm 82:6 These "gods" were human judges who represented Jehovah in judgment. They weren't divine beings — in fact, the psalm goes on to condemn them for judging unjustly. But the term *elohim* was applied to them because they held a divinely appointed role. **Angels are called "gods":** > "For who in the skies can compare to Jehovah? Who among the sons of God is like Jehovah?" — Psalm 89:6 > "Worship him, all you gods." — Psalm 97:7 (applied to angels in Hebrews 1:6) Even spirit creatures are called *elohim* without being Jehovah. **Satan is called "the god of this system of things":** > "The god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers." — 2 Corinthians 4:4 No one thinks Paul was saying Satan is the Almighty. The term "god" here indicates a position of power and influence, not identity with Jehovah. The point: "god" in Scripture is not always a reference to Jehovah. It can describe someone who represents God, carries divine authority, or holds an exalted position. Recognizing this doesn't diminish God's uniqueness — it reflects how the Bible actually uses the word. --- ## Jesus Himself Made This Argument This isn't speculation. Jesus explicitly made this point when the Jews accused him of blasphemy for calling himself God's Son. > "The Jews answered him: 'We are stoning you, not for a fine work, but for blasphemy; because you, although being a man, make yourself a god.' Jesus answered them: 'Is it not written in your Law, "I said: 'You are gods'"? If he called "gods" those against whom the word of God came — and yet the scripture cannot be nullified — do you say to me whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, "You blaspheme," because I said, "I am God's Son"?'" — John 10:33-36 Jesus quoted Psalm 82:6 — where human judges were called "gods" — to justify his own claim. His argument: if Scripture uses "gods" for imperfect humans in positions of divine authority, why is it blasphemy for the one the Father sanctified and sent to call himself God's Son? Notice what he didn't say. He didn't say, "I'm claiming to be Jehovah, and that's appropriate because I am Jehovah." He clarified: "I said I am God's Son." Jesus distinguished himself from the judges (*they* were called gods; *I* am called God's Son) while affirming that the term "god" can legitimately apply to those who represent Jehovah. --- ## In What Sense Is Jesus "God"? Given this background, what did Thomas mean when he called Jesus "my Lord and my God"? The most natural reading: Thomas recognized Jesus as his Lord (master, sovereign) and as a divine being — someone who represents God so completely that he can be called "god" in the way Scripture uses the term for others who bear divine authority. Jesus is not just a human prophet. He's the Son of God, the one through whom all things were made (John 1:3), the exact representation of Jehovah's very being (Hebrews 1:3). He holds the highest position under Jehovah, with all authority in heaven and on earth given to him (Matthew 28:18). Does that make him *the* God — Jehovah himself? No. Jehovah is never described as having authority "given" to him. Jehovah doesn't have a God over him. Jehovah didn't "come down from heaven" or get "sent" by someone else. But Jesus fits all those descriptions — and he fits the biblical category of one who can be called "god" because he perfectly represents the true God. --- ## Jesus Has a God Over Him The same Gospel that records Thomas's declaration also records Jesus saying this: > "I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God." — John 20:17 This was spoken *after* the resurrection — just days before Thomas's confession. Jesus still called the Father "my God." If Jesus *is* Jehovah, how can he have a God? Jehovah has no God. But the Son of God does. Later, in the book of Revelation, the exalted, glorified Jesus — speaking from heaven — still refers to "my God" multiple times: > "The one who conquers — I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will by no means go out from it anymore, and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that descends out of heaven from my God, and my own new name." — Revelation 3:12 Four times in one verse, Jesus calls the Father "my God." This is not the language of co-equality. It's the language of a Son who has a Father above him — even in his glorified heavenly state. --- ## What Did John Want Readers to Understand? The Gospel of John states its purpose clearly: > "These have been written down so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through believing, you may have life by means of his name." — John 20:31 Not "so that you may believe Jesus is God." The Son of God. John recorded Thomas's words as part of building toward this conclusion. Thomas recognized Jesus as divine in the sense that he perfectly represents the Father, carries divine authority, and is worthy of the highest honor short of worship due to Jehovah alone. That's exactly what "Son of God" means. If John had wanted readers to conclude that Jesus *is* Jehovah, he had ample opportunity to say so. Instead, he consistently showed Jesus distinguishing himself from the Father, praying to the Father, being sent by the Father, and calling the Father "my God." --- ## Did Jesus Accept Worship? Some argue that Jesus accepted Thomas's statement without correction, proving he received worship due only to God. But what did Jesus actually say? > "Because you have seen me, have you believed? Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe." — John 20:29 Jesus acknowledged Thomas's faith — but the commendation was about believing, not about worship. There's no indication Jesus was accepting the kind of exclusive worship that belongs to Jehovah alone. Throughout his ministry, Jesus consistently directed ultimate glory to the Father: > "I do not accept glory from men... I do not seek my own glory." — John 5:41; 8:50 > "The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him." — John 5:23 Honoring the Son and honoring the Father are connected — but the Son is honored *because* the Father sent him. The Father remains the source, the one to whom ultimate glory belongs. --- ## Summary | Trinitarian Claim | What the Text Actually Shows | |-------------------|------------------------------| | Thomas called Jesus "God" — meaning Jehovah | "God" (*theos/elohim*) is used for Moses, judges, angels, and others who represent Jehovah | | Jesus didn't correct Thomas, so he accepted the title | Jesus commended Thomas's faith, not an act of worship | | This proves Jesus is the Almighty | Jesus himself called the Father "my God" — even after his resurrection (John 20:17; Revelation 3:12) | | John's Gospel teaches Jesus is God | John 20:31 says it was written so we'd believe Jesus is "the Son of God" | --- ## What Thomas Got Right Thomas recognized something real. Jesus had just demonstrated power over death. He was standing there in a resurrected body, bearing the marks of his execution, alive and speaking. Thomas realized this was no ordinary man — this was his Lord, his master, and someone who could only be described in divine terms. He was right. Jesus is divine. He existed before Abraham, before creation. He was with God in the beginning and was himself called "a god" or "divine" (John 1:1). He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, the one through whom all things were made. But he is not Jehovah. He is the Son of Jehovah. And recognizing that distinction doesn't diminish him — it honors the relationship Scripture actually describes. --- ## Why It Matters Getting this right affects how we understand God's purpose. Jehovah sent his Son — a distinct person — to die for us. The Son willingly obeyed, learned obedience through suffering, and was exalted by the Father to the highest position under him. That's a relationship. That's love between two persons. That's something we can understand and be moved by. The Trinity collapses this into a philosophical abstraction — three persons who are really one being, distinct but not separate, equal but somehow one praying to another. It takes the personal relationship between Father and Son and turns it into a theological riddle. Scripture keeps it clear. There is one God, Jehovah. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thomas recognized his Lord and expressed it in the strongest terms available. And John preserved it so we could recognize the same thing. --- *Studying what the Bible teaches about Jesus? [NWT Progress](https://nwtprogress.com) helps you track your reading, take study notes, and go deeper into Scripture with tools built for Jehovah's Witnesses.*