Evidence · Case 04 · The Trinity
Thomas confesses the risen Jesus, John 20:28
One exhibit from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
When Thomas sees the risen Jesus he says, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus accepts the confession and pronounces a blessing on others who will believe the same way, rather than correcting him.
Sources
John 20:28, NASB.
Objections & responses
- Couldn’t Thomas be speaking past Jesus to the Father, or just exclaiming in astonishment, like “my God!” in English?
The text says Thomas said it to him, and the Greek carries the sense of direct address (my Lord and my God), not an idiom of surprise, which did not exist in first-century Jewish speech and would have been considered blasphemous. Jesus’s response is to bless those who will believe likewise, a strange reply to a misdirected outburst. This is also the climax of a Gospel that opened by calling the Word God, so the confession is structurally intended, not accidental.