John 20:28 Meaning and Explanation
“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.”
King James Version (KJV)
This study note uses an AI-assisted editorial workflow with source, duplication, and quality checks. See how verse explanations are prepared.
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Thomas moves from doubt to the fullest confession: he addresses the risen Jesus as God himself, the Gospel's climactic declaration.
The Context of John 20:28
Thomas, upon seeing and being invited to touch the risen Jesus, makes the fullest confession of faith in the entire Gospel.
What Does John 20:28 Mean?
Thomas speaks the simplest, most profound words. My Lord and my God. In that phrase, all doubt dissolves. He does not say, ''I believe you are raised.'' He says, ''You are my God.'' This is the confession of a man who has been undone by encountering the divine. The same Jesus who walked with him, who was executed before his eyes, now stands before him as God incarnate. Every temple, every ritual, every prayer to the invisible God now has a face.
These words are the pinnacle of the Gospel of John. From the opening, ''In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,'' we journey toward this moment. A disciple, shattered and reconstituted, stands before the living God and knows him. That recognition is available to every reader who encounters this Gospel.
Where John 20:28 Echoes in Scripture
John 1:1, the prologue's 'the Word was God'; John 10:30, Jesus's claim 'I and my Father are one'; Philippians 2:9-11, every knee bowing and every tongue confessing Jesus as Lord.
How to Apply John 20:28 Today
The risen Christ stands before you in Scripture and in prayer. What would it mean to address him, as Thomas did, with the fullness of surrender: 'My Lord and my God'?