John: My Lord and My God

John 20:19-29

Jesus had been crucified on Friday. Early on Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene claimed to see him alive. Peter and John knew that his body was no longer in the grave. If the Jews had come for Jesus, they would come for the disciples as well. And now, with his body missing, the disciples would surely be accused of stealing it. There were many things to consider. They gathered on Sunday evening to discuss what had happened—and what might happen.

The disciples were confused and afraid. The religious leaders had put Jesus on the cross. The disciples feared they would be next. And now, with Jesus’ body gone, the Jews would accuse them of stealing it. On Sunday evening, they found a room, bolted the doors, and gathered to try to make sense of it all.

How long they were there, we don’t know. What they were discussing, we can only speculate. But…in a moment…between heartbeats…Jesus stood among them and said, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). I can only imagine there was dead silence in the room. Jesus made the first move. To prove his physical reality, Jesus showed them the marks of the crucifixion.

John 20:20-21
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.”

Jesus said to them,

John 20:21-22
“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” 

There would be other commissions, but this was the first one. As God had sent his Son to die for the sins of the world, now the Son commissioned the disciples to tell the world what he had done. But he knew they could not accomplish such a task on their own, so he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

In Genesis 2:7, God formed man from the dust of the earth, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, “and man became a living being.” Now Jesus breathed on them the Spirit of eternal life—life from above (John 3:3–10). To this point, the disciples had not fully understood who Jesus was or what he came to do. But the post-resurrection appearances allowed them to believe fully and completely. The Holy Spirit came to indwell them. Power from the Spirit would come later (Acts 2), but here John focuses on the intimate indwelling of God’s eternal Spirit. 

Then Jesus makes an interesting statement. He said to the disciples, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (John 20:23).

Is Jesus saying that the disciples have the power to forgive and/or withhold forgiveness? Has this authority been passed on to “holy men” today, as some believe?

Jesus’ statement is not referring to the disciples’ power to forgive sins. Only God, through Jesus, can forgive sin. Jesus is speaking to the power of proclaiming the means of forgiveness through him. This is consistent with the idea that Jesus is sending his disciples to proclaim the Good News (John 20:21). This same theme was repeated in Jesus’ Farewell Address (John 15:27; 16:1–4; 17:18).

That night, the disciples saw Jesus—alive! And they believed.

Well, every disciple except one.

John 20:24-25
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 

Eight days passed. Then the disciples gathered again and locked the doors. This time, Thomas made the meeting. And just like that… “Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you’” (John 20:26).

John 20:27-29
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 

Doubting Thomas no longer doubted. He saw where the spikes had been driven through Jesus’ wrists and where the spear had pierced his side. He proclaimed Jesus as his Lord and his God. Thomas was saying, in essence, “My Lord and my God! You have truly risen from the dead!”

The NET Bible sums this up well: 

The Fourth Gospel opened with many other titles for Jesus: the Lamb of God (1:29, 36); the Son of God (1:34, 49); Rabbi (1:38); Messiah (1:41); the King of Israel (1:49); the Son of Man (1:51). Now the climax is reached with the proclamation by Thomas, “My Lord and my God,” and the reader has come full circle from 1:1, where the author had introduced him to who Jesus was, to 20:28, where the last of the disciples has come to the full realization of who Jesus was. What Jesus had predicted in John 8:28 had come to pass: “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he” (Grk “I am”). By being lifted up in crucifixion (which led in turn to his death, resurrection, and exaltation with the Father) Jesus has revealed his true identity as both Lord (κύριος [kurios], used by the LXX to translate Yahweh) and God (θεός [theos], used by the LXX to translate Elohim).[1]

Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Thomas had seen the resurrected Lord up close. But many would never see Jesus up close and personal as Thomas had. And yet, without seeing, they would still believe.

Jesus was speaking of those in his time who would not be able to see the Risen Lord personally, and yet would believe through the testimony of the disciples. And he was speaking about us today.

Even though we cannot stand where Thomas stood, we still proclaim that Jesus—the Risen Lord—is our Lord and our God.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on John 20:19-29. Reflect on doubting Thomas’ proclamation—“My Lord and my God!”

Talking to God: Talk to God about the time you declared that Jesus was your Lord and God. 

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