Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:28
How many times have you heard someone say or you yourself say, “My God!” Many say it out of habit, as an exclamation point to a thought they’ve had or something they’ve seen. Call me old fashioned (or a legalist maybe), but I’ve tried to remove “my God” as an exclamation point from my vocabulary. I’ve done and continue to do the same thing for my kids. I simply don’t want to speak of God in such a flippant way. But I think there are times to say, “My God!” Moments occur in life when we’re taken aback by God and the only thing we can say is “My God!”
However, anytime I hear someone say, “My God!” I think of John 20:28. The setting is no doubt unique. Jesus has unexpectedly died by crucifixion, but similarly he has also miraculously and surprisingly been resurrected. He’s appeared to all of his disciples except Thomas.
If you’re familiar with Thomas, you probably know him as “Doubting” Thomas. While all the other disciples were in shock and amazement that they had seen Jesus alive, Thomas just could not believe the news. He even says, “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” (John 20:25). Eight days later Jesus appears before the disciples, including Thomas this time, and he says 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” (John 20:27).
Upon hearing, seeing, and touching Jesus, Thomas exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” While this exclamation is certainly a shout of astonishment and praise, it is also more than that. Thomas makes a bold confession. He confess Jesus as divine, as God. While Thomas certainly hasn’t worked out all the Trinitarian and Christological nuances, the resurrection demands he understand Jesus as God. Only God can defeat death. Why? Because only God is the true source of life. While Thomas had believed a lot of things up to this point about Jesus, he was now certain of the most important thing––Jesus is God.
What say you?
Can you with Thomas confess to Jesus “My lord and my God?” I pray you have moments in life when out of astonishment and praise you are forced to exclaim, “My God!” But sometimes those moments can be few and far between. It’s not because Jesus isn’t active. He’s always active. As God, he is our divine king, ruling and reigning over creation. Nothing occurs outside of his sovereign sight. And everything that comes to pass is because of his will.
However, in light of that truth and reality, it can be difficult to see forest the forest for the trees. Life is hard. Times can be difficult. And we can quickly get lost and forget that Jesus is God. I pray that even in the midst of challenges, we can still confess Jesus as “Our Lord and our God!” Because he is.
Before you do anything else today, pause, breathe, and confess, “Jesus, my Lord and my God.”
