John 20:28 is a statement by Thomas who had refused to believe that Jesus had been resurrected. His statement is a phrase without subject or verb and if subject and verb are to be supplied by the translator, it
could read “
you are My Lord and My God.” It is more likely, however, that it would be translated more like “My Lord and my God
be praised.” This would mean that the phrase was meant as a doxology to the
Father. Doxologies and other commonly used phrases frequently have words missing in the Greek text.
Many trinitarians say, instead, that this phrase by Thomas was an ADDRESS to Jesus. If true, this would mean that Thomas was naming
Jesus by these words. However, it is rare that a person is addressed and not spoken to further. For example, “Then they said to him, ‘Lord,
always give us this bread.’” (John 6:34).
However, there is actual proof that John did not intend this as an ADDRESS to Jesus.
You see, whenever John, and the other NT writers, used “Lord” as a noun of address, they used the form of the word known as a
vocative. This means that if John understood Thomas’ word as an
address to Jesus, they would write the word
kurie. Whereas when they intended it as a subject (“My Lord …be praised”) they used the nominative form of the word (
Kurios).
Kurios is the form used at John 20:28.
So, the probability is that this incomplete phrase is a doxology to the
Father.
Furthermore, if
John had, somehow, understood Thomas’ statement as some trinitarians insist, he certainly would have provided some follow-up clarification and emphasis in his own comments.
Surely John would have shown Thomas prostrating himself before “God” and worshiping him (but he doesn’t!). So how does John summarize this incident?
- “But these were written that you may
believe [Believe what? That Jesus is
God? Here, then, is where it
should have been written
if John really believed such a thing:] that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” - John 20:31,
RSV. (Be sure to compare 1 John 5:5.)
Or, as the trinitarian
The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 1985, states in a footnote for this scripture:
“This whole Gospel is written to show the truth of Jesus’
Messiahship and to present him as the
Son of God, so that the readers may
believe in him.”
Obviously, neither Jesus’ response,
nor Thomas’ responses (before
and after his statement at John 20:28), nor John’s summation of the event at 20:31 recognizes Thomas’ statement to mean that Jesus is the only true God!
See my study of this scripture here:
Examining the Trinity: MYGOD