John 20:28 (NASB)
Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
The week’s memory verse by itself may not seem to be all that powerful. But in the context of John this is the high point of the witness that Jesus is God. Six other witnesses claim that Jesus is God throughout the book of John. First, John the Baptist, then Nathanael, Peter, Martha, Thomas and later John and Jesus Himself. The book of John was written that people might believe that Jesus Christ was God. John brings seven witnesses to the stand to prove this fact.
Lord (kyrios) is a word that has little import for a modern reader. In that day, it stood for an owner, possessor, a potentate, a sovereign, a power, deity. It was reserved for someone who had power over life and death. It was someone you must obey or be willing to suffer the consequences. To state “My Lord” was to indicate that you would do all that your master asked of you. Thomas realized that Jesus is truly the risen Lord. All that Jesus had said had come true. He was looking at the risen Lord. Thomas also knew that Jesus is both Lord and God, the Sovereign majesty of the universe.
In 20:31, John discloses his purpose for writing the Gospel. Belief leads to life, and this life is a gift given through the power of Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
Thomas, is a man no different from us. He is a man for whom faith will only be a reality when the concrete evidence of resurrection is provided to him. He possesses no experience at an empty tomb, nor has he heard or seen Jesus. Thus, faith seems for him daunting and impossible. Thomas becomes a prototype for us, who read the story of Jesus from a distance. We hear the report, we read John’s Gospel, and at once we are challenged to believe. Thomas obtains what he desires and so believes, but he misses the blessing that Jesus pronounces on those who believe even though they cannot touch Jesus’ wounds. This is precisely our position as we live out our lives and our faith in the modern world.