Thomas' Confession

Thomas’ Confession

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared several times to His disciples. However, there was one disciple who always seemed to be missing. Jesus finally caught up with him in the upper room. Jesus appears in the room while the windows and doors are locked, as usual. He greets them, “Peace be unto you.” He immediately addresses 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]

The Gospel of John does not record for us whether Thomas did indeed feel the wounds in the body of Jesus. It only records for us his one response.

“My Lord and my God.”

This is not an exclamation of surprise or wonder, as someone today might say, “Oh, my god.” No, Thomas is addressing the risen Lord Jesus. The Greek of this phrase is written in the vocative case, which is used when addressing someone. Thomas was addressing the resurrected Jesus of Nazareth, as “My Lord and my God.” This confession was an act of worship and he did this in the presence of all the other disciples. For an Israelite to address anyone as his Lord and God, apart from the Covenant God of Israel, YHVH, was absolute idolatry, and breaking the first and second commandment.

Ex. 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Either Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, was exactly what Thomas confessed, or Thomas just became an idolater in the presence of many witnesses. This would make him worthy of death.

Worse than this, if this confession of Thomas was not based in truth, Jesus is as guilty as Thomas for accepting that worshipful confession. Jesus did not rebuke him or correct him, by saying, “No, Thomas, you must worship God alone.” Instead, Jesus accepted his confessional address and actually doubled-down on it. He responded,

Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Just as Thomas did, so it is for all of us. It is this confessional belief in Jesus as the Resurrected Lord, that makes one blessed with salvation. For the apostle Paul clearly states,

Rom. 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus (or Jesus as Lord), and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

What Paul states above, is exactly what we see Thomas doing. He confessed with his mouth that Jesus is Lord. Thomas clues us in on what this title of Lord means. For the Israelite, the title Lord can have only one meaning. It is a reference to the Lord God of Israel, YHVH. This is made clear when Thomas connects the title Lord, with the defining name, God. This is nothing but the confession of a believing Israelite, who proclaims his faith in his covenant God, as “My Lord, My God.”

 

This is exactly what Paul is saying. Biblical salvation is dependent upon the confession of Jesus as Lord, the covenant God, and believing in your heart that He was truly raised from the dead. This believing He was raised from the dead, necessitates that He was clothed in humanity, so that He was able to suffer death. It requires one to believe that this Jesus was God in flesh, and that this flesh died by crucifixion and was buried. Then, three days later Jesus was raised from the dead. Forty days after being raised, He ascended to sit at the right hand of the Majesty on High, sitting on the throne of His Father David, from whence He now rules heaven and earth. One day, He shall appear a second time [Heb. 9:28], without regard to sin, but bringing the ultimate deliverance to His redeemed ones.