A common misinterpretation denies the passage's affirmation of Jesus' deity by claiming Thomas addresses two separate beings—'my Lord' to Jesus and 'my God' as an exclamation to the Father—despite the singular direct address 'unto him' indicating Jesus alone; this view, often held in non-Trinitarian circles, overlooks the immediate context where Jesus accepts the worship without rebuke, contrasting with instances where he redirects praise elsewhere, thus undermining the text's clear Christological claim.
John 20:28
King James Version (1769)
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
In John 20:28, Thomas, previously doubting the resurrection, encounters the risen Jesus and profoundly confesses 'My Lord and my God,' directly affirming Christ's divine identity and lordship; this climactic declaration serves as a pivotal moment of faith, encapsulating the Gospel's theme that seeing and believing in Jesus leads to worshiping him as fully God incarnate, fulfilling the purpose stated in John 20:31 for readers to believe and have life in his name.