My Lord and My God
The printed guide is laid out to teach from: a run sheet, a page per section with room for notes, and a one-sheet handout with a kids’ page on the back.
The risen Jesus is Lord and God, written down so you may believe.
Open with it, bring it back after every section, close with it. By the end they should be able to finish the sentence for you.
John 20:1-18, The Empty Tomb — Whom are you seeking? The risen Jesus comes and calls you by name.
Open
Recall last time: at the empty tomb Mary met the risen Jesus and ran to tell the disciples she had seen the Lord. Ask: When someone tells you news that sounds too good to be true, what do you need before you believe it? Read John 20:31 aloud. Big idea: The risen Jesus is Lord and God, written down so you may believe. Ask one person what stuck from last time.
The run sheet
The Man Who Wasn't There
John 20:24-25
Thomas heard the news from people he trusted and still refused it without proof.
- Thomas missed the night Jesus came to the others.
- His friends gave him a plain report.
- Thomas set hard terms before he would believe.
The disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands… I will never believe.”
Discuss: What would it take for you to believe something this big?
- Fill the gap (vv.19-23, unread): on resurrection evening Jesus came to the locked room and showed his hands and side. Thomas was out (v.24).
- Thomas's demand is specific and physical: see, touch, hand in the side. "I will never believe" (v.25).
- "Didymus" means twin. Thomas has a twin in every honest skeptic in the room.
- The others did not argue. They kept telling what they saw, and they kept Thomas close.
Illustration idea: A friend texts that they won the lottery. Your first reply is, "Pics or it didn't happen."
Listen for:
- I'd need to see it myself.
- I'd need people I trust to be sure.
If it drifts: If it turns into a general debate about proof, go back to verse 25. What exactly did Thomas ask for, and why those wounds?
Thomas wanted proof that Jesus was alive. John wants you to see who Jesus is.
Short on time? Drop the optional points. Keep the verse 19-23 summary.
Bridge → Thomas drew his line. Now watch what Jesus does with it.
Jesus Comes to the Doubter
John 20:26-29
Jesus meets Thomas's doubt on Thomas's own terms, and Thomas worships him as God.
- Jesus comes back to the same locked room and speaks peace first.
- He offers Thomas exactly what Thomas demanded.
- Thomas calls him Lord and God, and Jesus accepts it.
Jesus said, “Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”
Discuss: Why do you think Jesus answered Thomas's exact words instead of scolding him?
- Jesus repeats Thomas's own conditions back to him: finger, hands, side (v.27). He heard every word.
- "My Lord and my God!" (v.28). John's first chapter said the Word was God. Here a disciple says it to Jesus' face, and Jesus does not correct him.
- Contrast: in Acts 14, when crowds tried to worship the apostles Paul and Barnabas, they tore their clothes and refused. Jesus receives it.
- Verse 29 turns toward us. The blessing is for those who have not seen.
Illustration idea: A friend quotes back, word for word, a worry you told them months ago. You realize they were really listening.
Listen for:
- He knew Thomas was honest, not stubborn.
- He wanted Thomas to come back, not feel ashamed.
If it drifts: If people start debating whether Thomas actually touched the wounds, the text doesn't say. Point to what it does say: what Thomas called Jesus in verse 28.
Thomas got his proof and said the truest thing: Jesus is Lord and God.
Short on time? Cut the Acts 14 contrast. Keep verses 27-28.
Bridge → Jesus just blessed people who never saw him. John now tells us who he means.
Written for You
John 20:30-31
John tells us plainly that his whole Gospel was written so readers who were not there may believe and live.
- John left out many signs on purpose.
- He tells us why he wrote the ones we have.
- The goal is belief, and belief brings life.
These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
By believing you may have life in His name.
Discuss: If this book was written so you may believe, what does it ask of you?
- "Many other signs… not written" (v.30). John chose what to tell, and he chose it for a reason.
- "So that you may believe" (v.31). The "you" is the reader. We are the ones who have not seen.
- Peter, one of Jesus' closest followers, later wrote to Christians who loved Jesus without having seen him (1 Peter 1:8).
Illustration idea: A grandmother writes a recipe card so the family can still make her bread after she is gone. It was written so you could have it.
Listen for:
- It asks me to trust Jesus.
- It asks me to decide who he is.
If it drifts: If talk moves to the other signs John left out, bring it back: why did he write the ones he kept? Read verse 31 again.
You weren't in that room. John wrote it down so you may believe that Jesus is Lord and God.
Short on time? Skip the discussion and read verse 31 slowly twice.
Bridge → Let verse 31 stand as the last word and move to the close.
Close — never cut it
End where John ends: on who Jesus is. The risen Jesus heard a doubter's exact words, came to him, and was worshiped as Lord and God. Read verse 31 once more, slowly, and say plainly that this Gospel was written so that each person here may believe and have life in his name. Then let the invitation stand in quiet, without pressure.
If section 3 starts late, drop its discussion and optional point and go straight from verse 31 to the close.
“But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:31
With one friend, over coffee
About 30 minutes · for a friend who is curious, or not sure
- Start with honesty. Ask what it would take for them to believe something huge. Say that Thomas asked the same thing, and the Bible leaves his question in.
- Read it together. Read John 20:24-31 aloud. Briefly explain that a week earlier Jesus had come to the others while Thomas was out.
- Notice how Jesus answers. Point out that Jesus repeats Thomas's own conditions and offers peace, not a scolding. Then look at what Thomas says in verse 28.
- Face the objection. Admit that it can feel unfair that Thomas got proof and we don't. Point out that John saw this coming. Verse 31 says the writing itself is what we get: testimony from people who were in that room.
- Leave the question. Read verse 31 again. John wrote this so that you may believe. Let them sit with who they would say Jesus is, and tell them you're glad to keep talking whenever they want.
“Why did Thomas get proof and I don't?”
That's fair to ask. Thomas was one of the people whose testimony we now read. John wrote down what they saw so we would have it.
“Isn't believing without seeing just gullible?”
Blind faith would be. This is trust based on eyewitness reports, the same way we trust much of history. You can still test it.
“What does 'life in His name' mean?”
In John, life means knowing God and belonging to him, starting now and not ending at death. It comes through Jesus himself.
“What if I believe but still doubt sometimes?”
Thomas doubted a whole week, and Jesus came back for him. Doubt doesn't shut Jesus out.
Evergreen principles
Four standards every week. The rest rotate: each lesson brings the few that fit its passage best.
Let the Bible do the talking
John states his own purpose in verse 31. You don't need to supply one.
If you’re new: Read verse 31 aloud at the start and again at the end, with no commentary.
If you’ve taught for years: Trace Thomas's words from verse 25 to verse 28 and let the change speak without explanation.
Plan for the skeptic and the grieving
This passage honors an honest doubter, and some people in the room will be one.
If you’re new: Say out loud that doubters are welcome here, just as Thomas was welcome in that room.
If you’ve taught for years: Be ready with the eyewitness point from 1 John 1:1-3 if someone presses on evidence.
Let the passage land the way it lands
The text ends on who Jesus is and why John wrote, not on a homework task.
If you’re new: Close with verse 31 and quiet. Don't add a to-do list.
If you’ve taught for years: Resist the urge to call for a response. Let John's own invitation carry the weight.
Pray before you prepare
Teaching the Bible is spiritual work first (John 15:5).
If you’re new: Pray for your class by name during the week.
If you’ve taught for years: Pray for the one person you find hardest to reach.
Study the text first
Understand the passage yourself before any help.
If you’re new: Read it in two translations; write your own questions first.
If you’ve taught for years: Don’t lean on old notes. What did you miss last time?
Teach one big idea
People remember one sentence, not four points.
If you’re new: Write it in 12 words or fewer before anything else.
If you’ve taught for years: Test every story against it. If it doesn’t serve it, cut it.
Point to Christ
All of Scripture points to him (Luke 24:27).
If you’re new: Ask: what does this show about Jesus?
If you’ve taught for years: Show grace as the reason for obedience, not just the rule.
Openings & closings
Pick one opening and one close; rotate so class doesn’t get predictable.
ask a real-life question
What would you need before you believed a friend who said they saw someone alive after a funeral?
use an object
Hold up a closed Bible and ask: Why was this book written? Then read John 20:31.
start in the text
Read Thomas's line from verse 25 cold: “Unless I see the nail marks… I will never believe.” Ask who has felt that.
restate the big idea
The risen Jesus is Lord and God. John wrote it down so you may believe.
allow quiet reflection
Read verse 28, then give a minute of silence to consider what Thomas called Jesus.
send them out with a verse
Send them out with John 20:31, read slowly once.
When class gets hard
Someone says honestly, 'I'm Thomas, and Jesus hasn't shown up for me.'
Thank them. Don't rush to fix it. Point out that Jesus came back for Thomas, and that John wrote so readers like us could have the witnesses' testimony. Offer to keep talking afterward.
Someone who drifted from faith feels ashamed of their doubt.
Show them that Jesus' first words in that room were “Peace be with you,” and that Thomas was welcomed back, not shamed.
Silence after a question
Wait. Then rephrase simpler, or ask them to talk to a neighbor first.
One person dominates
“Thanks. Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet.” Talk privately if it continues.
A question you can’t answer
Say so, write it down, bring an answer next week.
A tangent takes over
“Great question. Let’s catch it after class so we can finish the passage.”
Read this week
- Luke 24:36-43
- 1 John 1:1-3
- 1 Peter 1:8-9
For kids
The printable guide puts this on the back of the handout, with a word search and a secret code.
Jesus is my Lord and my God.
- Thomas missed seeing Jesus.
- Friends said, “We have seen the Lord!”
- Thomas said he needed to see.
- Jesus came while doors were locked.
- Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!”
- Thomas before seeing Jesus: worried
- The other disciples: happy
- Thomas after seeing Jesus: happy
- People who believe without seeing: happy
Memory verse: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29
Act it out: Kids sit together as the disciples. One child as Thomas stands outside while the others say, “We have seen the Lord!” and Thomas shakes his head. Then the teacher, as Jesus, steps in and says, “Peace be with you,” and holds out open hands. Thomas answers, “My Lord and my God!”
Draw it: Draw Jesus in a room with a locked door, showing his hands to Thomas.
Finish the sentence: I can believe in Jesus even though I ______.