John 20:17: “My God and Your God.” Does Jesus Having a God Mean He Is Not God?

John 20:17John 20:17 · King James VersionJesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.John 20:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source has the risen Jesus tell Mary that he ascends to his Father and their Father, his God and their God. Qur’an 5:117Qur’an 5:117 · Saheeh InternationalI said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.Qur’an 5:117 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source has him say he commanded people to worship Allah, “my Lord and your Lord.” John 20:28John 20:28 · King James VersionAnd Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen the Source, eleven verses later, has Thomas say “My LORD and my God.” Jesus is God. Having the Father as his God is the Son speaking as man.

Key Points

• John 20:17John 20:17 · King James VersionJesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.John 20:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) says he has not yet ascended, and he sends Mary to his brothers with “my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”
• The “touch me not” is tied to that ascent. He has not yet gone to the Father.
• Qur’an 5:117Qur’an 5:117 · Saheeh InternationalI said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.Qur’an 5:117 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (3), Saheeh International, has Jesus say he told them only what he was commanded: to worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.
• Qur’an 5:116Qur’an 5:116 · Saheeh InternationalAnd [beware the Day] when Allāh will say, "O Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as deities besides Allāh?'" He will say, "Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen.Qur’an 5:116 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (4) is the question just before that answer: did you tell people to take me and my mother as deities besides Allah? He says exalted are you, it was not for me to say that.
• John 20:28John 20:28 · King James VersionAnd Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen the Source (2) is Thomas answering the risen Jesus: “My LORD and my God.”
• Hebrews 1:8–9Hebrews 1:8–9 · King James Version^1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. ^1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.Hebrews 1:8–9 · King James VersionOpen the Source (6) has the Father address the Son as God, and then say the Son’s God has anointed him. Both lines are in one address.

What John 20:17 Says

In John 20:16–17John 20:16 · King James VersionJesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.John 20:16 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1), Mary has just recognized the risen Jesus at the tomb and called him Rabboni. He tells her, “Touch me not,” which some modern versions render “do not cling to me,” because he has not yet ascended to the Father. He sends her to his brothers. The message is that he ascends to his Father and their Father, and to his God and their God.

The sentence is his. He calls the Father “my God.” Muslims read that as the same confession Qur’an 5:117Qur’an 5:117 · Saheeh InternationalI said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.Qur’an 5:117 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (3) puts in his mouth: he and his hearers share one Lord, and he is not that Lord. The concession is in the Gospel itself. The risen Jesus does call the Father his God. If Jesus Is God, Why Did He Pray? is the longer account of the prayers. A servant’s voice is what Philippians 2:7Philippians 2:7 · King James VersionBut made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:Philippians 2:7 · King James VersionOpen the Source says he took.

What Qur’an 5:117 Says

Qur’an 5:116Qur’an 5:116 · Saheeh InternationalAnd [beware the Day] when Allāh will say, "O Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as deities besides Allāh?'" He will say, "Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen.Qur’an 5:116 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (4) is Allah asking Jesus, son of Mary, whether he told people to take him and his mother as deities besides Allah. Jesus says Allah is exalted, and that if he had said it, Allah would have known. Qur’an 5:117Qur’an 5:117 · Saheeh InternationalI said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.Qur’an 5:117 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (3), Saheeh International:

I said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.

Qur’an 5:116 · Saheeh International

Qur’an · accepted by Muslims

“My Lord and your Lord” is the Qur’an’s pair for the Gospel’s “my God and your God.” The picture in the question is Jesus and Mary as two deities besides Allah. Qur’an 4:171Qur’an 4:171 · Saheeh InternationalO People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allāh except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allāh and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allāh and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allāh is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allāh as Disposer of affairs.Qur’an 4:171 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (5) says Jesus was a messenger and a word Allah directed to Mary, and it says do not say “Three,” and that Allah is exalted above having a son. Christians do not confess Mary as a deity beside God. Qur’an 6:101Qur’an 6:101 · Saheeh International[He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion [i.e., wife] and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing.Qur’an 6:101 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source asks how he could have a son when he has no companion, and Can God Have a Son? takes up that objection. The Trinity is not that triad. The Trinity is one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

John 20:17John 20:17 · King James VersionJesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.John 20:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source and Qur’an 5:117Qur’an 5:117 · Saheeh InternationalI said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.Qur’an 5:117 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source can be set side by side without pretending they say the same thing about who Jesus is. Both have him speak of God as his Lord. Only the Gospel then has a disciple answer him with “My Lord and my God.”

What “Touch Me Not” Is About

The King James “Touch me not” is the first clause of John 20:17John 20:17 · King James VersionJesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.John 20:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1). The reason is in the same verse: he is not yet ascended to the Father. Later in the chapter he tells Thomas to reach hither his finger and his hand, and thrust it into his side. The prohibition is not a permanent rule that the risen Jesus cannot be touched, and it is not a statement that he has no body. Was Jesus Raised Bodily? is that question on the Jehovah’s Witness reading. Here the clause explains why Mary is sent with a message instead of keeping him there. The message is the ascent to the Father.

What John 20:28 Says

John 20:28John 20:28 · King James VersionAnd Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen the Source (2) is Thomas, who was not with them the first night. Jesus shows the wounds and tells him to reach. Thomas answers, “My LORD and my God.” The Gospel does not correct him. Eleven verses after “my God and your God,” the same Jesus is called God by a disciple, to his face.

Hebrews 1:8–9Hebrews 1:8–9 · King James Version^1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. ^1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.Hebrews 1:8–9 · King James VersionOpen the Source (6) holds both kinds of sentence in one speech of the Father to the Son. The Father says, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever,” and then, “therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee.” The Son is addressed as God, and he has a God. That is the incarnation, not a second god and not a denial. My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? is the cry from the cross, which is Psalm 22:1Psalms 22:1 · King James VersionMy God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?Psalms 22:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source in the mouth of the Son. Does Jesus Have a God? walks the same verses beside the claim that a God of his own means he is not God.

John 1:1John 1:1 · King James VersionIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the Word was God. John 1:14John 1:14 · King James VersionAnd the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.John 1:14 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the Word was made flesh. The man who says “my God” is that Word. Biblical Unitarians and many Muslim readers stop at “my God.” The chapter they are quoting does not stop there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does “Touch Me Not” Mean in John 20:17?

John 20:17John 20:17 · King James VersionJesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.John 20:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source ties it to the ascent: he has not yet gone to the Father. He sends Mary with the message. Later in the chapter he tells Thomas to reach his hand into his side.

What Does Qur’an 5:117 Say?

In Saheeh International, Jesus answers that he said only what he was commanded and was a witness over them while he was among them. When Allah took him up, Allah was the Observer over them.

Does Jesus Having a God Mean He Is Not God?

John 20:17John 20:17 · King James VersionJesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.John 20:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the Father is his God. John 20:28John 20:28 · King James VersionAnd Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen the Source says Thomas calls him God. Hebrews 1:8–9Hebrews 1:8–9 · King James Version^1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. ^1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.Hebrews 1:8–9 · King James VersionOpen the Source has the Father call the Son God and then speak of the Son’s God. The Son who became man has the Father as his God. The Word is God.

Why Does Thomas Say “My LORD and My God”?

John 20:28John 20:28 · King James VersionAnd Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen the Source is his answer when he sees the wounds. The King James words are “My LORD and my God.” The Gospel records them as spoken to Jesus. It does not add a rebuke.

Keep Reading

• Does Jesus Have a God?
• If Jesus Is God, Why Did He Pray?
• My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?
• Can God Have a Son?
• The Trinity
• Is Jesus God?
• What Is Biblical Unitarianism?