Read John 20
The Empty Tomb
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Go Deeper
What would you do if you had just completed the most important act in human history? Let’s say you had just taken the punishment for all of humanity’s sin on the cross, and then defeated death three days later. Surely you’d want to take a victory lap! Maybe you would gloat over the soldiers who killed you or stand in the temple and teach the Pharisees a lesson. But that’s not how Jesus handles His victory. All He really wants to do is go and be with His friends.
In His reaction to defeating death we get to see the relational nature of Jesus. In the first encounter post-resurrection we read about a remarkable moment between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. In her horror, she thinks that Jesus has been taken from the tomb. Ironically, through her tears she doesn’t realize that she’s looking right at Him. However, all becomes clear in a beautiful moment when Jesus simply says her name. She’s heard Him speak her name hundreds of times before, and the way He said it in the garden stopped her in her tracks. She recognized Jesus by the way He tenderly said her name.
Shortly after, Jesus would go to be with the disciples and individually greet them as well. He knew what each of them needed, and met their needs accordingly. We read specifically with Thomas that Jesus didn’t dismiss his doubts, but rather in love displayed the scars on His hands.
This is a fascinating chapter because while Jesus’ resurrection changed the destiny of the entire world, He wanted His friends to know first. He wanted them to know He did it for them on an individual level. While the message of the empty tomb is one for the world, it’s also one specifically for you. Jesus died and rose again so that you could hear Him speak your name and set you free. Now His desire is that you would live your life with Him. As we see in this chapter, Jesus wants a relationship with you. He’ll meet you where you are at, even through the tears and the doubts.
Questions
- What most stood out to you about Jesus in this chapter?
- Why do you think Mary didn’t recognize Him right away?
- Do you feel like you are relationtionally close with Jesus? If not, how can you get there?
Keep Digging
Over the years, Thomas (unfortunately) picked up the nickname “Doubting Thomas” for wanting to see proof of Jesus’s resurrection. However, his following Jesus was so much more than a singular moment of doubt. To learn more about Thomas and his discipleship as he followed Jesus, click here!
2 thoughts on “John 20”
In the closing verses John gives us his “why “ in writing-
“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (v 30-31). John wanted to prove exclusively that Jesus is the Son of God and that all who believe in him will have eternal life. Jesus was on mission to rescue and save all who are lost and give them the gift of eternity with him. Love propelled him to engage with every human condition including death to rescue us. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, may we worship him, follow him and be on mission with him the rest of our days until we see him face to face.
WOW what it must have been like to see Jesus walk through walls, to show his hands, feet and side, to be breathed on and it was so transforming that they went from fear to courage, from death to eternal life. Eternal life is what we have when you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. It is not a quantity of time but a quality of life. We have, as believers, “heaven on earth” now, today. Because we have God in Christ in us the hope of glory Col 1:27. NOW we have a job to do and proclaim the good news, being ministers of reconciliation, love the unlovable, make disciples, be a shepherd, and as we do all these things follow Him to stay on the right road.
God thank You for living my eternity in the now. The beginning of my forever with You has started and I need to live accordingly. You have called me to be a servant. Teach me how to accomplish this to Your glory. I desire to be feeding Your sheep, healing Your sick, befriending the unlovable of this world, show me, teach me, guide me in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!