Bible Study - Gospel of John Chapter 20
Bible Study - Gospel of John Chapter 20
| 1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene *came early to the tomb, while it *was still dark, and *saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. |
The first day of the week in the Jewish system is Sunday, as it is in most countries in the west. Magdalene is not a family/last name. They didn't exist in Israel at this time. People were differentiated by who their parent was, their city or region of origin, by their work, by some personal characteristic, or by a nickname. In this case, Magdalene means she is a person from Magdala, which is a city on the Sea of Galilee. Mark and Luke mention how Jesus had cast seven demons out of her which is a significant characteristic. But referring to her by that characteristic when she was now free of the demons would have been inappropriate. So her origin is used to distinguish her from the many other Marys at the time. John does not mention the others that were with Mary Magdalene, nor why they came to the tomb. In Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:1 we are told that Mary was accompanied by two other women and that they were bringing the spices they had prepared to anoint Jesus' body with. This is not a contradiction, but a choice by the authors of what details to include in their gospel. It may be that John only mentions the one because that is who he saw himself and not the other women. But it is more likely that John only includes those who are significant to the account he related. Some critics try to say that Mark and Luke were fabricating this as Jesus would have been already wrapped in his burial shroud. However, these critics are the ones who are making things up. The purpose of the spices were to honor the dead and cover the smell of decay. There was no reason they could not be applied to the shroud already in place. When a large amount was used for a king or very influential man it was normal for the shroud to become impregnated with the abundance of spices even if the spices were applied first. The stone in front of the tomb was not mentioned in chapter 19 when Jesus was laid in the tomb for the same reason as the other women weren't mentioned. It wasn't significant to John's account until this point. This is not a conflict with the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 28:2-4 is a flashback to what happened to the stone and the soldiers guarding it. Matthew recorded this as important to his account, and it occurred before the women got there. Then Matthew skipped the women leaving and Mary Magdalene telling Peter and John. Then he resumes the timeline with the women seeing the angels who are at this point inside the tomb. That John includes that women found the tomb to be empty and brought the news to the others is evidence that this account is true and not a fabrication. If this was made up to invent a new religion they would never have chosen women for such an important and foundational event in the story as it would be viewed as a negative thing in the cultures of the time. Other negative details like the disciples hiding behind locked doors and Peter's denial of Jesus three times would also have been left out of a fictional account. |
| 2 So she *ran and *came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and *said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." | The disciple Jesus loved is John, the author of this gospel. After Peter and John she told the other disciples. It is also likely that she left the unused spices behind for the others to carry home so she could get the news back as soon as possible. They all thought someone must have taken the body of Jesus. |
| 3 So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. | John distances himself from his account in not naming himself in his own gospel. But it was common knowledge in the church that he was the author. Additionally, there are many details recorded that show it was him. |
| 4 The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; | It doesn't say why they ran to the tomb or what they thought they could do when they got there. That they didn't stay together means they were running as fast as they could. It could be their motivation was just to see what had happened to the one they loved. |
| 5 and stooping and looking in, he *saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. |
Since John got there first he was the first of the twelve to look inside and see the linen wrappings were still there. Scripture doesn't say why he didn't go into the tomb as soon as he got there. It may be because the scene didn't make sense. If humans had taken the body they wouldn't have taken the wrappings off first. It would have made no sense to unwrap Jesus first. This detail doesn't make John look good, which supports that this is a true account. In a fictional story he wouldn't put such a detail. |
| 6 And so Simon Peter also *came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he *saw the linen wrappings lying there, | Peter was the bold disciple, going in when others hesitated. This was not always a good thing. His rush without thinking first had resulted in being rebuked by Jesus in the past. John is neutral in relating Peter going into the tomb, not implying this was positive or negative. |
| 7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. | The location of the face cloth must not have been visible from outside the tomb since it is only noticed by Peter after entering. There was no reason for an earthly person to remove it before taking the body. This must have been confusing. These details are evidence that this was the true eyewitness account of John. |
| 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. | So John enters the tomb and sees what Peter saw. And because of what he saw John believed. Believed is episteusen in Greek, which is in the aorist active indicative tense. This means John didn't come to a new belief but was reinforced and convinced of a belief he continually held. From verse 9 we can deduct that John was confirmed in his belief in what Jesus taught about His death and resurrection before it had happened. |
| 9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. | At this point they, meaning John and Peter specifically and probably all the disciples as a whole, did not understand what scripture taught about the suffering Messiah. While they had heard Jesus teach about it, and verse 8 tells us that John believed what Jesus taught on the subject, they had yet to connect the dots with the prophecies in scripture. |
| 10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes. | Still trying to comprehend what this all meant, John and Peter went home. |
| 11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; | Here we learn that one of the women named Mary was outside the tomb. Either Mary Magdalene came back to the tomb after Peter and John, or this is referring to Mary the mother of James. It seems she didn't look into the tomb prior to this point, but did so after Peter and John left. If they spoke to her is was merely the social conventions for leaving. They were in a contemplation mode rather than a discussion mode. |
| 12 and she *saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. |
That she knew these were angels by sight tells us they had some quality that made them different from humans other than their white clothing. Most scriptural accounts of people seeing angels begin with the angel telling the human(s) not to be afraid. The necessity of this tells us that seeing angels usually causes fear because of their appearance. These angels did not appear to Peter and John. They appeared to a woman, Mary. This is not something someone making up a religion would write. The most prominent leaders among men would have been the ones to meet the angels, not some woman. If this was Mary Magdalene it would have been one who had been the lowest of the low in religious and social terms. This encounter is mentioned in Luke 24:4-7, Mark 16:5-7, and Matthew 28:5-7. John gives the most detail about this in his account. The other gospels simplify or summarize it. |
| 13 And they *said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She *said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." | The angels may have already known why Mary was crying, either due to God telling them or their experience and wisdom as eternal beings. If so, asking was not for gaining knowledge but to engage Mary and get her to understand that there was no longer a reason for grief. |
| 14 When she had said this, she turned around and *saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. | Mary did not recognize Jesus. This does not appear to be due to miraculous disguise. The recognition in verse 16 indicates her not realizing it was Jesus was due to context. It is like seeing someone out of uniform for the first time and not recognizing them, let alone realizing you know them well. |
| 15 Jesus *said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she *said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." |
As far as Mary knew, Jesus was dead. And since the tomb was in a garden it would be routine for a gardener to be there. Thus it was logical that she would think she was seeing a gardener at first. When one hears hoof beats in North America one ought to think of horses and not zebras. It seems Mary thought that this "gardener" may have relocated Jesus' body for some reason. As the grave belonged to someone else and the body had been placed there before the Sabbath, it would be reasonable for it to be moved once the Sabbath was over. |
| 16 Jesus *said to her, "Mary!" She turned and *said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher). | Jesus calling her by name was enough for her to recognize it was Jesus despite not expecting to ever see or hear Him again. |
| 17 Jesus *said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'" |
This verse is often misunderstood. First, the Greek is a little more vague than English allows. Second, what Jesus is saying is often taken far beyond what is actually there. Most translations render the opening as some variation of stop or don't, with the verb some variation of cling to or hold on to. This is not a metaphysical limitation prior to ascending to the Father as there is no problem with touching Jesus in verse 27. From the context it is almost certain that Mary embraced Jesus in her joy, and Jesus needed her to stop in order for her to inform the other disciples as He instructed. In Matthew 28:7 the angel told Mary to go quickly to the disciples. Thus the reason for her to cut short the embrace was due to the need to hurry, and the reference to His not having ascended yet was a reason for the need to hurry as He wasn't going to be physically on earth much longer. The message to the disciples is not simple in John's account. Jesus said He was going to ascend to heaven. But the way He said it had a lot of meaning. God the Father is not just Jesus' Father, but is our Father now. We are elevated and adopted to be co-heirs with Jesus. Jesus is God and we are not and never will be. But we now have direct access to the Father like Jesus does as adopted children. We can pray directly to the Father. We have no one between us and the Father, not a priestly class, not a "higher" Christian, not even Jesus. Jesus is still our advocate with the Father. But we have no requirement to go through Jesus to reach the Father. |
| 18 Mary Magdalene *came, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that He had said these things to her. | This verse is just relating that Mary carried out the instructions of Jesus and related His words to the other disciples. The verb choice makes it clear that this was an announcement to the group when she arrived, not a passive telling. |
| 19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, "Peace be with you." |
This was evening of the same day as the women went to the tomb, Sunday evening. The disciples were all in hiding behind locked doors in fear that the Jewish leaders would come for them next. Jesus miraculously appears in the room with them. Jesus literally says "Peace to you." In other words, He was saying don't be afraid, be at peace. While this may have had something to do with their fear of the Jewish leaders, it certainly was about Jesus suddenly appearing. Repeatedly throughout scripture when an angel of God appears to a human their first words are, "Don't be afraid." Clearly these appearances are fear-inducing. |
| 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. |
Showing them the marks from the crucifixion showed he was still human and not just a spirit of the one crucified. It seems that Jesus anticipated a future criticism of this appearance. One of the lame attempts to discredit the resurrection is that the person who appeared to the disciples was not the one on the cross but just someone who looked like him. But showing the scars on his hands and side proved it was the same person. The disciples rejoiced as here was living proof that sin and death was defeated, the promise of eternal life with Jesus was real, and they were in the presence of the living God incarnate. That they had hid in fear of earthly persecution was now a thing of the past. From this point on they would endure torture and die rather than turn their backs on Jesus. People have died for a lie they didn't know was a lie, like those who followed Jim Jones to Guyana. But no one dies for a lie they know to be a lie. They did not make this up. People who make something up do so for their own benefit, and abandon it when it brings them harm. That they never gave up again is proof that they really experienced this. |
| 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." |
Again Jesus says literally "Peace to you." This time He added that He is sending them just as the Father sent Him. In other words, they are being sent to make disciples of others and teach them the truth just as Jesus did with them. Do not be deceived. Jesus was in no way promising them peace. On the contrary, He had repeatedly told them they would face persecution and death for His sake. What he was giving them was His peace, which is the assurance that whatever happens to them in this life does not matter. It is peace from God, peace within, that circumstances cannot disturb unless we let it. |
| 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. |
Remember, the verse numbers were added centuries after the books of the Bible were written. This verse is not in isolation, but is in the context of the words and actions that surround it. Jesus breathing on them could be translated as breathing to them. In the context of showing them the crucifixion scars, this could be taken to be another demonstration that he was physically present as a living human resurrected from the dead and not a spirit. Also, this could be an action with multiple meanings, it does not appear to be a multitasking situation where the words and action are not connected. The wording in Greek and English lead most to take this to be in some way connected to his next words. And this is very likely the correct view. Receive, labete in Greek, is in the second person plural aorist active imperative tense. This is a command to receive the Holy Spirit, not a passing on of information that Jesus was giving them the Holy Spirit with His breath. This is clearly not an ontological statement or a procedural requirement. This also is in no way connected with the Spirit coming upon the disciples at the day of Pentecost. Instead, it is almost certain that this is a demarcation between the previous time when the Spirit only came upon certain people and only rarely, and the current time when the Spirit comes to all believers when they choose to follow Jesus as His disciple. Thus this is almost certainly showing us two things. First, the Holy Spirit comes to all believers when we choose to follow Jesus regardless of whether the Spirit gives them any gifts or not. And second, this is a choice we are commanded to make by Jesus. That does not mean we can choose Jesus and reject the Spirit. They are a package deal and are one God, one being. But we can choose to reject God. Rejecting the Spirit is to reject God. |
| 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." |
This verse is difficult to understand for us today. One thing is clear, this is not about forgiveness of sins against ourselves as retaining sins is not an option for that. Failing to forgive others for their sins against us results in God not forgiving us for our sins against Him in Matthew 6:14-15 and the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35. Since this verse addresses retaining sins this must be about sins against God. Many draw parallels with Matthew 18:18, and that is a valid connection as the binding and loosing in Matthew are semantically parallel to the forgiving and retaining in this verse. However, most fail to read Matthew 18:18 in context or deliberately take it out of context to support an unbiblical and unhistorical view. Then they use it to pull this verse out of context as well. Matthew 18:15-18 is about church discipline started by individual Christians, not some special office in the church. It is about confronting a sinning brother directly, then involving the church as a whole, and finally putting him out of the church fellowship if he will not repent. (This is something almost no church in the west ever does despite explicit instructions from both Jesus and Paul.) As this is in the context of receiving the Holy Spirit, and in 16:8-11 Jesus said the Spirit would convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgement, it is almost certain that this verse is referring to our role as Christians being the instruments of the Spirit in convicting people of their sin. This is so they are aware of their desperate need for Jesus and the forgiveness He brings those who follow Him. If they stay unaware of their sin and condemned state they have no reason to turn to Jesus. It seems clear that the reason we have difficulty with verses like this is that we have badly distorted the gospel message and divorced the good news from the judgement of God. We have embraced a false gospel of "God loves you just the way you are" replacing God's judgement, wrath and abhorrence of sin with a feel good message that leaves people in their sin and unaware of their desperate need for forgiveness. Research conducted by the Barna Group, Lifeway Research, and Pew Research show that the majority of people in the west who claim to be Christians think they are good people and that people who do more good than bad get into heaven. This is in direct contradiction of the true gospel. All have sinned and deserve death. That "all" includes you and me. Jesus is the only way to salvation from the death we earned. There is no other. We have no clue how disgusting our sin really is. Sin cannot enter heaven or it ceases to be heaven. |
| 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. |
John usually did not differentiate between the twelve and the larger group of disciples of Jesus. That he did here in referring to Thomas tells us that the previous references to the disciples before this referred to all of them and not just the twelve. Didymus means twin. There is nothing recorded in scripture or other legitimate sources about why he had this second name. Both names are Greek, which is unusual as most people of this time had a Hebrew and a Greek name. We aren't told why he wasn't at this location when Jesus came. |
| 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." | John doesn't say where the other disciples meet up with Thomas and relay the news of what they saw. But it seems that it was at the location where Jesus appeared and Thomas had returned from whatever took him away for a time. Thomas was a skeptic and would not take the word of the other disciples, nor would he believe his own eyes until he could verify by touching Jesus' scars himself. It is from this that he is called doubting Thomas, although skeptical Thomas would be more accurate as he was not just doubting but required empirical evidence. |
| 26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." |
This was a week later by our way of measuring the time. The concept of zero had not been invented yet. So the day Jesus last appeared was day one by the pre-zero counting system. This time Thomas is with them when Jesus appears. The Greek word for shut, kekleismenon, means that it was secured so that it could not be opened from the outside, having been either locked or barred. Thus Jesus appearing would have been startling even to those that were present the last time. Again Jesus literally says "peace to you" telling them not to be afraid. |
| 27 Then He *said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." | As there is no dialog before Jesus speaks, John implies that Jesus knew Thomas' thoughts without them being spoken. He offers Thomas what he said he needed in order to believe that Jesus was resurrected for the stated purpose of having him go from unbelieving to believing. |
| 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" |
It does not say if Thomas actually touched the wounds as he said he needed to so in verse 25. He may have done so or was convinced by the sight of Jesus and the miracle of him appearing in a locked house. Regardless, Thomas declares that Jesus is Lord and God. Those that have fallen for the Arian heresy that Jesus was not God are totally contradicted by this verse. Some even wrongly claim that the Bible doesn't say Jesus is God, despite scripture clearly saying He is God here and in other verses. |
| 29 Jesus *said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." | Jesus replies to Thomas with a very, very mild rebuke for needing to see for himself. And he finishes with a statement that we who did not see for ourselves yet still believe are more blessed than the apostle Thomas. But our faith is built upon a mountain of evidence such as the eyewitness testimony in scripture, its confirmation by fulfilled prophecy, the willingness of the disciples to die for it, and the historical evidence outside scripture. |
| 30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; | In other words, only a tiny fraction of the signs and wonders Jesus performed throughout His ministry were recorded by John in his gospel account. The same is true of the other three gospels. John states one reason why more were not included in 21:25. |
| 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. | This is the reason John wrote his gospel account, so that we will know and believe the truth, and therefore be saved. That is the ultimate purpose of all scripture, to inform us of the truth, protect us from lies and falsehoods, and lead us to Jesus and salvation. |
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.