THE RESURRECTION - JOHN 20

                                                                      The Resurrection

John 20

Mary Magdalene - First Witness

20:1-2

Mary arrived before dawn on Sunday, the first day of the week. All four gospel accounts specify the “first day of the week”. Saturday, the Sabbath, was considered the last day of the week by the Jews.

Mary came to finish the preparation of Jesus’ body for burial. But, she found the stone moved away from the opening to the tomb. She did not understand the concept of the resurrection, so she believed someone had stolen Jesus’ body.

Shocked at the absence of Jesus’ body, Mary ran to tell Peter and John (the other disciple). She considered them to be the leaders of the disciples.

Peter & John At The Tomb

20:3-10

Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for themselves. John, being younger, ran ahead and got there first. He stopped and looked into the tomb and saw the burial cloths lying on the stone shelf in the tomb. He did not go in. That may have been in deference to Peter.

But Peter arrived and went straight into the tomb. John followed. They saw the burial cloths lying there. The face cloth was folded and lying separate from the cloths used to cover the body.

Why does John tell us what the burial cloths looked like? He wanted us to see and know that the body was not stolen. It it had been, it would have been taken with the burial cloths intact. These details were important to show how the disciples came to belief in the resurrection and to lead us to believe also.

This account by John does not say that the cloths were still intact and fitted to what had been the body. There is no implication here that Jesus passed through the cloths without unwrapping them. He could have, but it does not say so. Also, there is no mention of a shroud, a one piece cloth covering the body.

The detail of John’s observation shows us he really examined the empty tomb. It is not to show the method of resurrection or to validate a “relic”. In addition, the presence of two male witnesses to the scene makes their account believable in the Jewish tradition. 

John believed! (8) He believed that Jesus was raised from the dead for the first time. He believed because of the physical evidence he saw, not because he understood Scripture. In other words, John believed the facts but did not yet understand the theological meaning or the application of the prophecies.

Romans 1:1-4 gives us the theological meaning:

“…Christ Jesus…was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead”.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 also says”

“For, since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep”. 

Jesus’ resurrection gives us both comfort and hope!

At this point in the story, Peter has not yet believed in the resurrection. He went home “marveling at what had happened”. (Luke 24:12)

Mary & The Angels

20:11-13

Peter and John went home, but Mary remained at the tomb. She wept in sorrow, not understanding what was happening. She decided to look into the tomb and see what Peter and John had seen. But she saw much more!

She saw two angels. This was further evidence that the empty tomb was not the work of men, but the work of God. The angels were positioned at the head and feet of the burial clothes. 

One of the angels asked Mary “woman, why are you weeping”. It was a mild rebuke to Mary for not understanding or believing. Mary, still not understanding, responded with her concern for the missing body of Jesus. 

Jesus then appeared to Mary, but she did not recognize him. (14) But, when he called her by name, she did. (16) Maybe she recognized his voice or the way he said her name. “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” (John 10:3-4)

Mary responded in Aramaic, the common spoken language of the area, addressing Jesus as “Rabboni”. This was a term of respect meaning “teacher”. She may also have fallen at his feet and held them. (17) The disciples did this when Jesus first appeared to them after his resurrection. (Matthew 28:9)

But, Jesus told Mary not to cling to him because he had not yet ascended to the Father. Rather, he wanted her to go and tell the disciples that he was ascending to his Father. (17) Jesus gave her a mission. 

What did Jesus mean by “I am ascending”? He was in the process of ascending and that would be the next big event. He would appear to the disciples several times before ascending, but would “come and go” and not be with them all the time. He would then finally ascend to the Father as recorded in Acts 1:9-10.

Jesus called the Father “my Father and your Father, my God and your God”. By this he shows that the disciples now share in his sonship. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. (John 1:12; see also Galatians 4:47)

Mary did as Jesus instructed. She went to the disciples and announced that she had seen the Lord. She also related what Jesus had said to her. Now the disciples know there is an actual witness to Jesus’ resurrection!