John 20

John 20:1

IX. THE SON OF GOD’S TRIUMPH (Chap. 20) A. The Empty Tomb (20:1-10) 20:1 The first day of the week was Sunday. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb before dawn. It is probable that the tomb was a small room carved in the side of a hill or cliff. The stone was no doubt shaped like a coinround and flat. It would fit into a groove or gutter along the front of the tomb and could be rolled across the door to close it. When Mary got there, the stone had been removed already. This, incidentally, had taken place after Christ’s resurrection, as we learn in Matthew 28. 20:2 Mary immediately ran to Peter and John with the breathless announcement that someone had removed the Lord’s body out of the tomb. She did not say who had done it, but just said they to indicate that this was all she knew. The faithfulness and devotion of women at the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord should be noticed. The disciples had forsaken the Lord and fled. The women stood by without regard for their personal safety. These things are not without meaning. 20:3, 4 It is difficult to imagine what Peter and John were thinking as they hurried out of the city to the garden near Calvary. John was probably younger than Peter and reached the tomb first. 20:5 It is likely that there was a low opening to the tomb, requiring one to stoop to enter or to look in. John saw the linen cloths lying there. Had they been unwound from the body, or were they still in the general shape in which they had been wrapped around the body? We suspect that the latter was the case. Yet he did not go in the tomb. 20:6, 7 By now Peter had caught up and he went into the tomb without hesitation. There is something about his impulsive manner that makes us feel a kinship to him. He too saw the linen cloths lying there, but the body of the Savior was not there. The detail about the handkerchief was added to show that the Lord’s departure was orderly and unhurried. If someone had stolen the body, he would not have carefully folded the cloth! 20:8 John entered the tomb and saw the orderly arrangement of the linen and the handkerchief. But when it says that he saw and believed, it means more than physical sight. It means that he comprehended. Before him were the evidences of Christ’s resurrection. They showed him what had happened, and he … believed.20:9 Up until now, the disciples did not really understand the OT Scripture which stated that the Messiah must rise again from the dead. The Lord Himself had told them repeatedly, but they did not take it in. John was the first to understand. 20:10 Then the disciples returned to wherever they were stayingprobably in Jerusalem. They doubtless concluded that there was no use waiting by the tomb. It would be better to go and tell the other disciples what they had found.

John 20:11

B. The Appearance to Mary Magdalene (20:11-18) 20:11 The first two words are strikingBut Mary. The other two disciples went home, but Mary … . Here again we have the love and devotion of a woman. She had been forgiven much; therefore, she loved much. She kept a lonely vigil outside the tomb, weeping because, as she thought, the body had been stolen, probably by the Lord’s enemies. 20:12 This time, as she looked inside, she saw two angels, stationed where the body of Jesus had lain. It is remarkable how these tremendous facts are stated quietly and without emotion. 20:13 Mary did not seem to have any fear or surprise. She answered their question as if this were quite a normal experience. It is obvious from her answer that she still did not realize that Jesus had risen and was alive again. 20:14 At this point, something caused her to look in back of her. It was Jesus Himself, but she did not recognize Him. It was still early in the morning, and perhaps light had not yet dawned. She had been weeping continually, and doubtless her vision was clouded. Also, possibly God prevented her from recognizing the Lord until the proper time had come. 20:15 The Lord knew the answers to these questions; but He wanted to hear them from her own lips. She supposed Him to be the gardener. The Savior of the world may be very near to men, and yet not recognized. He usually comes in lowly guise, however, and not as one of the great ones of the earth. In her answer, Mary did not name the Lord. Three times she referred to Jesus as Him. There was only one Person with whom she was concerned, and she felt it quite unnecessary to identify Him further. 20:16 Mary now heard a familiar voice calling her by name. There was no mistaking the factit was Jesus! She called Him Rabboni, which means my Great Teacher. Actually, she was still thinking of Him as the Great Teacher she had known. She did not realize that He was now more than her TeacherHe was her Lord and Savior. So the Lord prepared to explain to her the newer and fuller way in which she would hereafter know Him. 20:17 Mary had known Jesus personally as a Man. She had seen miracles happen when He was bodily present. So she concluded that if He was not with her in a visible way, then she could have no hope of blessing. The Lord must correct her thinking. He said, Do not cling to Me simply as a Man in the flesh. I have not yet ascended to My Father.

When I do return to heaven, the Holy Spirit will be sent down to the earth. When He comes, He will reveal Me to your heart in a way you have never known Me before. I will be nearer and dearer to you than was possible during My life here.Then He told her to go to His brethren and tell them of the new order that had been ushered in. For the first time, the Lord referred to the disciples as My brethren. They were to know that His Father was their Father, and His God was their God. Not until now were believers made sons and heirs of God.The Lord Jesus did not say, Our Father, but My Father and your Father.

The reason is that God is His Father in a different sense than He is ours. God is the Father of the Lord Jesus from all eternity. Christ is the Son by eternal generation. The Son is equal with the Father. We are sons of God by adoption. It is a relationship that begins when we are saved and will never end.

As sons of God, we are not equal with God and never shall be. 20:18 Mary Magdalene obeyed her commission and became what someone has called the apostle to the apostles. Can we doubt that this great privilege was given to her as a reward for her devotion to Christ?

John 20:19

C. The Appearance to His Disciples (20:19-23) 20:19 It was now Sunday evening. The disciples were assembled together, perhaps in the upper room where they had met three nights ago. The doors were locked for fear of the Jews. Suddenly they saw Jesus standing in the midst, and they heard His voice saying, Peace. It seems clear that the Lord entered the room without opening the doors. This was a miracle. It should be remembered that His resurrection body was a real body of flesh and bones. Yet He had the power to pass through barriers and otherwise act independently of natural laws. The words Peace be with you now have new meaning because Christ has made peace by the blood of His cross. Those who are justified by faith have peace with God. 20:20 After announcing peace to them, He showed them the marks of His passion, by which peace had been obtained. They saw the print of the nails and the wound cause by the spear. Joy filled their hearts to realize it was truly the Lord. He had done as He said He would. He had risen from the dead. The risen Lord is the source of the Christian’s joy. 20:21 Verse 21 is very beautiful. Believers are not meant to enjoy His peace selfishly. They are to share it with others. So He sends them into the world, as the Father had sent Him: Christ came into the world as a poor Person. He came as a Servant. He emptied Himself. He delighted to do the Father’s will. He identified Himself with man. He went about doing good. He did everything by the power of the Holy Spirit. His goal was the cross. Now He said to the disciples, I also send you.20:22 This is one of the most difficult verses in the entire Gospel. We read that Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. The difficulty is that the Holy Spirit was not given until later, on the day of Pentecost. Yet how could the Lord speak these words without the event taking place immediately? Several explanations have been offered: (1) Some suggest that the Lord was simply making a promise of what they would receive on the day of Pentecost. This is hardly an adequate explanation. (2) Some point out that what the Savior actually said was, Receive Holy Spirit, rather than, Receive the Holy Spirit. They conclude from this that the disciples did not receive the Holy Spirit in all His fullness at this time, but only some ministry of the Spirit, such as a greater knowledge of the truth, or power and guidance for their mission. They say that the disciples received a guarantee or a foretaste of the Holy Spirit. (3) Others state that there was a full outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at this time. This seems unlikely in view of such statements as Luk_24:49 and Act_1:4-5, Act_1:8, where the coming of the Holy Spirit was still spoken of as future. It is clear from Joh_7:39 that the Spirit could not come in His fullness until Jesus was glorified, that is, until He had gone back to heaven. 20:23 This is another difficult verse, about which there has been a great deal of controversy. (1) One view is that Jesus actually gave His apostles (and their supposed successors) the power to forgive sins or to retain sins. This is in direct contradiction of the Bible teaching that only God can forgive sins (Luk_5:21). (2) Gaebelein quotes a second view: The power promised and authority given is in connection with the preaching of the Gospel, announcing on what terms sins would be forgiven, and if these terms are not accepted, sins would be retained. (3) A third view (which is similar to the second), and the one that we accept, is that the disciples were given the right to declare sins forgiven. Let us illustrate this third view. The disciples go out preaching the gospel. Some people repent of their sins and receive the Lord Jesus. The disciples are authorized to tell them that their sins have been forgiven. Others refuse to repent and will not believe on Christ. The disciples tell them that they are still in their sins, and that if they die, they will perish eternally. In addition to this explanation, we should also note that the disciples were given special authority by the Lord in dealing with certain sins. For instance, in Act_5:1-11, Peter used this power, and it resulted in the death of Ananias and Sapphira. Paul is seen retaining the sin of an evil-doer in 1Co_5:3-5, 1Co_5:12-13, and remitting sin in 2Co_2:4-8. In these cases, it is forgiveness from the punishment of these sins in this life.

John 20:24

D. Doubt Turned to Faith (20:24-29) 20:24 We should not jump to the conclusion that Thomas should be blamed for not being present. Nothing is said to indicate the reason for his absence. 20:25 Thomas is to be blamed for his unbelieving attitude. He must have visible, tangible proof of the Lord’s resurrection; otherwise he will not believe. This is the attitude of many today, but it is not reasonable. Even scientists believe many things that they can neither see nor touch. 20:26 One week later the Lord appeared to His disciples again. This time Thomas was with them. Again the Lord Jesus entered the room in a miraculous way and again greeted them with Peace to you!20:27 The Lord dealt gently and patiently with His faithless follower. He invited him to prove the reality of His resurrection by putting his hand into the spear wound in His side. 20:28 Thomas was convinced. Whether he ever did put his hand into the Lord’s side, we do not know. But he knew at last that Jesus was risen and that He was both Lord and God. John Boys puts it nicely: He acknowledged the divinity he did not see by the wounds he did see.20:29 The important thing to notice is that Jesus accepted worship as God. If He were only a man, He should have refused it. But Thomas’ faith was not the kind that was most pleasing to the Lord. It was belief based on sight. More blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. The surest evidence is the Word of God. If God says a thing, we honor Him by believing it; but we dishonor Him by demanding additional evidence. We should believe simply because He said it and because He cannot lie or be mistaken.

John 20:30

E. The Purpose of John’s Gospel (20:30, 31) Not all the miracles performed by Jesus are recorded in John’s Gospel. The Holy Spirit selected those signs which would best serve His purpose. Here we have John’s object in writing the book. It was so that his readers may believe that Jesus is the true Messiah and the Son of God. Believing, they will have eternal life in His name. Have you believed?