Study Content

John 20 opens early on the first day of the week, while it is still dark. Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb where Jesus had been buried. The detail about the darkness reflects both the time of day and the emotional state of those who loved Him. The crucifixion has left the disciples in grief and confusion.

When Mary arrives, she sees that the stone covering the entrance has been removed. The tomb is open. Immediately she runs to tell Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved.

She tells them that the body of Jesus has been taken and that she does not know where it has been placed. Her first conclusion is not resurrection but removal. The idea that Jesus has risen has not yet entered her mind.

Peter and the other disciple run toward the tomb. The other disciple arrives first but waits outside. Peter enters the tomb and sees the linen burial cloths lying there.

The cloth that had covered Jesus’ head is folded and placed separately from the other linens. This detail carries significance. Grave robbers would not take time to carefully fold cloths. The scene suggests that something orderly and deliberate has occurred.

When the other disciple enters and sees the same evidence, he believes. Yet John notes that they still do not fully understand the Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.

After examining the tomb, the disciples return to where they are staying. Mary, however, remains outside the tomb weeping.

As she looks into the tomb, she sees two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had been placed, one at the head and one at the feet. The imagery echoes the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant where two cherubim stood on either side.

The angels ask Mary why she is weeping. She answers that someone has taken her Lord and she does not know where He has been placed.

When she turns around, she sees Jesus standing there but does not recognize Him. Her eyes are still clouded by grief and expectation. She assumes He is the gardener.

Jesus asks the same question the angels asked: why she is weeping and whom she is seeking. Mary asks if He has carried the body away and pleads to be told where it is.

Then Jesus speaks her name. “Mary.”

In that moment recognition breaks through her sorrow. She turns and calls Him “Rabboni,” meaning Teacher. The personal calling of her name reveals the intimate nature of the relationship between Christ and His followers.

Jesus tells her not to cling to Him because He has not yet ascended to the Father. Instead He sends her to tell the disciples that He is returning to the Father.

Mary becomes the first witness of the resurrection and carries the news to the disciples that she has seen the Lord.

Later that evening the disciples gather behind locked doors out of fear of the Jewish authorities. Their fear reflects the uncertainty and danger surrounding them after the crucifixion.

Suddenly Jesus stands among them and greets them with the words, “Peace be unto you.” His greeting directly answers the fear filling the room.

He shows them His hands and His side, demonstrating that the one standing before them is the same Jesus who was crucified. The disciples are filled with joy when they realize that their Lord is alive.

Jesus repeats the greeting of peace and then gives them a mission. Just as the Father sent Him into the world, He now sends them.

He breathes on them and says, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” The act echoes the moment in Genesis when God breathed life into Adam. Here it symbolizes the new life that comes through the resurrection.

Jesus also speaks about the authority connected to their mission, particularly the proclamation of forgiveness through the gospel.

One of the disciples, Thomas, is not present during this first appearance. When the others tell him that they have seen the Lord, Thomas refuses to believe unless he personally sees and touches the wounds of Jesus.

His response reflects the honest struggle between doubt and faith that many people experience.

Eight days later the disciples gather again, and this time Thomas is present. Once more the doors are shut, yet Jesus appears among them.

He greets them with peace and then turns directly to Thomas. He invites him to examine the wounds in His hands and side.

Confronted with the reality of the risen Christ, Thomas responds with one of the clearest declarations of faith in the entire Gospel. He calls Jesus “My Lord and my God.”

Jesus then speaks a blessing for those who will believe without physically seeing Him. This statement reaches beyond the immediate moment to include every future believer.

The chapter concludes with an explanation of the purpose of the Gospel itself. John states that Jesus performed many other signs not recorded in the book.

The signs that are written have been chosen so that readers may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing they may have life in His name.

John 20 therefore stands as the turning point of the Gospel narrative. The resurrection confirms the identity of Jesus and transforms the despair of the disciples into faith and mission.