Gospel of John
Chapter Twenty
Preface
Chapter 20 of John records one view of the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. As stated in the preface of the last chapter, all accounts within
all the Gospels of any particular event concerning the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ must be considered and synchronized as a whole in
order to correctly grasp the entire event chronologically and in detail. This
study will primarily comment on the facts as presented in this gospel.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is an essential component of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul listed it as one of the key elements (1
Corinthians 15:1-4). It is as important as the death of Christ. Why is this?
Was not the (spiritual) death of Jesus Christ while on the cross on Calvary
where and when He paid the penalty-price for the sins of mankind? Indeed it was.
So then one may ask, why all the fuss over the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
A comprehensive study on the subject is listed on the web site,
www.bibleone.net, but many of the salient
points from it will be listed below—to illustrate the importance of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of resurrection to the believer.
They follow.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ clearly demonstrated the Deity of
Jesus Christ; thereby validating His efficacious payment for the sins
of mankind in order to satisfy a holy God (Romans 1:1-4). If
Jesus Christ is not whom He said He was, God in the flesh, then His
life and death are false and His saving power is truly fictional. But
His resurrection proves otherwise.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of John
11:25 wherein He proclaimed, “I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even
though he die; and whosoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”
Only Jesus Christ, as God, had the power to lay down His life and then
take it up again (John 2:19; John 10:17, 18). When a person
accepts by faith Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, he in fact
believes into Christ and thereby becomes a part of the “body of
Christ” and His resurrection (both a single event and a
composite term incorporating the resurrections of all believers). This
may be confirmed in Ephesians 2:4-7: But God,
who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved
us, Even when we were dead in trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and
raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places
in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding
riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
In a spiritual/mystical sense, each believer, who is united
with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, sits together with Christ
at the right hand of God. Because of this each believer has direct
access to God (Ephesians 3:10-12).
At the moment of salvation the Holy Spirit permanently,
mysteriously and spiritually unites the person with Jesus Christ, who
has already been resurrected and is now at the right hand of God. Once
the person’s body physically dies, his spirit is released and he (his
spirit) immediately is with Jesus Christ in heaven (2 Corinthians
5:8)—this is part of a binary eternal relationship with God. The
person’s body will eventually be united with his spirit when it is
subsequently resurrected in accordance with Scripture and in the
fullness of time, but his resurrection, which is the second part of
the binary eternal relationship, has been made possible by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is the firstfruits of the
resurrection and to whom the believer is eternally linked through
the work of the Holy Spirit.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basis and the guarantee of
the believer’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20, 22, 23).
The resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian Faith. If
there were no resurrection then Christ is still dead, the Gospel is
false and mankind cannot be saved (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).
The resurrection is the believer’s hope (confidence) and comfort (John
11:25; Acts 24:15; Ephesians 1:18-21; 1 Peter 1:3-5, 21; Titus 2:13).
The resurrection stimulates Christian growth (Romans 6:4; 1 John
3:2, 3).
The resurrection stimulates Christian service (1 Corinthians
15:29-31, 58).
It is clear that the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of
resurrection are major components of the Christian Faith. There will be a
resurrection of both the just (saved) and the unjust (unsaved)—1 Corinthians
15:21, 23, 24; Acts 24:15, Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15). And, there is an
exception to dying and being resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:51-54; 1
Thessalonians 4:15-17).
For a more detailed study on the matter, go to www.bibleone.net.
John 20:1-10
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while
it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
Then 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.” Peter therefore went out, and the other
disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other
disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and
looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon
Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths
lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with
the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other
disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For
as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
Mary Magdalene, the one from whom the Lord had cast seven demons (not
necessarily the one who wiped the feet of Jesus with her hair), came to the tomb
on Sunday, the first day of the week. It is assumed, although not stated in
Scripture, that Jesus Christ rose on this day of the week. Nevertheless, it is
the day that the early Christians honored and met for worship—also known as the
“Lord’s Day” (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10). Although
it is not the primary intention of this commentary to establish the order of
visitations at the tomb on this day, the following from The Scofield
Reference Bible, page 1043, may be helpful.
Three women, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and
Salome, start for the sepulchre, followed by other women bearing
spices. The three find the stone rolled away, and Mary Magdalene goes
to tell the disciples (Lk. 23:55-24:9; John 20:1-2). Mary, the mother
of James and Joses, draws nearer the tomb and sees the angel of the
Lord (Mt. 28:2). She goes back to meet the other women following with
the spices. Meanwhile Peter and John, warned by Mary Magdalene,
arrive, look in, and go away (John 20:3-10). Mary Magdalene returns
weeping, sees the two angels and then Jesus (John 20:11-18), and goes
as He bade her to tell the disciples. Mary (mother of James and Joses),
meanwhile, has met the women with the spices and, returning with them,
they see the two angels (Lk. 24:4-5; Mk. 16:5). They also receive the
angelic message, and, going to seek the disciples, are met by Jesus
(Mt. 28:8-10).
The tomb of Jesus Christ was a small room, a burial place larger and more
complex in plan or structure than a simple grave dug in the earth. It was a tomb
for the burial of a person of position or wealth and was designed to serve as a
monument or memorial to the deceased. It was carved in rock (Matthew 27:60;
Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53) in the side of the hill (cliff) in a garden near to
and north of Golgotha—the place of the skull, known in Jerusalem as the “Garden
Tomb” and “Gordon’s Calvary” (John 19:42; Leviticus 1:11). No one had
previously been buried there (Luke 23:53; John 19:41), for Joseph of
Arimathea had made this one for his own burial (Matthew 27:60). A large
rolling stone, shaped like a coin, served as the door to the tomb. Being round
and flat and designed to fit within a groove or gutter along the front of the
tomb, it could be rolled across the door to close it.
When Mary arrived at the tomb, the stone had already been rolled away. This,
incidentally, had taken place after Christ’s resurrection, as is seen in
Matthew 28. Her first and only thought was not that Christ had risen from
the dead but that someone had stolen His body. Actually, all of Jesus’ disciples
followed suit with this belief. The disciple “whom Jesus loved” was the Apostle
John. He and Peter likewise probably were not expecting the Resurrection. Once
notified by Mary that the body was gone they ran to cemetery, probably thinking
she had made some mistake. One does not go to a cemetery to locate the living.
They expected to find Christ’s body.
It is believed that John was the youngest of Jesus’ disciples, possibly in
his teens. In any case he outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first. He looked
in and saw the linen cloth with which they had wrapped the body of Christ for
burial. It was there, empty of its contents. John did not enter the tomb, but
Peter did upon his arrival. Peter not only noticed the linen cloth, but he also
saw the handkerchief with which Jesus’ head had been wrapped. It was lying apart
from the linen cloth and was neatly folded. The remarks by J. Vernon McGee in
his Thru the Bible commentary are most appropriate.
Remember that Joseph and Nicodemus had wrapped our Lord’s body in
the linen and had sealed it with the myrrh and aloes, which made a
sort of glue to seal in the body. How could the body get out of such
an encasement without unwinding all that linen?
Jesus Christ came up out of that tomb just like a seed comes out of
the soil. Remember He had said that a grain of corn falls to the
ground and remains alone unless it dies. Then new corn will grow out
of it. But the old shell of the seed is still in the ground. That is
what was left in the tomb—just the old shell that He had been in. He
was no longer in that shell. He was alive.
Do you remember that when the Lord Jesus raised Lazarus, he came
forth from the grave all wrapped in the graveclothes and the Lord had
to tell them to loose [unwrap] Lazarus? Lazarus came out in his
old body wrapped in the old graveclothes. The body of Lazarus would
have to die again. However, Jesus Christ came forth in a glorified
body which will never see death. This is the Resurrection!
Then John entered the tomb and seeing the linen cloth and handkerchief the
scripture says “he believed.” And what did he believe?
He finally believed that Jesus Christ rose from the dead; he believed
the resurrection—that Jesus was, in fact, alive. Until this time the
disciples did not really understand the Old Testament scriptures that foretold
that the Messiah must rise again from the dead. Even though Jesus had personally
told them repeatedly, they did not understand. The Apostle John was the first to
understand. The disciples then returned home.
John 20:11-17
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down
and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the
head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then 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.” Now when she had said
this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it
was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you
seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have
carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to
say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to
Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to
them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your
God.’”
In this passage the deep love and devotion that Mary Magdalene had for her
Lord is quite evident. It may have been because of this great love she had for
Jesus that He appeared and revealed Himself to her first. Proverbs 8:17
says, “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early
shall find me.” The appearances by Jesus Christ after His
resurrection probably number more than those recorded in the Gospels, but the
following ones appear to be in order as per The Scofield Reference Bible,
page 1043 & 1044.
On the day of His resurrection: (1) To Mary Magdalene (John
20:14-18). (2) To the women returning from the tomb with the angelic
message (Mt. 28:8-10). (3) To Peter, probably in the afternoon (Lk.
24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5). (4) To the Emmaus disciples toward evening (Lk.
24:34). (5) To the apostles, except Thomas (Lk. 24:36-43; John
20:19-24).
In Galilee: (1) To the seven by the Lake of Tiberias (John
21:1-23). (2) On a mountain, to the apostles and five hundred brethren
(1 Cor. 15:6).
At Jerusalem and Bethany again: (1) To James (1 Cor. 15:7). (2) To
the eleven (Mt. 28:16-20; Mk. 16:14-20; Lk. 24:33-53; Acts 1:3-12).
To Paul: (1) Near Damascus (Acts 9:3-6; 1 Cor. 15:8). (2) In the
temple (Acts 22:17-21; 23:11).
To Stephen, outside Jerusalem (Acts 7:55). To John on Patmos (Rev.
1:10-19).
As Mary was maintaining a vigil outside the tomb, she was weeping. She
stooped down and looked in the tomb and saw two angels, one at the foot and one
at the head where the body of Jesus Christ had lain. This didn’t surprise her,
probably because angels generally appear as normal human beings. Unlike the
winged-representations pictured most often in paintings and photographs, angels
look no different than any of us. In fact, the Bible says to be not forgetful to
entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares (Hebrews
13:2).
Mary still believed that someone had taken the body of Christ away. As she
was stating this to the angels, Jesus Christ appeared to her. But she was not
permitted at first to recognize Him. She assumed He was the gardener. When Jesus
asked her why she was crying, she presumed that He, as the gardener, had taken
the body of her Lord and asked Him of its location. Then Jesus called her by
name, Mary, and permitted her to recognize Him.
Some Bible expositors believe the reason Jesus was not recognizable by
several to whom He appeared was due to the fact that His beard had been ripped
off His face and He had been disfigured by the beatings prior to the cross. This
writer believes otherwise. It appears from the following scriptural passages
that Jesus Christ, in His glorified body, could change His appearance at
will—certainly not a difficult task for God (Luke 24:16; Luke 16:12).
Upon recognizing Jesus, Mary attempted to “hold on” to Him. Jesus instructed
her not to do this, since He had not yet ascended to God the Father. Why He
needed first to go to the Father prior to any contact by human beings can only
be left to speculation. Suffice it to say that God has priority in all things.
Jesus told Mary to go to His “brethren and say to them, ‘I am
ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”
It is noteworthy that believers are all considered brothers (and sisters) to
Jesus Christ and that God the Father is both Father to Jesus Christ and each
believer. Even though the relationship between Jesus and the Father is special
(since He is in fact one Member of the Trinity, the Son of God), each believer
through Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary is now eternally linked as a son or daughter
to God Almighty.
John 20:18-20
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and
that He had spoken these things to her. Then, the same day at evening, being the
first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were
assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to
them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and
His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
Mary becomes the “apostle to the apostles.” Because of her deep love and
devotion to Christ He commissioned her to go to them and share the good news.
Apparently they had their doubts, because they remained locked in a room in fear
of the Jews. It was now evening time of the first day of the week. While the
disciples huddled in fear suddenly Jesus Christ appeared in their midst. The
material realm provides no limitation to the “glorified body.” Most likely this
was quite startling to all of them, which prompted Jesus to say, “Peace be with
you.” Then He showed them the nail wounds and the spear wound in His hands and
His side. It was only then that they believed He had risen from the dead; and it
brought them joy. Only the risen Lord is the source of the Christian’s joy.
John 20:21-23
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also
send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven
them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
After Jesus again tells the disciples, “Peace to you,” He adds that He is
sending them out to the world as the Father had sent Him. Then He breathed on
them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they
are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Although
this passage has proven to be difficult for many Bible expositors, it can be
clarified when taking into account the following:
This is a transitional time between two dispensations (methods in
which God deals with man)—the Dispensation of Law and the Dispensation
of Grace.
All other scriptures that define the prerequisite for one’s sins to
be forgiven.
Under the Old Testament (Dispensation of Law) the Holy Spirit did not indwell
man for spiritual revelation or service. He only came upon them for a specific
task at hand and for a specific time frame. This is what occurred here. Jesus
Christ breathed upon them the Holy Spirit for specific service during an
abbreviated period of time until God would send the Holy Spirit to permanently
and eternally indwell believers on the day of Pentecost.
And the service for which Jesus gave the Holy Spirit had to do with the
forgiveness of sins. The wording is awkward but not inconsistent with the
multitude of scriptures bearing on the subject. Over and over again, all
Scripture declares that forgiveness of sins comes when a person by faith alone
accepts Christ alone as personal Savior.
Jesus is essentially saying to the disciples that they now had the
responsibility to go out and present the Gospel to everyone. Once this was done
and a person turned from every other confidence (self-efforts, works, religion,
etc.) to Jesus only for the forgiveness of sins, the disciples had the authority
to tell that person that his sins were forgiven. If the person rejected Jesus
Christ, then the disciples had the authority to inform that person that he had
retained his sins and was still lost. It is as simple—and as complex—as that;
and every Christian has the same authority today.
John 20:24-29
Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus
came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he
said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my
finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not
believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with
them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace
to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands;
and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but
believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus
said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This passage is most notable due to the statement of Thomas in verse 28,
but first the setting. Thomas had heard the testimony of the other disciples
concerning the living Christ, but he still remained unconvinced. He declared
that unless he could physically see and touch the wounded Christ he would not
believe. Eight days later he received his opportunity to do just that. While the
disciples, including Thomas, were inside a locked room Jesus Christ again
miraculously appeared in their midst—the glorified body of Christ was not
subject to physical laws. It is surmised that the transformed (glorified) bodies
of believers also will not be limited by physical laws.
After Jesus said “peace to you” to the disciples, He turned to Thomas. He
invited Thomas to touch His wounds. It isn’t recorded that Thomas in fact
touched the wounds of Christ, but it is recorded that he there and then believed
in the resurrected Christ. He made a most marvelous admission by addressing
Jesus Christ as “My Lord and my God!” Not only did he acknowledge Jesus Christ
as his Master, but in the same breath he acknowledged Him as God. Notice that
Jesus did not attempt to correct him regarding his admission. Why? Because Jesus
Christ is God!
It is then that Jesus confirms that those who have not seen Him and yet
believe are most blessed. The keynote of Christianity is faith. Man is saved by
faith; and, he is sanctified by faith. Faith validates prayer, it enables
healing, it insures peace and it makes possible genuine spiritual service. The
“faith principle” is key to every aspect of the Christian life. In this passage
we see a stark contrast between the concepts of “works” and “faith.” Works are
what man does to achieve the approbation (approval) of God, which always fails.
Faith alone pleases God. It is faith alone that enables “works” that meet God’s
approval. Thomas felt he had to physically touch Christ before he could believe.
But Jesus declares that those who believe without the requirement of touch are
the ones that are blessed.
John 20:30, 31
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which
are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His
name.
Herein is the theme and purpose of the Gospel of John. Jesus performed
many other miracles and signs, before and after His resurrection, that are not
recorded in this gospel. But what is essential for the reader is recorded—that
Jesus Christ is God, the Son of God, and the Messiah; and that if anyone will by
simple child-like (trusting) faith receive Him as personal Savior, he will be
granted eternal life.
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