John 20 - NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible

20:1–2 Paul said that if Christ was not raised from the dead, the believers’ faith is useless (1Co 15:12–19). There are four overwhelming evidences in this story supporting the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection. First, none of Jesus’ followers anticipated his resurrection. They were completely unprepared for it. Even after Jesus appeared to a number of his followers, Thomas refused to believe. If the disciples were making up the resurrection story, it is unlikely that they would have described themselves as completely unprepared for it. They exhibited no faith at all that Jesus would be raised from the dead. Second, the first witness of the resurrection was a woman. This is not the kind of detail that first-century Jews would have invented if they were fabricating Jesus’ resurrection, for women were not considered reliable witnesses in that day. More likely, they would have recounted Jesus appearing to one of the Twelve. Third, the disciples are described as hiding in fear from the Jews. One wonders why they would describe themselves in this way if they were making up the resurrection story. We would expect that they would have described themselves as anticipating the resurrection. The dramatic transformation in their courage and confidence depicted in the book of Acts reflects that something significant happened in Jesus’ followers. They went from cowardice to tremendous courage. The only explanation for this transformation is the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Fourth, the discovery of the empty tomb and the appearance of the angels are described succinctly and without great elaboration, unlike the Apocryphal accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. John’s Gospel presents a historically reliable account of Jesus’ resurrection. John’s Gospel also describes resurrection appearances in both Jerusalem and Galilee.

Four major events are described in chapter 20. First, Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb, and Peter and the other disciple confirmed her finding. Second, Mary encountered the risen Jesus. Third, Jesus appeared to the disciples when Thomas was absent. Fourth, Jesus appeared a week later to the disciples with Thomas present.

The chapter opens with Mary Magdalene going to the tomb early Sunday morning. She discovered the stone rolled away from the entrance. Luke describes her as a woman “from whom seven demons had come out” (Lk 8:2). The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) mention the presence of several women at the tomb, but John focuses on Mary. The plural “we” in John 20:2 suggests Mary was not alone. She reported her discovery to Simon Peter and “the one Jesus loved” (probably John).

20:3–10 The two disciples ran to the tomb. John arrived first but did not enter. The narrator stresses that the linen strips and the burial cloth were not in disarray, which would have indicated a ransacked tomb by grave robbers. When Peter arrived, he didn’t hesitate to go right in. From what John saw inside the tomb, he believed Jesus to be alive, but at that point he did not understand it from the Scriptures. The two disciples departed while Mary remained behind.

20:11–18 Brokenhearted, Mary refused to leave the tomb until she found out what had happened to Jesus’ body. She wanted it to receive an honorable burial. The angels’ question to her may have been a subtle rebuke. When Jesus appeared, he asked her essentially the same question the angels had asked. It is difficult to know why Mary did not recognize Jesus. Maybe her tears blurred her vision, or maybe she was not expecting to see Jesus alive. Yet several times after his resurrection, those who knew him did not instantly recognize him. When Jesus called her by name, she immediately recognized his voice. Jesus warned her to not hold on to him, because he had not yet made his final ascension to the Father. She would have opportunities to see him again, but their relationship would change when he sent the Holy Spirit. The pronouns Jesus used emphasize the difference between his relationship and the disciples’ relationship to the Father. Mary’s announcement to the disciples that she had seen the Lord would have been filled with joyful exuberance.

20:19–23 Later that evening Jesus appeared to the disciples. The doors were locked out of fear of the Jewish leadership. Jesus greeted them with the normal Hebrew greeting of peace. Surely he meant by it more than a simple greeting, for he said it twice. He identified himself to them by his scars from the crucifixion. Their joy fulfilled Jesus’ earlier prophecy spoken in the upper room (16:20–22). Jesus repeated his greeting a second time to calm their hearts after showing them his scars. He then commissioned and equipped them for worldwide evangelization. His breathing on the disciples foreshadowed the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Ac 2:1–4; cf. Ge 2:7; Eze 37:9). God’s people need God’s Spirit’s to accomplish God’s work. On the basis of the gift of the Spirit, the Spirit-filled church will pronounce forgiveness of sins or the retaining of sins based on a person’s response to the gospel.

20:24–29 Jesus’ encounter with Thomas is unique to this Gospel. It occurred a week after the resurrection (v. 26). Thomas’s fellow disciples had reported to him the Lord’s appearance to them, but he steadfastly refused to believe unless he saw physical proof. Then Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst. He greeted them for the third time with the greeting of peace, and he graciously confronted Thomas’s doubts. He invited Thomas to touch his scars and challenged him to stop disbelieving and, instead, to believe. Thomas not only believed that Jesus was alive but declared Jesus’ divinity (v. 28). There is no greater confession in John’s Gospel. Those who do not have the opportunity Thomas did to see the resurrected Jesus have the certain words of Scripture. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to bring about faith for those who believe without seeing.

20:30–31 The chapter concludes with a description of the apostle’s purpose in writing. John indicates the selective nature of what he has included. Out of all the miracles Jesus performed, John chose seven, calling them signs. His purpose is that his readers will believe Jesus to be both the Messiah and the Son of God and then experience abundant life in his name.