John 20

      See Appendix I.

     The Grand Miracle, John’s eighth, is a new creation ushering in a new age.  “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those that are asleep.” 1 Cor.15:20.

      20:1-2.  There were two groups of women who came that morning.  Several came with Mary Magdalene “while it was still dark,” (including Mary the mother of James, Salome, and perhaps Joanna (Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:10).  A second group arrived “after the sun had risen,” (Mark 16:2-3).  Mary’s use of the pronoun “we” (2) confirms that she had not come alone.  (It was evidently the second group who later saw the two angels (Luke 24:4), but Mary saw them also, after Peter and John had left (12).

     20:2-10.  Mary ran to tell Peter and John, and followed them back to the tomb.  What did Peter and John see, exactly?  One view, which I share, is that the wrappings were lying there like an empty cocoon, except for the folded face cloth.  If so, John must have looked in and thought that the body was still there.  Peter discovered it wasn’t.  John went in and saw that it was indeed gone.  This is what they saw and believed, for v.9 seems to indicate that they still couldn’t understand that he had risen from the dead.  A few of the Scriptures they did not as yet understand are: Ps.16:8-11; Ps.41:9-12; Hosea 6:2.  See Luke 24:44-46.

     20:11-18.  Mary is the first to see Jesus, and also the first from whom he veiled his identity momentarily (14).  Perhaps this should tell us not to walk in sorrow, for he has told us that he is with us always (Mt.28:20).  We just don’t always recognize him.

     20:19-29.  Jesus begins a pattern of meeting with his disciples on the first day of the week (19,26).  (Since it is after sundown, it also must have been a precedent for the use of Roman time, as John does, for he considers it still the first day of the week.)

     Apparently all the other disciples had required just as much solid evidence as Thomas (25).  They hadn’t believed the women.  Until they saw, they hadn’t believed anyone (Luke 24:24; Mark 16:14).

     20:30-31.  John wrote his eye witness testimony that those who did not see may yet believe (29), and have life in his name.

     John tells what he saw, heard, and touched (1 John 1:1).  These men were not in a frame of mind to be deluded.  They seemed sane to others, and how likely is it that a group of insane people could all suffer from an identical delusion, and stick with it all their days?  Unless we can believe them all to be outlandish liars, who all agreed on the same lie, and were willing to suffer and die for it, then we must believe their testimony.

     “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.”  John 6:47.