Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

20:1 The first day of the week is Sunday morning, which from then on has been the day that believers set aside as the normal day of worshiping the Lord (see Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). Mary Magdalene left before dawn to go to Jesus' tomb to complete the burial preparations (Luke 24:1), which had to be left undone due to the beginning of the Sabbath (see note on John 19:42). The Synoptic parallels indicate that other women were with her, as is also implied by the "we" in 20:2. while it was still dark. Cf. the slightly different points in time of the process depicted in Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; and Luke 24:1. Matthew's Gospel explains that the stone had been "rolled back" by "an angel of the Lord" (Matt. 28:2). On the identity of Mary Magdalene, see also note on John 19:25.

20:2 At this point Mary has no thought of resurrection. The plural we suggests the presence of other women besides Mary. On the other disciple, see vv. 3-4 and note on 18:15-16.

20:5 stooping to look in, he saw. Apparently by now there is enough daylight to see inside the burial chamber through the small, low opening in the cave tomb. He (the "other disciple," vv. 2-4) did not go in, presumably in deference to the status of Simon Peter among the Twelve (e.g., 6:67-69).

20:6 The linen cloths lying there are clear evidence that Jesus' body had not been taken by grave robbers (cf. Matt. 28:11-15) or by his disciples attempting to steal the body (cf. Matt. 27:62-66) or by his enemies, who would not have taken the time to remove these cloths (see John 19:40). The Greek text simply says that the cloths were "lying" (keimai, a common word). Though it is sometimes suggested otherwise, nothing in the text indicates that Jesus' body passed through the cloths or that the cloths were lying in the shape of Jesus' body. The NT elsewhere affirms the real physical materiality of Jesus' resurrection body (see Matt. 28:9; Luke 24:30, 39, 42; John 20:17, 20, 27; Acts 10:41). Most likely Jesus unwrapped these cloths from his body when he awakened from death and left them behind.

20:7 The reference to the face cloth being folded up in a place by itself suggests that Jesus himself had taken it off and folded it neatly.

20:8-9 The presence of two male witnesses rendered the evidence admissible under Jewish law (cf. Deut. 17:6; 19:15). As yet they did not understand the Scripture proves that the disciples did not fabricate a story to fit their preconceived notions of what was predicted. Rather, they were confronted with certain facts, which they were initially unable to relate to Scripture. Only later, aided by the Spirit's teaching ministry (see notes on John 14:26; 16:13), were they able to do so. In referring to "the Scripture," John may be thinking of specific OT passages (such as Ps. 16:10; Isa. 53:10-12; Hos. 6:2) or of broader themes in the entire scope of Scripture (cf. Luke 24:25-27, 32, 44-47).

20:10 When the disciples went back to their homes, John ("the disciple whom Jesus loved") in all likelihood brought the good news of Jesus' resurrection to Jesus' mother, whom he had taken "to his own home" (19:27).

20:11-12 Mary (Magdalene, cf. vv. 1, 18) saw two angels in white. Angels often appeared in pairs (e.g., Acts 1:10) and are often depicted as clad in white (cf. Ezek. 9:2; Dan. 10:5-6; Rev. 15:6).

20:15 Mary mistook Jesus for the gardener, perhaps because it was not fully light (see v. 1) and perhaps because she had turned and seen someone there but had then turned immediately back toward the tomb as she spoke (in v. 16 she "turned" again to speak directly to Jesus). At other times after his resurrection the disciples did not immediately recognize Jesus (see Luke 24:16, 31). His body also would have looked somewhat different, for he now had his original youthful appearance of perfect health, in contrast to what he had become through his tremendous suffering and disfigurement (cf. Isa. 53:2-3).

20:16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." Hearing only her name, Mary recognizes the voice of Jesus. As Jesus had taught prior to his crucifixion, "He calls his own sheep by name. . . . and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice" (10:3-4).

20:17 I have not yet ascended does not deny the fact that Jesus' spirit went to the presence of the Father in heaven at the moment of his death (see note on 19:30) but affirms that his bodily ascension after his resurrection had not yet occurred (see Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9-11). To my Father and your Father maintains a distinction as to the sense in which God is Christ's God and Father and the sense in which this is true for the disciples (see note on John 1:14). But he also calls believers his brothers, implying a personal relationship (see note on 15:13-14; also Heb. 2:12, 17).

20:19 Some interpreters understand the doors being locked to imply that Jesus miraculously passed through the door or the walls of the room, though the text does not explicitly say this. Since Jesus clearly had a real physical body with flesh and bones after he rose from the dead (see note on v. 6 and verses mentioned there), one possibility is that the door was miraculously opened so that the physical body of Jesus could enter, which is consistent with the passage about Peter going through a locked door some time later (see Acts 12:10).

20:21-22 These verses contain the Johannine "Great Commission," which serves as the culmination of the entire Gospel's presentation of Jesus as the one sent from the Father (see note on 3:17). The Sent One (Jesus) has now become the Sender, commissioning his followers to serve as his messengers and representatives (cf. 17:18). All three persons of the Godhead are involved in this commissioning: as the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends his disciples (20:21), equipping them with the Holy Spirit (v. 22). When Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit," it is best understood as a foretaste of what would happen when the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost (see Acts 2). This does not mean that the Holy Spirit had no presence in the disciples' lives prior to this point (see notes on John 7:39; 14:16-17).

20:23 The expressions they are forgiven and it is withheld both represent perfect-tense verbs in Greek and could also be translated, "they have been forgiven" and "it has been withheld," since the perfect gives the sense of completed past action with continuing results in the present. The idea is not that individual Christians or churches have authority on their own to forgive or not forgive people, but rather that as the church proclaims the gospel message of forgiveness of sins in the power of the Holy Spirit (see v. 22), it proclaims that those who believe in Jesus have their sins forgiven, and that those who do not believe in him do not have their sins forgiven--which simply reflects what God in heaven has already done (cf. note on Matt. 16:19).

20:24 Thomas. Cf. 11:16. See also note on 1:38.

20:25 Apparently, Thomas thinks the disciples may have seen a ghost (cf. Matt. 14:26). Yet John is careful to affirm that Jesus is the incarnate Word (John 1:14; cf. 1 John 4:2-3; 2 John 7), which entails that his resurrection body is not a phantom or spirit apparition but a real (albeit glorified) body.

20:26 Eight days later refers to the following Sunday, one week after Easter (cf. v. 19), because the starting day was also included in counting the number of days. Now that the festival of Unleavened Bread was over, the disciples would soon be returning to Galilee. the doors were locked. See note on v. 19.

20:28 Thomas's confession of Jesus as his Lord (Gk. Kyrios) and God (Gk. Theos) provides a literary link with the references to Jesus as God in the prologue (1:1, 18). This is one of the strongest texts in the NT on the deity of Christ (see 1:1). Some cults try to explain away this clear affirmation of Jesus' deity by arguing that Thomas's statement was merely an exclamation of astonishment that, in effect, took God's name in vain. Such an explanation is unthinkable, however, given the strong Jewish moral convictions of the day and because it is not consistent with the text, which explicitly says that Thomas said these words to him, that is, to Jesus. Thomas's statement is in fact a clear confession of his newly found faith in Jesus as his Lord and God. John's entire purpose in writing this book is that all readers come to confess Jesus as their Lord and God in the same way that Thomas did.

20:29 The readers of John's Gospel are at no disadvantage as compared to Jesus' first followers. Note the possible echo of this text in 1 Pet. 1:8; cf. 2 Cor. 5:7.