Chapter Text
The Empty Tomb
The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
2Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
3Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
4So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
5And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
6Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself .
8Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
9For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
10Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
11But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
18Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19Then 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, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Jesus and Thomas
24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Summary
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb early and finds the stone removed. She runs to tell Peter and the beloved disciple, who race to the tomb. Peter enters and sees the linen cloths lying undisturbed. The beloved disciple sees and believes.
Mary remains weeping at the tomb. Two angels ask why she weeps, and then Jesus appears but she mistakes Him for the gardener until He speaks her name: Mary. She recognizes Him and He sends her to tell the disciples. That evening, Jesus appears to the disciples behind locked doors, breathes on them, and says, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Thomas, absent the first time, later sees and worships, declaring: My Lord and my God.
Meaning
The undisturbed grave clothes suggest that Jesus passed through them rather than unwrapping Himself, indicating a body transformed rather than merely resuscitated. The beloved disciple saw and believed, showing that physical evidence and spiritual insight work together in faith.
Jesus' calling Mary by name echoes His teaching that the Good Shepherd calls His sheep by name and they know His voice. Thomas' confession, My Lord and my God, is the highest christological declaration in the Gospels. Jesus' response, Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed, pronounces a blessing on every subsequent generation of believers who come to faith through testimony rather than sight.
Background
Mary Magdalene was the first witness of the resurrection, a fact that speaks powerfully in a culture where women's testimony was not accepted in court. God chose the marginalized to be the first heralds of the greatest event in history.
Thomas' doubt has given him an unfair reputation. His demand for physical evidence was no different from what the other disciples had already received. His confession upon seeing Jesus is one of the most personal and passionate declarations of faith in Scripture.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-10The empty tomb discovered
- vv. 11-18Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene
- vv. 19-23Jesus commissions the disciples
- vv. 24-25Thomas refuses to believe
- vv. 26-29Thomas confesses Christ as God
- vv. 30-31Purpose of the Gospel stated
Key Verses
“Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.”— 20:16
The risen Christ calls Mary by name, fulfilling His own words that the Good Shepherd's sheep know His voice (John 10:3-4). This intimate moment of recognition marks the first resurrection appearance recorded in John.
“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”— 20:28
Thomas's confession is the climactic christological declaration of John's Gospel, explicitly affirming the deity of Christ. It forms an inclusio with John 1:1, framing the entire Gospel around the divinity of Jesus.
“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”— 20:29
This beatitude extends Christ's blessing to all future believers who would trust without physical sight. It shapes Christian faith as confidence grounded in apostolic testimony rather than personal observation.
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”— 20:31
John states the explicit purpose of his Gospel: evangelistic faith leading to eternal life. This verse functions as the thesis statement of the entire book.
People & Places
People
- Mary Magdalene — Devoted follower of Jesus and the first witness to the resurrection.
- Simon Peter — Lead apostle who entered the empty tomb and saw the burial linens.
- The other disciple (John) — The beloved disciple, traditionally John, who outran Peter and believed upon seeing the empty tomb.
- Jesus — The risen Christ, appearing bodily to Mary, the disciples, and Thomas.
- Two angels — Heavenly messengers seated where the body of Jesus had lain, announcing the resurrection scene.
- Thomas (Didymus) — The doubting apostle whose demand for physical proof yields to the Gospel's highest confession of Christ's deity.
Places
- The sepulchre — The garden tomb near Jerusalem where Jesus was buried and from which He rose.
- The upper room — The locked house where the fearful disciples gathered and where Jesus appeared among them.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
This chapter records the fulfillment of Jesus's own repeated predictions that He would rise on the third day (John 2:19-22; Matthew 16:21). Verse 9 explicitly notes that the disciples 'knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead,' pointing back to Old Testament texts like Psalm 16:10 and Isaiah 53:10-11. The commissioning in verses 21-23 also begins to fulfill Joel 2:28-29 concerning the outpouring of the Spirit, anticipating Pentecost. Christ's resurrection vindicates every messianic promise and seals the new covenant in His blood.
Devotional
Resurrection morning meets us where grief has left us — at the tomb, weeping, certain only of loss. Mary did not recognize Jesus until He spoke her name, a reminder that Christ often comes to us in ways we do not expect, and that being known by Him precedes our knowing Him.
Thomas teaches us that honest doubt, brought into Christ's presence, can become the doorway to deeper faith. Jesus does not shame the questioner; He invites him closer. Whatever fear locks your doors today, the risen Lord still steps inside and says, 'Peace be unto you.'
Literary Style
Resurrection narrative woven from intimate dialogue, eyewitness detail, and theological climax. John employs vivid sensory imagery (linen clothes, the napkin, nail prints), recognition scenes, and a closing authorial statement of purpose that functions as the Gospel's thesis.