# John 20 📖: The Empty Tomb [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-John Overview]] | [[John 19]] | [[John 21]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) #### The Resurrection **Principle**: The King Keeps His Promises. [[#Verse 01.]] Now very early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. [[#Verse 02.]] So she went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” [[#Verse 03.]] Then Peter and the other disciple set out to go to the tomb. [[#Verse 04.]] The two were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. [[#Verse 05.]] He bent down and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. [[#Verse 06.]] Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, [[#Verse 07.]] and the face cloth, which had been around Jesus’ head, not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself. [[#Verse 08.]] Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, came in, and he saw and believed. [[#Verse 09.]] (For they did not yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.) [[#Verse 10.]] So the disciples went back to their homes. #### Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene **Principle**: Jesus knows our name. [[#Verse 11.]] But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb. [[#Verse 12.]] And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. [[#Verse 13.]] They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Mary replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!” [[#Verse 14.]] When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. [[#Verse 15.]] Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” [[#Verse 16.]] Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means “Teacher”). [[#Verse 17.]] Jesus replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” [[#Verse 18.]] Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her. #### Jesus Appears to His Disciples **Principle**: Our fear does not change God’s faithfulness. [[#Verse 19.]] On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the doors of the place because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” [[#Verse 20.]] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [[#Verse 21.]] So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” [[#Verse 22.]] And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [[#Verse 23.]] If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” #### Jesus Appears to Thomas **Principle**: Blessed are those who trust. [[#Verse 24.]] Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. [[#Verse 25.]] The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!” [[#Verse 26.]] Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” [[#Verse 27.]] Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.” [[#Verse 28.]] Thomas replied to him, “My Lord and my God!” [[#Verse 29.]] Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.” #### Purpose of the Book **Principle**: The purpose of the Gospel of John is that we have the evidence to believe. [[#Verse 30.]] Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book. [[#Verse 31.]] But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. - The following link explains this statement, not as a warning, but as comfort. ([Why did Jesus tell Mary, “Do not cling to me” (John 20:17)? \| GotQuestions.org](https://www.gotquestions.org/do-not-cling-to-me.html)) Jesus was telling her He was not ascending to the Father yet. There was time. Don’t grab onto Him, go tell the disciples. This is another way of saying, “Don’t worry, Mary. I’m not leaving you. Go do what I say. I promise you can still trust Me.” Wow! ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. - Jesus is not saying they have the power to forgive sins. He is saying they carry the message of salvation. Therefore, they carry the responsibility to share it with others. Those who hear the Gospel have the opportunity of salvation. Those who do not, are left in darkness. This would be like having antibiotics in a room full of sick people. The person dispensing the medicine does not have the power to heal. That is what the antibiotics do. They have the responsibility to give the medicine so that people can find healing. ###### Verse 24. - The reason Thomas had specific requests: - Nails - Many who were crucified were not nailed to the cross. The point of crucifixion was exposure to the elements. Therefore, seeing the nail wounds would prove it was Jesus. - Spear wound in His side- This was given to Jesus to make sure He was dead. Thomas is saying, “I want proof that He was indeed dead.” ###### Verse 25. ###### Verse 26. - It was the following Sunday. ###### Verse 27. ###### Verse 28. - Thomas was the first person after the Resurrection to declare Jesus as King and God. ###### Verse 29. - Jesus is not saying that those who do not see Him are MORE blessed. He is saying they are not less blessed. You do not have to see Jesus in order to believe. ###### Verse 30. ###### Verse 31. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts 1. In that culture a woman's testimony was given little weight in court, yet all four Gospels record women as the first witnesses of the empty tomb. 2. The graveclothes lying in place and the face cloth folded up by itself (20:6-7) argued against grave robbery, since thieves would not unwrap a body. 3. The "other disciple" outran Peter to the tomb (20:4), a small eyewitness detail. 4. "Rabboni" (20:16) is an Aramaic word meaning "my teacher." 5. Mary was the first person to see the risen Jesus (20:14-16; Mark 16:9). 6. Jesus breathed on the disciples (20:22), recalling God breathing life into Adam (Genesis 2:7). 7. Jesus appeared to the disciples on the first day of the week, then again eight days later (20:19, 26). Sunday became the Christian day of worship. 8. Thomas's confession, "My Lord and my God" (20:28), is the climax of the Gospel and echoes John 1:1. 9. Jesus showed His hands and side (20:20, 27), proving His risen body was the same body that was crucified. 10. John 20:31 states the purpose of the whole Gospel: that readers would believe and have life in Jesus' name. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the risen Lord and God, as Thomas confessed (20:28). He conquered death and sends His followers into the world as the Father sent Him (20:21; 1 Corinthians 15:20). ## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application **Today, I can apply this chapter by:** - ✅ It’s okay to ask God to reveal Himself. Only, follow the truth when He presents it. - ✅ The purpose of the Gospel is for us to believe. Therefore, do not study God’s Word only for intellectual pursuit. Study God’s Word so that it may be applied to our lives. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. Mary did not recognize Jesus until He called her by name (20:16). What does that tell you about how personally Jesus knows His people? 2. Jesus sent His disciples just as the Father had sent Him (20:21). Where is Jesus sending you this week? 3. Thomas wanted evidence, and Jesus met him there (20:27-28). How can honest questions lead to deeper faith? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 16: Jesus calls Mary by name, and she recognizes Him. - 📖 verse 21: As the Father sent Jesus, so He sends His disciples. - 📖 verse 28: Thomas confesses Jesus as "My Lord and my God." - 📖 verse 31: John wrote so that we may believe Jesus is the Christ and have life in His name. ## 🔗 Related Passages - 🔗 [[Psalm 16#Verse 10.|Psalm 16:10]] - You will not let Your faithful one see decay. - 🔗 [[Luke 24#Verse 36.|Luke 24:36-43]] - Jesus appears and eats with His disciples. - 🔗 [[Genesis 02#Verse 07.|Genesis 2:7]] - God breathes the breath of life. - 🔗 [[Titus 02#Verse 13.|Titus 2:13]] - Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. - 🔗 [[1 Peter 01#Verse 08.|1 Peter 1:8]] - Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[John 20 - SOAP|He Will Show Himself]] ## 📂 Internal Notes [[Believer (Easter 2026)]] %% ### Outline **Big Idea**: **Point 1**: **Point 2**: **Point 3**: %%