John Chapter 20
An Empty Tomb and A Risen Jesus
A. Discovery of the Empty Tomb
John 20:1-2 says, “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.’”
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb on the first day of the week, which was Sunday, very early in the morning while it was still dark. This timing is significant, as it marked the dawning of the Lord’s Day and became the basis for Christian worship on Sunday. Jesus had been crucified on Friday and buried before sundown. According to Matthew 27:62-66, His tomb was sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers, ensuring that His body could not be stolen and that no fraud could occur. Yet when Mary arrived, she saw that the stone had been rolled away. Her discovery highlights the power of God’s hand in defeating death, for no Roman guard or sealed stone could prevent the resurrection of Christ. The tomb had remained secured until this moment, when it was revealed as empty to the witnesses chosen by God.
Mary Magdalene is specifically mentioned here, though the Synoptic Gospels make it clear that she was not alone. At least three other women came with her to the tomb, intending to complete the burial preparations that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had begun but could not finish before the Sabbath began. Luke 24:10 mentions Mary the mother of James, Joanna, and other women, underscoring that there was a group of witnesses to these events. John focuses on Mary because she was the one who ran back immediately to tell Simon Peter and John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. Her devotion is underscored by the fact that she came before sunrise, risking danger in the darkness, driven by love for her Lord.
Mary Magdalene had once been delivered from great spiritual bondage, for Luke 8:2 records that Jesus cast seven demons out of her. Mark 16:9 confirms the same truth. Her past of deep affliction and enslavement to evil spirits did not disqualify her from serving Christ. Instead, by His grace, she became the first witness of His resurrection and His first commissioned messenger of the greatest truth in human history. This is a testimony to the transforming power of the gospel. God delights in choosing the weak, the broken, and the outcast to display His glory, so that no man may boast in His presence.
When Mary saw the stone rolled away, her immediate reaction was not belief in the resurrection but fear and confusion. She assumed that the body of Jesus had been stolen, saying, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” She did not expect the resurrection, nor was she imagining it out of wishful thinking. Her first thought was that of desecration, that enemies or grave robbers had removed the body. This detail is crucial, because it demonstrates that the resurrection accounts were not fabricated from eager or naïve faith. Instead, the disciples and the women alike were initially skeptical, unexpectant, and fearful. Their eventual bold proclamation of the resurrection was not born from gullibility, but from undeniable confrontation with the risen Christ.
It is noteworthy that Mary said, “we do not know where they have laid Him.” The use of “we” affirms the testimony of the other Gospels, that she was not alone. Though John emphasizes Mary’s personal experience, the plural language confirms that there were multiple women present who could all bear witness to the same empty tomb. This harmonizes the Gospel accounts and strengthens the reliability of the testimony.
B. Peter and John Run to the Tomb
John 20:3-4 says, “Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.”
When Mary Magdalene brought word to the disciples that the body of Jesus was gone, Peter and John immediately set out for the tomb. The urgency of their response reveals how seriously they took her report. They did not sit back and speculate but took action, running to confirm for themselves what had been said. John, in keeping with the humility characteristic of his Gospel, did not identify himself by name. Instead, he referred to himself only as “the other disciple” or as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” His anonymity directs attention away from himself and toward the risen Lord. Yet, as the text demonstrates, John was not above noting the personal detail that he outran Peter in the race to the tomb, showing that even the inspired Word captures the humanity of its authors.
John’s account tells us, “So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.” This small detail reflects the personalities and circumstances of the two men. By tradition, Peter was considerably older, likely in his late forties or early fifties, while John was younger, probably in his twenties. It is not difficult to imagine Peter running with zeal but weighed down by age and possibly by the heavy burden of his recent denial of Christ, while John, youthful and eager, swiftly outpaced him. The mention of this detail underscores both the honesty of John’s testimony and the vividness with which he remembered this moment.
The fact that they ran at all is significant. These were grown men, sober disciples, yet they were moved with such urgency that they ran together. Their running demonstrated not only their concern for Christ but also the weight of the report they had received. They had just heard the most world-changing news imaginable: the tomb where Jesus had been buried was empty. Such a report could not be received with indifference. This is a striking contrast to how many respond to the resurrection today—with apathy, skepticism, or casual acknowledgment. But the example of Peter and John shows the only proper response to the resurrection: urgency, pursuit, and personal examination.
The detail that John arrived first but did not immediately enter also speaks to his character, which will be expanded upon in the verses that follow. Peter’s boldness and John’s restraint, both evident here, complement one another and prepare the reader for the balance of testimony that will confirm the resurrection. Together they represent different temperaments in service of the same truth: Christ has risen.
An Empty Tomb and A Risen Jesus
C. Peter and John Examine the Empty Tomb
John 20:5-10 says, “And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.”
John, who outran Peter, arrived at the tomb first. He stooped down and looked inside, and “saw the linen cloths lying there”—the Greek word blepei meaning “to see clearly, to take in as a visible object.” He registered what he saw, and it was undeniable that the grave wrappings were present. However, John refrained from entering. Out of reverence for the tomb or perhaps fear of ceremonial defilement, he paused at the threshold. This restraint contrasts with Peter’s typical boldness.
When Peter arrived, he did not hesitate. True to his character, he entered the tomb without pause. “Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there.” The Greek word used here for “saw” is theorei, which means to observe carefully, to study, to scrutinize. Peter did not merely glance but examined. What he found was extraordinary: the burial wrappings were still in place, orderly and undisturbed. The cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head was not with the other wrappings but folded neatly by itself. This orderliness ruled out grave robbery. Grave robbers would have taken the body, wrappings and all, or left the cloths in disarray. Instead, what Peter and John saw suggested something supernatural—Jesus had risen, passing through the wrappings without disturbing them.
The burial custom of the Jews involved wrapping the body in strips of linen smeared with spices and ointments. Over time, these cloths hardened, creating a stiff shell or cocoon around the body. Normal removal would have required tearing the linen. But the wrappings appeared intact, lying as though the body had simply vanished from within them. As one commentator observed, the grave-clothes did not look as though they had been removed but as though the body had simply passed out of them. The neat folding of the head cloth further reinforced the uniqueness of the event, showing calmness and divine order rather than human interference.
Some have suggested that the burial wrappings of Jesus may be preserved in the Shroud of Turin, an ancient linen bearing the image of a crucified man. While studies on the Shroud show it to be authentic in age and consistent with crucifixion, the biblical text itself does not give room for certainty. John describes separate wrappings for the body and the head, while the Shroud presents a full-body image. It is possible that another cloth lay beneath the wrappings, but God in His providence seems not to have left us relics of Christ’s burial to prevent idolatrous worship. The focus is not on relics but on the risen Lord.
After Peter entered, John also went in. “Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.” The word used here is eiden, meaning “to perceive, to grasp the significance of.” At this moment John understood—he believed that Jesus had risen. This faith was not yet a full theological grasp of resurrection as taught in Scripture, but it was faith born of sight. John believed in the fact of the resurrection, though neither he nor Peter yet understood the meaning of it in light of Old Testament prophecy.
The text explicitly notes, “For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” Though Jesus had foretold His resurrection, and though passages such as Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53:10-12, and Hosea 6:2 pointed forward to it, the disciples had not yet pieced these truths together. Their belief rested first on what they saw with their eyes. Yet this moment prepared them to later understand the deeper meaning of the resurrection—that it was not merely an event but the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan.
The resurrection carries rich theological significance. Paul writes in Romans 1:4, “and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” The resurrection proved that Jesus was who He claimed to be: the Son of God. It also assures us of our own resurrection, as 1 Thessalonians 4:14 declares, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” Moreover, it reveals that God values the body as well as the soul, promising redemption not just for our spirits but for our very bodies. It also demonstrates Christ’s continuing ministry, for as Hebrews 7:25 teaches, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.”
Finally, the resurrection is God’s declaration that Christ’s atonement was accepted. The cross was the payment, and the resurrection was the receipt stamped “Paid in Full.” Jesus’ body was not stolen, desecrated, or hidden—it was gloriously raised.
After witnessing these things, the text concludes: “Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.” Their lives had been forever altered, though they had not yet grasped the full magnitude of what they had seen. In time, the risen Lord would reveal Himself to them, and they would come to understand not only the fact but also the meaning of His resurrection.
1. Mary, stricken with grief, sees two angels in the empty tomb
John 20:11-13 says, “But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.’”
After Peter and John departed, Mary Magdalene remained outside the tomb. The text tells us, “Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping.” Her tears flowed from grief and confusion. Whereas John had already believed, even without fully understanding the Scripture, Mary had not yet reached that place of faith. For her, the loss of Jesus seemed final. She loved Him deeply, but in her sorrow she had not yet grasped the hope of the resurrection. This distinction highlights the different ways individuals process the same event: John responded with belief, while Mary remained overwhelmed with grief.
As she wept, “she stooped down and looked into the tomb.” Her persistence shows her devotion. She could not walk away from the place where her Lord had been laid. Though she had already seen the stone rolled away, she desired to look once more, hoping to understand what had happened. Yet in that short time since Peter and John had examined the tomb, something remarkable had changed.
Mary looked inside and “she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.” This detail is striking. The angels were clothed in white, symbolizing purity, holiness, and divine presence. Their positioning was not accidental. One sat at the head, the other at the feet, in the exact place where Jesus’ body had been. This arrangement mirrors the two cherubim that were set at either end of the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant, as described in Exodus 25:18-19, “And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat.” This was no coincidence. God was giving a living picture that the true mercy seat—the place of atonement—was no longer in the temple but fulfilled in Christ, whose sacrifice was once for all. The angels thus testified that the work of redemption was complete.
Yet Mary did not react with awe, terror, or worship, as so many others did when encountering angels in Scripture. Instead, her grief overpowered her recognition. Hebrews 13:2 reminds us, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” Mary’s focus was not on the supernatural presence before her but on her missing Lord. As one commentator observed, “The presence of angels was a trifle to Mary, who had only one thought—the absence of her Lord.” Her love and devotion were commendable, though her understanding was not yet enlightened.
The angels asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Their question was not meant as a rebuke but as comfort and gentle redirection. From heaven’s perspective, her tears were unnecessary, for Christ was risen. Yet they acknowledged her grief and invited her to articulate her pain. She answered, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” This statement reveals the depth of her love. Notice that she still refers to Him as “my Lord.” Even though she thought He was dead, her allegiance remained unshaken. She did not think or dream of resurrection. She only wanted to find His body, to render the last service of love in preparing it properly for burial.
Mary’s response also shows that she had not noticed the linen wrappings, nor their miraculous arrangement, because her attention was captured by the angels. Grief narrowed her focus, and love compelled her to seek Him even in death. This is further evidence that the resurrection was not a fabrication of wishful thinking. Mary was not expecting Jesus to rise; she was convinced that someone had taken His body away.
Thus, in these verses we see Mary as the picture of love without yet having full understanding. She longed for Christ, though she thought Him gone. Soon her sorrow would be turned to joy when she encountered the risen Savior Himself.
2. Mary Meets Jesus
John 20:14-16 says, “Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, ‘Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him, ‘Rabboni!’ (which is to say, Teacher).”
Mary’s grief had consumed her, and though she was seeking Jesus, she did not realize He was standing so near. “She turned around and saw Jesus standing there.” It is possible she sensed a movement behind her, or perhaps the angels indicated His presence by some gesture. Regardless, though she longed for Him, she did not yet recognize Him. Her sorrow blinded her to the reality that the very One she sought was before her eyes.
The text says, “and did not know that it was Jesus.” This raises the question of why Mary, who knew Him so well, did not immediately recognize Him. Explanations vary. Some suggest her eyes were blurred by tears, or that she was so emotionally distraught she could not think clearly. Others suggest that Jesus’ resurrected body, while real and physical, bore a difference in appearance—whether from the marks of His suffering or from the glorified nature of His resurrection. Mark 16:12 even tells us that He appeared “in another form” to two disciples on the road. This indicates that while His identity remained, there was something about the risen Christ that required spiritual discernment as much as physical recognition. Mary was not expecting to see Him alive, so her perception was clouded by unbelief and sorrow.
Jesus gently addressed her with two questions: “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” These words show His compassion. He was not mocking her grief but tenderly redirecting her from despair to hope. Her tears were unnecessary, for death had been conquered. Yet before revealing Himself, Jesus invited her to reflect on her sorrow and to reconsider her assumptions. She wept because she thought He was dead, but her grief would soon be transformed into the fullness of joy.
Still not realizing it was Jesus, Mary responded with devotion, saying, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Her words reveal both her love and her desperation. She did not consider the impracticality of carrying the body of a grown man—especially one wrapped with burial spices weighing about one hundred pounds (John 19:39). Her heart was so overwhelmed with love that she was willing to attempt the impossible. As the old saying goes, “Love feels no load.” Her devotion was real, even if her understanding was incomplete.
Then came the turning point. “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’” With one word, the risen Lord made Himself known. He did not identify Himself by title or by giving a sermon, but by calling her by name. This was the voice she knew above all others, the voice that had once cast seven demons out of her, the voice that had spoken peace and forgiveness into her broken life. Just as Jesus had declared earlier, “the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (John 10:3), so now He called His sheep by name, and she instantly recognized her Shepherd.
Her response was immediate and overflowing with joy: “She turned and said to Him, ‘Rabboni!’ (which is to say, Teacher).” The term Rabboni was a more exalted form of Rabbi, meaning “my great Master” or “my Teacher.” It expressed reverence, affection, and recognition of authority. Mary acknowledged Him not only as alive but as her Lord and Teacher, the One who had guided her soul and transformed her life.
This brief exchange is filled with deep theological significance. In the Garden of Eden, the woman first received the sentence of sorrow through sin, as Genesis 3:16 declared. Now, in another garden, a woman was the first to receive the good news of victory over sin and death. The promised Seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, brought comfort and redemption through His resurrection. The sorrow that had begun in Eden was answered here with everlasting hope.
3. Jesus Sends Mary to Tell the Disciples
John 20:17-18 says, “Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.”’ Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.”
After Mary recognized Jesus by the calling of her name, her natural response was to cling to Him. She wanted to hold on to Him as though she might lose Him again. But Jesus responded, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father.” The wording here has sometimes caused confusion, especially in the King James Version’s rendering, “Touch Me not.” The Greek verb tense clarifies the meaning: Jesus was not forbidding her from touching Him at all, but rather telling her to stop holding Him in such a way as to detain Him. The sense is that Mary embraced Him tightly and did not want to let go, but Jesus assured her that she would see Him again. He was not departing immediately, but would appear again to her and to the disciples. His resurrection body was real and tangible, not a phantom or a vision, yet it was also glorified, suited for His eventual ascension into heaven.
Jesus then gave Mary a commission: “But go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” It is profoundly significant that Jesus made Mary Magdalene the first witness and messenger of His resurrection. In the first-century Jewish world, a woman’s testimony was not admissible in court, being regarded as unreliable. Yet the Lord overturned cultural expectations, entrusting this most important announcement in history to a woman who had once been possessed by demons. This fact itself argues strongly for the historical truth of the resurrection. If the account were fabricated, no writer of that time would have chosen women as the first witnesses. As Bruce notes, the second-century critic Celsus mocked Christianity on this very point, dismissing the resurrection as the hallucination of a “hysterical woman.” Yet God delights to use the weak and despised to shame the wise and powerful, magnifying His grace.
Equally moving is the way Jesus referred to His disciples. He told Mary to go to “My brethren.” This is the first time in Scripture Jesus calls His disciples by this term. Before, He had called them servants (John 15:15), and later He called them friends, but now, after His death and resurrection, He raised them to the level of brothers. Despite their failures—Peter’s denial, the others’ desertion—He embraced them in grace. Their relationship with Him was now transformed through His finished work on the cross. The resurrection inaugurated a new intimacy, for those who are united with Christ by faith are not merely His servants but His brothers and sisters. As Spurgeon observed, “Now that He has risen from the dead, He says, ‘My brethren.’”
The message He entrusted to Mary also carried deep theological truth: “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.” Notice that Jesus did not say, “Our Father.” His relationship to the Father is unique. By nature He is the eternal Son, one with the Father in essence and deity. By grace believers are adopted children of God, sharing in His sonship but not in the same manner. Likewise, when He says, “My God and your God,” He acknowledges His true humanity, submitting to the Father as man, even while remaining fully divine. Augustine captured this balance: “He says not ‘Our Father’: in one sense therefore, He is mine, in another sense He is yours; by nature mine, by grace yours… my God, under whom I also am as a man; your God, between whom and you I am a mediator.” This statement reminds us both of Christ’s deity and His humanity, and it underscores His role as the Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).
The mention of His ascension is vital. By declaring, “I am ascending,” Jesus pointed forward to His exaltation at the right hand of the Father. His resurrection was not a return to mortal life but the beginning of eternal glorification. He would not die again. His ascension would confirm that His work was complete and that He would intercede for His people forever (Hebrews 7:25). Mary’s clinging to Him as though she could keep Him on earth was gently corrected, for His mission was to return to the Father, making the way open for His Spirit to indwell His people.
Finally, “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.” This simple statement reveals her obedience. She did not keep the news to herself but proclaimed what she had seen and heard. Her message was both eyewitness testimony and faithful repetition of Christ’s words. She becomes the first herald of the resurrection, an apostle to the apostles, declaring the good news that would soon shake the world.
1. Jesus Appears in Their Midst
John 20:19 says, “Then, 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, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’”
This event took place on the very same day the tomb was discovered empty and Mary Magdalene had met the risen Lord. The resurrection appearances of Jesus on that day are five in total: to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18), to the other women (Matthew 28:9-10), to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13-32), to Peter (Luke 24:33-35; 1 Corinthians 15:5), and to the ten disciples gathered in the room, with Thomas absent (John 20:19-23). Each appearance confirmed the reality of His resurrection and progressively unfolded its significance to His followers.
The text tells us the disciples were “assembled” together. This was in obedience to Jesus’ earlier command that they love one another (John 15:17) and to His prayer for their unity (John 17:11). Despite their fear, they remained together, and it was in that unity that Jesus appeared to them. The Lord often blesses the gathered assembly of His people in ways He does not when they are isolated. It was wise and right that they remained in fellowship.
John further notes, “when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews.” The wording indicates that the doors were not merely closed but locked. The disciples feared that the same Jewish authorities who had orchestrated Jesus’ crucifixion might soon come after them. Their fear was humanly understandable. Yet those locked doors could not keep Jesus out. He entered the room in a way not bound by natural limitations, simply appearing in their midst. His glorified resurrection body was real and tangible, yet it transcended physical barriers. This anticipates what Paul describes about our future glorified bodies in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” The risen Christ gave His disciples a glimpse of what awaits believers in the resurrection.
John adds, “Jesus came and stood in the midst.” The wording implies that His arrival was sudden and unexplainable by natural means. He who had conquered death was no longer subject to the restrictions of mortality. Yet He did not remain distant. He could have ascended immediately or appeared to kings and rulers, but instead, He sought out His disciples. He wanted to be with His people.
The first words He spoke were, “Peace be with you.” After their cowardice and desertion at His arrest, one might have expected words of rebuke or judgment. Yet His first word to them was peace, not condemnation. This was not mere greeting but the proclamation of reconciliation. His atoning death had secured peace with God, and now He bestowed it on them. As Romans 5:1 declares, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” His peace dispelled their fear and reassured them of His forgiveness.
This greeting also answered the disciples’ terror. Luke records that when Jesus appeared they were “terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit” (Luke 24:37). Jesus’ declaration of peace calmed their hearts and confirmed that all was well. Spurgeon beautifully reflected on this, saying, “Our Master came to his cowardly, faithless disciples, and stood in the midst of them, uttering the cheering salutation, ‘Peace be unto you!’ My soul, why should He not come to thee, though thou be the most unworthy of all whom He has bought with His blood?” The same Christ who entered their locked room enters the fearful and troubled hearts of His people today, bringing peace that surpasses understanding.
C. The Disciples Meet the Risen Jesus
2. The Risen Jesus Serves His Disciples
John 20:20-23 says, “When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”
After speaking peace, Jesus provided tangible proof of His identity and His resurrection. “He showed them His hands and His side.” This was not merely symbolic—it was physical evidence that He was indeed the crucified Lord, now risen. Luke’s account adds that Jesus even invited them to touch Him, saying, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). He also ate before them to prove He was no ghost. The scars on His resurrected body were not erased but preserved, forever testifying to His sacrificial love and victory over death. Revelation 5:6 depicts the Lamb in heaven “as though it had been slain,” reminding us that the marks of His suffering are eternal trophies of redemption.
John records, “Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” Fear gave way to joy, despair turned to hope. The fulfillment of Jesus’ earlier promise came to pass: “I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you” (John 16:22). Their gladness was not the fleeting happiness of circumstances but the deep, abiding joy of encountering the risen Christ.
Once more, Jesus repeated His blessing: “Peace to you!” (John 20:21). The repetition emphasized the reality of His gift. The first time (John 20:19) calmed their immediate fears; the second expanded the meaning of peace as the foundation for mission. This peace was not simply the absence of conflict but the reconciliation purchased by His blood. As Paul would later declare, “having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). This was a declaration of settled wholeness—sins forgiven, fears removed, eternity secured. True peace comes only from the resurrected Lord.
Jesus then commissioned them: “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Just as His mission was divinely appointed, so is theirs. He had prayed earlier, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). His sending of the disciples was patterned after the Father’s sending of the Son. This means that believers are not sent as philosophers, conquerors, or inventors but as servants of truth, witnesses of the gospel, and bearers of the light of salvation. His mission was to reveal God, to proclaim truth, to suffer for righteousness, and to redeem the lost. Likewise, the disciples were sent not to establish earthly kingdoms but to proclaim the heavenly one. This mission was not limited to the apostles, for Luke 24:33 indicates that “those who were with them” also received this commission. Every believer is sent into the world as an ambassador of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Then comes a remarkable act: “And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” The deliberate action of breathing recalls Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Just as God breathed life into Adam at creation, so now Christ, the second Adam, breathes new life into His disciples. This act signifies spiritual re-creation—the moment of new birth. Ezekiel 37:9 also comes to mind, when God commanded the prophet to prophesy to the breath: “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.’” Jesus’ breathing on them symbolized the impartation of spiritual life through the Spirit, preparing them for the fuller outpouring at Pentecost.
The gift of the Holy Spirit here does not contradict Acts 2. This was a foretaste, an initial reception, while Pentecost was the fullness of power for public ministry. In this moment, the disciples were made spiritually alive, sealed with the Spirit, and equipped for their commission. Paul explains, “Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9). The same Spirit that empowered Christ’s earthly ministry was imparted to them.
Finally, Jesus declared, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” This does not mean the disciples had intrinsic power to forgive sins—for only God can forgive sins (Mark 2:7). Rather, Jesus entrusted them with the authority to declare forgiveness on the basis of the gospel. When they proclaimed repentance and faith in Christ, they could authoritatively declare forgiveness to those who believed. Likewise, they could warn of retained guilt for those who rejected the gospel. Peter exercised this authority at Pentecost when he preached, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). The church today continues this ministry, not as originators of forgiveness but as heralds, declaring the terms set by God’s Word.
Thus, in this single encounter, the risen Christ reassured His disciples with peace, revealed Himself through His scars, commissioned them for mission, imparted the Holy Spirit, and entrusted them with the authority to proclaim forgiveness. This fourfold ministry—assurance, peace, mission, and Spirit empowerment—remains the pattern for Christ’s work in His people today.
3. The Skepticism of Thomas, the Absent Disciple
John 20:24-25 says, “Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’”
The apostle Thomas, also called Didymus (meaning “the Twin”), was absent when Jesus appeared to the disciples on the evening of the resurrection day. Scripture does not tell us why Thomas was not present. It may have been due to discouragement, fear, or perhaps personal grief that drove him into isolation. Importantly, the text does not criticize him for his absence. Yet the consequence of his absence was significant—he missed the blessing of beholding the risen Lord with his brethren.
The other disciples, having seen Jesus with their own eyes, bore testimony to Thomas: “We have seen the Lord.” This was not the report of one or two, but of ten men, joined with the additional witnesses of the women and others. Their testimony was consistent and reliable. Still, Thomas refused to accept it. His absence meant he was left behind in faith while the others rejoiced. This illustrates the danger of withdrawing from the fellowship of believers in times of sorrow or doubt. As one commentator observed, “Thomas did the very worst thing that a melancholy man can do, went away to brood in a corner by himself, and so to exaggerate all his idiosyncrasies, to distort the proportion of the truth, and hug his despair, by separating himself from his fellows. Therefore he lost what they got, the sight of the Lord.” Isolation magnifies despair, while fellowship strengthens faith.
Thomas’s response was emphatic: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” This was not mere doubt but outright unbelief. He demanded not only the evidence of sight but also of touch, and not just touch but repeated probing of Christ’s wounds. His words reveal a willful refusal: “I will not believe.” He set conditions on his faith that went beyond reasonable testimony.
Several things can be said of Thomas here. First, he rejected the reliable testimony of multiple witnesses—his own fellow apostles, men who had walked with Christ for three years. Second, his demand for evidence was extreme. He did not merely want to see the risen Christ, but to physically probe His wounds. Third, his unbelief was steadfast, for he plainly declared that he would not believe unless his conditions were met. In this, Thomas was not simply “doubting”; he was refusing. His title as “Doubting Thomas” is therefore misleading—he was not cautiously hesitant but adamantly unbelieving.
Some suggest that Thomas’s refusal was not only the product of a skeptical mind but also of deep grief. As Morris notes, he may have been so shattered by the crucifixion that he could not bring himself to believe in its reversal. His despair blinded him to the possibility of resurrection. Alford adds that the horror of seeing Christ pierced and crucified may have convinced him that resurrection was impossible. In that sense, Thomas’s unbelief was fueled by both reason and sorrow.
Adam Clarke described Thomas’s unbelief as unreasonable, obstinate, prejudiced, presumptuous, and insolent. Yet there is something commendable in his honesty—he refused to profess faith he did not have. Better to speak honestly of unbelief than to feign belief. Moreover, it is significant that Thomas, despite his refusal, remained in fellowship with the others. His unbelief was strong, but he did not cut himself off entirely. This openness would prepare the way for Christ’s gracious confrontation and Thomas’s confession in the verses that follow.
One final note: Thomas makes no mention of the wounds in Jesus’ feet. This silence has drawn attention, since crucifixion victims were often nailed through the feet. Luke 24:39 records Jesus inviting the disciples to behold His “hands and feet,” suggesting His feet were pierced. Some scholars have suggested that ropes were sometimes used instead of nails, but the more likely explanation is that Thomas’s words simply focus on the most evident wounds—those in the hands and side—while not denying the others. Either way, the emphasis is on the reality of Christ’s suffering and the unmistakable evidence of His resurrection.
4. One Week Later, Jesus Speaks to the Skeptic Thomas
John 20:26-27 says, “And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’”
The text notes that this took place “after eight days,” which by Jewish reckoning meant the following Sunday. Once again, the disciples were gathered together in a locked room, and this time Thomas was present with them. The locked doors suggest that, although they now believed Jesus was risen, fear of the Jewish leaders still lingered. The truth of the resurrection had not yet permeated every part of their hearts, nor had it transformed all their actions. Still, Jesus graciously came to them again, entering the room in the same mysterious way as before, appearing in their midst despite the barred doors. He greeted them with the same words, “Peace to you!” This repetition emphasizes that peace is the fruit of His resurrection, the lasting benediction of His presence with His people.
The fact that both appearances to the gathered disciples occurred on a Sunday is significant. It hints at the transition from the Sabbath to the first day of the week as the day of Christian assembly. The early church soon recognized Sunday as the Lord’s Day, commemorating the resurrection by gathering for worship, fellowship, and the breaking of bread (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). As Bruce observed, the memory of Jesus’ Sunday appearances may have shaped this pattern, as believers greeted one another with the prayer, Marana tha—“Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22).
Turning to Thomas, Jesus directly addressed the demands he had made a week earlier. “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.” In His mercy, Jesus granted Thomas the very evidence he insisted upon. Though He could have required faith on the testimony of the other disciples, He graciously met Thomas where he was in his unbelief. This must have startled Thomas, for Jesus repeated back to him his very words from verse 25, proving that He knew the conditions of his heart. Nothing is hidden from the risen Lord.
Jesus’ rebuke was gentle but firm. As Spurgeon put it, “The whole conversation was indeed a rebuke, but so veiled with love that Thomas could scarcely think it so.” Christ’s willingness to condescend to Thomas’s weakness demonstrates His patience and compassion toward struggling believers. Yet it also carried a lesson: when assurance is sought, one must look to the wounds of Christ. His scars are the eternal proof of His love, sacrifice, victory, and resurrection.
Finally, Jesus gave Thomas a command: “Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” This was not a suggestion but an imperative. Jesus does not commend doubt as a virtue; He calls Thomas out of unbelief into faith. Doubt and unbelief may be steps on the path to faith when dealt with honestly, but they are not destinations for a disciple. Jesus did not credit Thomas with prior belief in His teachings and miracles; He judged him by his refusal to believe in the resurrection, which was central to the gospel. The same holds true today: one may admire Jesus’ teachings, but if one does not believe in the risen Christ, Scripture considers that unbelief.
In this moment, Christ showed both His mercy and His authority. He patiently addressed Thomas’s unbelief, yet firmly commanded him to move beyond it. The risen Lord does not leave His followers in doubt but calls them into full faith and assurance.
5. Thomas Responds in Faith
John 20:28-29 says, “And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”
After a week of stubborn unbelief, Thomas now gave one of the greatest confessions recorded in the Gospels. Upon encountering the risen Christ, he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” This was not a casual remark or an outburst of surprise—it was a direct confession of the deity of Christ. For a devout Jew to call any man “my Lord and my God” would have been unthinkable, except under divine conviction. The resurrection convinced Thomas beyond all doubt. What he had declared impossible in John 20:25, he now confessed with certainty and joy.
It is significant that Jesus accepted Thomas’s words. He did not rebuke him for blasphemy or correct him for exaggeration. Instead, He received the confession as proper worship. This is a clear affirmation of His deity. The titles Kyrios (Lord) and Theos (God) were used in Scripture for Yahweh Himself, and Thomas applied them both to Jesus. As Tenney notes, Thomas ascribed to Christ titles that in Jewish thought belonged to God alone. In this moment, Thomas became the first to explicitly proclaim the deity of Christ in such direct terms, making him the first “theologian” of the resurrection.
Spurgeon pointed out that Thomas was the first divine to preach the deity of Christ from His wounds. He had been honest in his unbelief, but now he was equally honest in his faith. His confession was a devout expression of holy wonder, immeasurable delight, a complete change of mind, an enthusiastic profession of allegiance, and a direct act of worship. What began as obstinate refusal ended in wholehearted surrender. The depth of his previous unbelief only magnified the strength of his confession.
Jesus responded, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.” This suggests that Thomas may not have actually touched Christ’s wounds, as he had demanded, but that the sight alone convinced him. Jesus graciously gave him the evidence he had requested, but gently reminded him that his faith was dependent on sight. It was good that Thomas believed, but his faith lacked the blessedness of those who would believe without seeing.
Then Jesus pronounced a timeless beatitude: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” This blessing extends to all believers throughout history who accept the apostolic testimony without demanding visible proof. Faith is not blind credulity, but trust in the reliable witness of God’s Word. Peter later echoed this truth when he wrote, “Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). Faith that rests on God’s testimony rather than visible evidence brings a special blessing.
This principle exposes how often faith is weakened when it demands signs, visions, or extraordinary experiences. As Boice observed, Christ commended a satisfied faith—a faith content with what God provides in Scripture, not craving additional proofs. Clarke added that believers many centuries removed from the resurrection lose nothing by not seeing Christ in the flesh. The same blessedness belongs to those who receive the apostolic witness in every generation.
This encounter with Thomas marks the climax of John’s Gospel. Throughout the book, Jesus has shown His authority over sickness, sin, evil men, death, and sorrow. Now He conquers unbelief itself. The skeptic becomes a worshiper, declaring Christ as Lord and God. The Gospel of John, written so that readers may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31), finds its high point in this confession of faith.
6. The Summary Statement of the Gospel of John
John 20:30-31 says, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
John concluded his Gospel with a statement of purpose. He freely admitted that the record he gave was incomplete: “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.” Jesus’ ministry was so rich and full that it could not be exhausted by any single narrative. As John will later emphasize in John 21:25, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” Unlike the collection of sayings one might gather about a dead prophet, John did not attempt to preserve every detail. Instead, he selected events to introduce his readers to the living Christ, trusting that once a person comes to Him in faith, Christ Himself will reveal more.
John’s words “in this book” suggest that he originally intended these verses to serve as the conclusion of his Gospel, before adding chapter 21 as an epilogue. This statement looks back on his entire work and clarifies why he wrote it. His Gospel was not simply a biography, nor a historical record for curiosity’s sake, but a testimony with a saving purpose.
He explains: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” John carefully selected seven miraculous signs to present Jesus as Messiah and God:
Turning water into wine (John 2:1-11).
Healing the nobleman’s son (John 4:46-54).
Healing the paralytic at Bethesda (John 5:1-15).
Feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-14).
Walking on water (John 6:15-21).
Healing the man born blind (John 9:1-12).
Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44).
These signs were not included to entertain or mystify but to reveal who Jesus is. The greatest signs of all—the death and resurrection—stand as the climax of the Gospel, proving beyond doubt that Jesus is the Christ. Faith in Him is not a blind leap into darkness but a reasoned step based on trustworthy testimony and undeniable evidence.
John adds the critical title: “the Son of God.” This does not suggest biological descent, as in the Greco-Roman myths of demigods, but conveys Christ’s unity with the Father, His intimate fellowship, and His shared divine nature. The Son perfectly reveals the Father, and through His Sonship He brings us into relationship with God.
Finally, John presents the goal of belief: “and that believing you may have life in His name.” The Gospel is not written merely for intellectual assent or historical recognition. Its purpose is transformation—eternal life imparted to those who believe. As John stated earlier, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24). This life is not only endless in duration but abundant in quality (John 10:10).
Faith in Christ is simple, though not shallow. One must accept Him, believe in Him, and commit to Him. As Tasker explains, “Through His name” means not merely invoking the word “Jesus” but receiving life through the power and reality of His person. In biblical thought, the “name” represents the full reality of one’s character and essence. To have life in His name is to participate in the fullness of who He is—the crucified and risen Son of God, our Savior and Lord.
Thus John closes with both an invitation and a promise. His Gospel is written that the reader may believe, and in believing may find eternal life in Jesus Christ.
