Gospel of St. John

Christ Risen – 20:1-10

“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.  Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.  Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.  So they ran both together;  and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.  And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying;  yet went he not in.”  During the Old Testament, the Sabbath (seventh day) was the memorial of God’s finished work in the old creation.  In New Testament times, the Sabbath (first Day) is the memorial of Christ’s finished work from which issues the new creation.  Mary saw the stone removed and assumed that the body had been moved.  Peter and John ran to the sepulchre to see what had actually happened.  When John saw the linen clothes, he knew the body was no longer there but waited for Peter.  Why John waited is not known but two witnesses are required to establish the truth by Jewish tradition.

“Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,  And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.  Then went in also that other disciples, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.  For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.  Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.”  Peter saw evidence of a deliberate and composed event.  Things had been done decently and in order.  The napkin about Christ’s head was wrapped together by itself.  The linen was wrapped so tightly about a body that Lazarus could not free himself from them even after being raised from the dead.  To see the wrappings lying there undisturbed in their original convolutions convinced John that a miracle had occurred.  If friends had removed the dead body, the clothes would have been taken with them.  If foes had removed the body and stripped it first, the wrappings would not have been laid in such order.  The clothes marked the resting place of the lord and it appeared he simply vanished from within them.  They still did not recognize the truth of the scripture that he must rise again.  It must have been in confusion, that they returned home.  With Christ’s mother living in John’s home, they would surely have told her what had happened in hopes of a better understanding.

Christ Appears – 20:11-23

“But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping:  and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,  And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.  And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?  She said unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.  And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.”  The two angels sitting where Jesus had lain asked Mary why she was weeping.  She is still missing the physical presence of Jesus.  She turned her back on the angels in her search for the body.  When she turns around and faces Jesus, she does not recognize him.

“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?  Whom seekest thou?  She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith to him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.  Jesus saith unto her, Mary, She turned herself, and saith unto him Rabboni;  which is to say Master.  Jesus 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.  Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.”  Jesus repeats the question of the angels and asks who she seeks.  She thinks he is the gardener and offers to take the body off his hands if told where it is.  She is so upset she turns her back on Jesus to look back into the sepulchre.  When Jesus speaks her name, she again faces him and finally recognizes him as her lord and master.  The Greek word translated as “touch” means “cling to.”  Jesus is telling Mary they can no longer cling to him in the flesh.  In the future disciples would only know him in the spirit.  When he talks of not yet ascended to his Father, he was telling them that he was not resurrected so he could spend the rest of eternity with them on earth.  The objective was to return to his Father.  Jesus asked Mary to take a message to the disciples.  It was not that he had risen but that he would ascend to his Father.  Furthermore, his Father would be their Father and his God would be their God.

“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, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.  And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side.  Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you:  as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:  Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them;  and whose soever sins ye retain, the are retained.”  The Greek word describing the doors means “barred.”  Yet Jesus came into their midst and greeted them with “Peace be unto you.”  His last words to the disciples were “these things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.” (John 16:33)  His greeting signified that the enmity had been removed, God placated and reconciliation effected.  He shows his wounds as the price he paid to accomplish that reconciliation.

Christ breathed on them and bade them to receive the Holy Ghost.  This is different from Pentecost.  This effected the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in them.  The change in them is obvious in their worshipping Christ as he left them for the last time and they returned to Jerusalem with joy in the Holy Spirit.  What they received at Pentecost was not the coming of the Holy Spirit, but the baptism of power to perform the tasks ahead of them.

Christ and Thomas – 20:24-31

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.  The 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.”  Thomas was not with the ten disciples when Jesus first appeared.  His faith was fading and he was becoming a lost sheep.  In spite of the testimony of ten disciples, he refuses to believe their witness.  He prescribes the conditions which must be met before he will receive the glad tiding.  Are we so different?

“And 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.  Then 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.  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”  After eight days implies that they met again on the first day of the week.  Again Christ came through closed doors with the same comforting salutation.  He did not ignore Thomas.  Our Lord has many weak children in His family, many dull pupils in His school, many raw soldiers in His army, many lame sheep in His flock.  Yet He bears with them all, and casts none away.  Can we do any less?  Christ offered his hands and side for Thomas’ examination.  Apparently, seeing was believing for Thomas was convinced and was the first to declare Christ God.

“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:  blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.  And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:  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.”  Christ accepted Thomas’ confession but warned against the craving for signs.  Some call this the tenth beatitude.  “Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.