John 20
This devotional is written by Nicholas Bensberg.
John 20
The empty tomb
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!'
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped round Jesus' head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, 'Woman, why are you crying?'
'They have taken my Lord away,' she said, 'and I don't know where they have put him.' 14 At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, 'Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?'
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.'
16 Jesus said to her, 'Mary.'
She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means 'Teacher').
17 Jesus said, 'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."'
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: 'I have seen the Lord!' And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Jesus appears to his disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'
Jesus appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!'
But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' 27 Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'
28 Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!'
29 Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'
The purpose of John's gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!'
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped round Jesus' head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, 'Woman, why are you crying?'
'They have taken my Lord away,' she said, 'and I don't know where they have put him.' 14 At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, 'Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?'
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.'
16 Jesus said to her, 'Mary.'
She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means 'Teacher').
17 Jesus said, 'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."'
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: 'I have seen the Lord!' And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Jesus appears to his disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'
Jesus appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!'
But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' 27 Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'
28 Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!'
29 Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'
The purpose of John's gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Reflection
This is such a pivotal point in time for Christians. The day before, Jesus was dead and buried, and all lost. There is absolute devastation among his followers and they hide themselves away in fear.
Mary, however, is out and about, openly trying to do what she can for the one who showed her absolute love and acceptance, and the one she loved and had put all her hope in.
I love the freedom she shows. I feel I am always trying to keep powerful emotions hidden and secret and out of sight, but she is not ashamed or inhibited at all as she openly weeps for her deceased Lord.
This behaviour was to be rewarded, but she almost misses the significant moment by deferring to the male disciples rather than investigating the phenomenon herself. She gets Simon and John and they, not her, boldly enter the tomb. They ‘believe’, but do not ‘understand’, and leave Mary to her grief, wandering away with bemused head scratching.
This privilege of being the first to see the risen Jesus; this birthing of a new age, was gifted to her. (Mary may represent several brave and loyal women who followed and supported Jesus but were not Disciples or Apostles, as mentioned in the other Gospels regarding this same event.)
Now when Mary finally enters the tomb there are angels, (Peter and John didn’t see them), and then there is Jesus. Now Mary, with this privileged information, returns to the fearful disciples, locked behind doors and informs them she has seen, touched and spoken to the no longer dead Jesus.
Later, Jesus appears among them, and just like God breathed the breath of life into Adam in Genesis, so Jesus’ breath on them and a new age is born.
Jesus, we ask you to meet with us today as we follow the example of Mary seeking after you in all circumstances.
Mary, however, is out and about, openly trying to do what she can for the one who showed her absolute love and acceptance, and the one she loved and had put all her hope in.
I love the freedom she shows. I feel I am always trying to keep powerful emotions hidden and secret and out of sight, but she is not ashamed or inhibited at all as she openly weeps for her deceased Lord.
This behaviour was to be rewarded, but she almost misses the significant moment by deferring to the male disciples rather than investigating the phenomenon herself. She gets Simon and John and they, not her, boldly enter the tomb. They ‘believe’, but do not ‘understand’, and leave Mary to her grief, wandering away with bemused head scratching.
This privilege of being the first to see the risen Jesus; this birthing of a new age, was gifted to her. (Mary may represent several brave and loyal women who followed and supported Jesus but were not Disciples or Apostles, as mentioned in the other Gospels regarding this same event.)
Now when Mary finally enters the tomb there are angels, (Peter and John didn’t see them), and then there is Jesus. Now Mary, with this privileged information, returns to the fearful disciples, locked behind doors and informs them she has seen, touched and spoken to the no longer dead Jesus.
Later, Jesus appears among them, and just like God breathed the breath of life into Adam in Genesis, so Jesus’ breath on them and a new age is born.
Jesus, we ask you to meet with us today as we follow the example of Mary seeking after you in all circumstances.
Posted in New Testament in a year 2024
Recent
Archive
2024
January
February
March
April
No Comments