John 20 · WEB
The Resurrection and Appearances of Jesus
Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.
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Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb.
2Therefore 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 don't know where they have laid him!"
3Therefore Peter and the other disciple went out, and they went toward the tomb.
4They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first.
5Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying, yet he didn't enter in.
6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying,
7and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself.
8So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed.
9For as yet they didn't know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
10So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
11But Mary was standing outside at the tomb weeping. So as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb,
12and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13They asked her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they have laid him."
14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn't know that it was Jesus.
15Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?" 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."
16Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him, "Rabboni!" which is to say, "Teacher!"
17Jesus said to her, "Don't hold me, for I haven't yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers, and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
18Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her.
19When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle, and said to them, "Peace be to you."
20When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the Lord.
21Jesus therefore said to them again, "Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."
22When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit!
23If you forgive anyone's sins, they have been forgiven them. If you retain anyone's sins, they have been retained."
24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, wasn't with them when Jesus came.
25The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
26After eight days again his disciples were inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being locked, and stood in the middle, and said, "Peace be to you."
27Then he said to Thomas, "Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don't be unbelieving, but believing."
28Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"
29Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed."
30Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book;
31but 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.
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Summary
On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty and runs to tell Peter and John, who race to see for themselves and begin to believe. Jesus then appears to Mary by name, to the disciples in a locked room where he commissions them and breathes the Holy Spirit on them, and finally to Thomas, who confesses "My Lord and my God." John concludes by stating his purpose: that readers may believe Jesus is the Christ and have life in his name.
Themes
- Resurrection as the heart of the gospel
- Personal encounter with the risen Christ
- Commissioning and the gift of the Spirit
- Faith that does not require sight
- The stated purpose of John's Gospel
Key verses
- John 20:16 — “Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' She turned and said to him, 'Rabboni!' which is to say, 'Teacher!'”
- John 20:21 — “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”
- John 20:28-29 — “My Lord and my God! ... Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.”
- John 20:31 — “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.”
Context & background
The garden tomb where Jesus was buried lay just outside the walls of first-century Jerusalem (modern Israel), in keeping with Jewish burial customs that placed graves outside city limits. The "first day of the week" — Sunday — became the Christian day of worship precisely because of this resurrection morning. Linen burial wrappings and a separate face cloth (sudarium) reflect actual Second Temple Jewish burial practice. The locked doors emphasize that the disciples were hiding from the Jewish authorities in the days following the crucifixion, making Jesus' sudden appearances both miraculous and reassuring.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 — Paul's list of resurrection appearances, including the apostles
- 1 Peter 1:8 — "Whom not having seen, you love" — echoing Jesus' beatitude to Thomas
- Genesis 2:7 — God breathed life into Adam; Jesus breathes the Spirit on his disciples, signaling new creation
- Isaiah 53:11 — "He will see of the suffering of his soul and be satisfied" — the resurrection vindicates the servant
- Matthew 28:18-20 — The parallel Great Commission from Matthew