John 20, 1-10, An Empty Tomb

Jesus has been crucified and buried.

John 20: 1-9, An 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 around 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.) 

The "disciple Jesus loved" is John. Young John outruns the older Peter to the tomb. (This race is recalled by the elderly John fifty to sixty years later!)  John records that he finally "believed" at this moment and so began to truly understand the meaning of the events that had occurred.

John 20: 10, The disciples leave

Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

The disciples leave... but Mary stays.

John 20, Easter (Overview)

Jesus has been crucified and buried.

John 20: 1-9, An 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. 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!"

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

The "disciple Jesus loved" is John. Young John outruns the older Peter to the tomb. (This race is recalled by the elderly John fifty to sixty years later!)  John records that he finally "believed" at this moment and so began to truly understand the meaning of the events that had occurred.

John 20: 10-17, Mary at the tomb

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 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." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

"Woman," he said, "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."

Jesus said to her, "Mary." 

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, `I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

Mary sees angels. They are only described as "in white".  She does not react to them, other than asking where Jesus is. Then, a moment later, when Jesus appears, she does not recognize him, either blinded by her tears or because he is, in some fundamental way, different. (Luke, see Luke 24: 13-35, records two disciples on the road to Emmaus who also do not recognize Jesus for a time.)

It is not clear what Jesus means by "Do not hold on to me."  It may simply be that he has things to do?

John 20: 18-23, Sunday evening appearance

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.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

The disciples are afraid that they will be rounded up and so they are in hiding. John reports that the doors are locked so that no one can easily enter, yet Jesus appears.

The disciples react with joy and then Jesus "breathes on them" and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. The gospel writer does not elaborate.

John 20: 24-28, Appearance to Thomas

Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 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 it."

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!"  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."

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Thomas, "the Doubter", is given convincing evidence. First, Jesus acknowledges Thomas's earlier challenge, made in his absence, and then Jesus makes it clear to Thomas that he, Jesus, is physically present. Thomas, of course, quickly concedes.

I empathize with Thomas!

John 20: 30-31, That you may believe

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

This passage is a theme of the book -- it has been written "That you may believe..."

The book almost ends here.  But John has a bit more to say, describing one last appearance of Jesus.

John 19: 36-42, Burial

Footnotes:
John 19:24 Psalm 22:18
John 19:26 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.
John 19:36 Exodus 12:46; Num. 9:12; Psalm 34:20
John 19:37 Zech. 12:10
John 19:39 Or about 34 kilograms

Jesus has been arrested and tried before Annas & Caiphas, then before Pilate, then quickly crucified.  The gospel writer then records events at the cross.

The ending is quick and dramatic; Jesus drinks a little bit of wine vinegar, announces that all has been done and dies. John records this as a deliberate act of Jesus, bowing his head and "giving up" his spirit, with the knowledge that he has completed his task. In this light, the statement, "It is over" represents triumph, not despair.

In his death, Jesus avoids having his bones broken; this is a prohibition in the sacrifice of the Passover lamb.

John 19: 36-37, Fulfilling prophecy
These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”
37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Breaking the legs apparently hastened death because it made it difficult for the condemned man to push up and breathe. It also was a traumatic injury more likely to help bring on shock.

The quote in verse 36, "Not one of his bones shall be broken" reflects instructions about sacrificing the passover lamb (see Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12) and is a phrase which also appears in Psalm 34:20. The second quote, verse 37, is from Zechariah 12:10.

John 19: 38-42, Burial

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 
39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 
40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 
41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 
42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea are Jewish leaders who have been following Jesus and now take some risks by making sure that he has a proper burial. The Sabbath sunset is approaching, so these things must be done quickly.

The mixture of spices provided by Nicodemus was considerable, a hundred litrai, about 34 kilograms (say the NIV footnotes.) Like the earlier anointing by Mary, it is a touching sign of grief.

John 19: 28-37, The Death of Jesus

Jesus has been crucified. "This disciple" has been told, by Jesus from the cross, to take are of the mother of Jesus.

John 19: 28-30, Death
Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 
29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The ending is quick and dramatic; Jesus drinks a little bit of wine vinegar, announces that all has been done and dies. John records this as a deliberate act of Jesus, bowing his head and "giving up" his spirit, with the knowledge that he has completed his task. In this light, the statement, "It is over" represents triumph, not despair.

To provide Jesus with the wine vinegar, the people at the foot of the cross have to design a makeshift tool to get the moisture to him, wet sponge places on a stalk, held up high to reach his lips.

John 19: 31-37, Pierced
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 
32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 
33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 
34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 
35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 
36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”
37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Breaking the legs apparently hastened death because it made it difficult for the condemned man to push up and breathe. It also was a traumatic injury more likely to help bring on shock.

The quote in verse 36, "Not one of his bones shall be broken" reflects instructions about sacrificing the passover lamb (see Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12) and is a phrase which also appears in Psalm 34:20. The second quote, verse 37, is from Zechariah 12:10.

John 19: 23-27, Crucifixion

Jesus has been crucified. 

John 19: 23-24, The robe
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment."

So this is what the soldiers did.

The robe is kept, not ripped apart.

The quote in verse 24 about the garments is from Psalm 22:18.

John 19: 25-27, Beneath the cross

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 
26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 
27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

"This disciple" is the writer of the gospel, John.  He records being assigned to take care of Mary after Jesus's death.  The NIV footnotes stress that the word translated "Woman" in verse 26 does not indicate disrespect.

John 19: 16-22, To Golgotha

Jesus has been arrested and tried before Annas & Caiaphas, then before Pilate. Pilate, knowing that the Jewish leaders want Jesus crucified, attempts to placate the leaders but is threatened by the leaders' claim that Jesus wants to be king.

John 19: 16-20, Golgotha

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 
17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 
18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 
20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 

The crucifixion is described quickly simply. Jesus is crucified alongside a highway. Presumably this was common, to publicize what happens to those who disobey the Roman emperor and Roman law. The notice Pilate prepares shows his anger with the Jews. It effectively says, "This is what happens to your kings."

John 19: 21-22, What I have written...

The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

The leaders take offense to Pilate's summary and Pilate is in no mood to humor them. The religious leaders have claimed that they have no king but Caesar -- in contrast to their many claims before to be "free" -- and so they must put up with even Pilate seeing through their hypocrisy.

John 19: 6-16, Pilate Submits

Jesus has been arrested and tried before Annas & Caiphas, then before Pilate. Pilate, knowing that the Jewish leaders want Jesus crucified, attempts to placate the leaders.

John 19: 6-7, Religious leaders pressure Pilate
As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

Jesus is to be executed for blasphemy. Pilate taunts the Jewish leaders by telling them to do it themselves, knowing that they have no authority to do so.

John 19: 8-15, No king but Caesar
When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 
9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 
10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 
14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

The Jewish leaders have a clear threat. If it gets back to Rome that Pilate has been soft on one claiming to be a king, Pilate's career, and life, might be in danger.  But John also records a sad note: the Jewish leaders, supposedly waiting for a Messiah, have instead pledged allegiance to Rome.

John 19: 16, Pilate gives in

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

The might ruler has given in to the mob.