John 20
1 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
2 She ran therefore, 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!”
3 Therefore Peter and the other disciple went out, and they went toward the tomb.
4 They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter, and came first to the tomb.
5 Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying, yet he didn’t enter in.
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying,
7 and the cloth that was on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself.
8 So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed.
9 For as yet they didn’t know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
11 But Mary was standing outside at the tomb weeping. So as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb,
12 and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 They told 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.”
14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn’t know that it was Jesus.
15 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.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to him, “Rabboni!” which is to say, “Teacher!”
17 Jesus said to her, “Don’t cling to 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, and my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her.
19 When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”
22 When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit!
23 Whoever’s sins you forgive, they are forgiven them. Whoever’s sins you retain, they have been retained.”
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, wasn’t with them when Jesus came.
25 The 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 finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 After 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.”
27 Then 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.”
28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.”
30 Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 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 20 Commentary
Chapter Overview
John 20 announces Jesus’ resurrection through encounters that move people from grief and confusion toward faith and mission. Mary Magdalene finds the open tomb, Peter and the beloved disciple inspect it, Mary meets the risen Lord, the gathered disciples receive his peace and commission, and Thomas moves from refusal to a clear confession of Jesus’ identity.
The disciples are not portrayed as people eager to invent a resurrection story. They begin with misunderstanding, fear, tears, and disbelief. Faith develops as they encounter evidence and hear Jesus’ word. John presents the resurrection as an event within history and as the decisive revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus rises with the body that was crucified, for his wounds remain visible, yet he now appears with transformed freedom and authority. The resurrection is not merely the survival of his influence or the appearance of a spirit. The crucified Jesus is alive, recognizable, and personally present with his followers.
The chapter ends by explaining why the Gospel was written. John selected signs and testimony so readers who were not at the tomb or in the locked room may believe and receive life in Jesus’ name. The blessing given to later believers is an invitation to trust the apostolic witness preserved in Scripture.
Key Themes
Mary arrives while it is still dark, continuing John’s use of darkness as both a time of day and an atmosphere of limited understanding. She sees the open tomb but assumes that someone has removed the body. The empty tomb raises the question; Jesus’ appearance and word reveal the answer.
Peter and the beloved disciple find the linen cloths and face cloth lying in an orderly way, unlike the scene expected after a hurried theft. The beloved disciple “saw and believed,” though verse 9 shows that his understanding of Scripture remained incomplete. The event confirms God’s word, and Scripture explains the event.
Mary remains at the tomb weeping and fails to recognize Jesus until he speaks her name. The Good Shepherd who calls his own by name in John 10 is recognized through personal address. Her sorrow is real, but it has narrowed her expectations so completely that she cannot yet see the answer standing before her.
“Don’t cling to me” does not mean Jesus’ risen body is untouchable, because he later invites Thomas to examine his wounds. Mary must not preserve the relationship exactly as it existed before the cross. Jesus is ascending to the Father, and she receives a task rather than permission to hold the moment for herself.
Jesus calls the disciples “my brothers” and speaks of “my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.” Believers are brought into a real relationship with the Father through the Son, though not as sons in the same unique sense as Jesus. His reference to “my God” expresses his faithful humanity and does not cancel the divine identity Thomas later confesses.
Mary becomes the first person in John’s account to announce, “I have seen the Lord.” Her role is significant in a setting where women’s public testimony was often undervalued. God entrusts the resurrection announcement to a grieving disciple whose mistaken assumptions were corrected by meeting Jesus.
The disciples gather behind locked doors because they fear the authorities involved in Jesus’ death. Jesus comes among them and says, “Peace be to you.” His peace does not deny danger; his wounds display its cost. It is the peace promised in John 14, secured through his death and resurrection.
Jesus sends the disciples as the Father sent him and breathes on them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Their mission must reflect his truth, service, and love, but they cannot accomplish it through courage or organization alone. Christians differ on how this moment relates to Pentecost, yet its central meaning is clear: Christ’s witnesses depend on the Spirit.
The authority to forgive or retain sins belongs with this commission and the gospel message. Jesus does not authorize arbitrary control over another person’s standing before God. As the church faithfully announces Christ, it declares the gospel’s verdict: those who believe receive forgiveness, while those who reject the Son remain in sin, as taught in John 3.
Thomas is absent when Jesus first appears and refuses to rely only on the others’ report. His demand is severe, but the other disciples also needed evidence. Jesus returns, addresses Thomas’s conditions directly, and calls him from unbelief to faith. He meets a struggling disciple with both truth and grace.
Thomas answers, “My Lord and my God!” This is a confession directed to Jesus and accepted by him. It forms a powerful conclusion to the testimony that the Word was God in John 1. The risen Jesus is not only teacher, Messiah, or miracle worker; he is Lord and God.
Jesus blesses those who have not seen and yet believe. Later believers cannot inspect the wounds as Thomas did, but they are not left without evidence. They receive eyewitness testimony recorded by John and the other apostles. Biblical faith is trust based on reliable testimony, not admiration for believing without reason.
Important Verses
John 20:1: Mary comes on the first day of the week and finds the stone removed. A new week begins with God’s act that changes the meaning of death and launches new-creation hope. Darkness remains in Mary’s understanding, but resurrection morning has begun.
John 20:8–9: The beloved disciple sees and believes while still lacking full scriptural understanding. Faith and understanding may grow together. A person can truly respond to God’s work and still need Scripture to correct assumptions and clarify its meaning.
John 20:16: Jesus says, “Mary,” and she recognizes him. The risen Christ is not an impersonal idea. He knows his people and restores relationship. Recognition comes through his self-revelation rather than human perception alone.
John 20:17: Jesus directs Mary away from clinging and toward announcing his ascension. Resurrection is not a return to ordinary life before the cross. Jesus is entering the next stage of his exaltation, and his followers receive a new relationship and mission.
John 20:19: Jesus stands among fearful disciples and says, “Peace be to you.” Locked doors cannot prevent his presence, and their failure does not eliminate his grace. His peace rests on the completed work displayed in his hands and side.
John 20:21: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” gives the church its missionary identity. Christian witness should reflect Jesus’ truthfulness, humility, sacrificial love, and dependence on the Father rather than coercion or self-promotion.
John 20:22–23: Jesus connects the Spirit with the proclamation of forgiveness. The church announces God’s response to Christ; it does not invent conditions for mercy or use forgiveness as personal leverage. This commission gives gospel witness both confidence and seriousness.
John 20:27: Jesus invites Thomas to examine the evidence and commands him to become believing rather than unbelieving. Honest questions need not be enemies of faith, but they must remain open to correction. Evidence is meant to lead beyond investigation into trust.
John 20:28: Thomas confesses Jesus as “My Lord and my God.” The personal word “my” matters. Correct doctrine reaches its goal when the believer entrusts himself to the risen Christ in allegiance, worship, and dependence.
John 20:30–31: John selected signs so readers may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and have life in his name. The Gospel is both testimony and invitation. Its goal is not information alone but life-giving faith.
Practical Applications
Bring grief honestly to God, but do not assume your first interpretation of painful circumstances is final. Mary’s tears were real, yet her conclusion about the missing body was wrong. Faith leaves room for God to act beyond what sorrow currently permits you to imagine.
Let evidence and Scripture work together in your thinking. Experiences without biblical interpretation can be misunderstood, while biblical knowledge without attention to God’s acts can become abstract. Read Scripture carefully and examine the apostolic testimony it explains.
Do not keep spiritual experiences only for yourself. Mary was sent to tell others what she had seen and heard. Comfort, insight, and answered prayer should deepen worship and become truthful encouragement rather than private possessions or claims of superiority.
Receive Christ’s peace before attempting Christ’s mission. The disciples were fearful and closed in, but Jesus first stood among them, showed his wounds, and spoke peace. Christian service flows from reconciliation and resurrection hope, not frantic effort to prove worth.
Depend on the Holy Spirit for witness and obedience. Skill, planning, and courage have value, but they cannot create spiritual life. Pray for the Spirit to make Christ known through truthful speech, holy character, patient love, and faithful proclamation.
Handle the message of forgiveness with confidence and humility. Do not soften the warning that unbelief leaves people in sin, and do not claim personal power to manipulate consciences. Announce the mercy offered in Christ and the seriousness of refusing him.
Treat struggling believers with the patience Jesus showed Thomas. Questions may conceal pride, pain, fear, or a genuine desire for certainty. Offer evidence and truth without ridicule, while calling people to move from endless demands toward a responsible response.
Read John’s Gospel according to its stated purpose. Do not stop at admiration for its stories or debates over details. Ask whether the signs have led you to confess Jesus as Lord and God, trust him for life, and join the mission of making him known.