NOTES for Joh 20:1-31
1 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. |
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. |
3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. |
4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. |
5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. |
6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, |
7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. |
8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. |
9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. |
10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. |
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, |
12 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. |
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. |
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. |
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. |
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. |
17 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. |
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. |
19 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. |
20 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. |
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. |
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: |
23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. |
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. |
25 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. |
26 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. |
27 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. |
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. |
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. |
30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: |
31 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. |
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When reading the accounts of the Resurrection, the fact becomes obvious that the apostles, despite everything Jesus had told them during His earthly ministry, were completely unprepared for the meeting with the Risen One. John does not mention the burial garments ("linen wrappings") by chance; they were what first made the apostles think that something unusual was happening (vv. 1-9). Indeed, according to Jewish custom, the body was wrapped in a shroud so tightly that it was practically impossible to unwrap it without damaging the fabric. Meanwhile the apostles saw the shroud in which Jesus' body had been wrapped not only whole, but evidently not even disturbed, so that the head covering with which the head of the deceased was usually bound ("the face cloth," v. 7) remained lying separately, apparently in the place where the Savior's head had been before the resurrection. There was no way to explain what had happened except as a miracle. But the apostles, apparently, still did not understand very well what exactly had happened.
Of course, Mary Magdalene saw the risen Jesus at that same time in the garden and immediately reported this to the apostles (vv. 11-18), but her testimony was probably not enough for them. The real meeting took place that same evening (vv. 19-23), and then the apostles were finally able to be convinced that their Teacher was truly alive. Jesus does not accidentally give them the opportunity to look at His hands, feet, and side (v. 20): the marks of the wounds were meant to convince the apostles that before them was not a ghost, not a shadow that had come out of the tomb, as they might have thought after hearing from Mary Magdalene that the Risen One did not allow her to touch Him (v. 17).
This was extremely important, for the issue was not only the Person of the Risen One, but also the nature of the Kingdom. If it were no different from the world of shadows and spirits, then its influence on the world would be no stronger than the influence exerted on it by shadows and spirits, which can sometimes reveal their presence but are unable to affect the existing order of things seriously, and still less can they change it radically, in the way the world changes when it becomes part of the Kingdom.
But, evidently, for all its objectivity and tangibility, the Kingdom still differs in some essential ways from our world, which is not yet transformed. It is not by chance that the Lord nevertheless places Thomas's desire to feel Jesus' wounds with his own hands below trust in testimony (vv. 24-29). After all, the main thing in the Kingdom is determined by trust - trust in God, trust in Jesus, trust in one another. It is the foundation of everything. Without it there is no Kingdom. And it cannot depend on the possibility of touching with one's hands what one believes in or the one whom one trusts. Not because this is forbidden, but because the main thing in the Kingdom cannot be touched with hands. The main thing in the Kingdom can be touched only with the heart. And everyone who wants to live the life of the Kingdom must be ready for this.
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