Gospel of John

By Joyce Webb 2013

Chapter 20

Vs.1 John tells of Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb. She sees it is open. She goes to tell Peter and John. “The other disciple that Jesus loved” seems to be the words John uses to talk about himself. He is the “one that Jesus loved”.

Vs. 2 She tells them that Jesus’ body is gone and she does not know where he is.

 

The gospels say that there were several women who came to the tomb. Matthew tells about 2 of the women. Mark tells about 3 of the women. Luke tells of 3 of the women. John tells about Mary Magdalene. Altogether, 4 different women are named.

Vs. 3-7 Peter and John went to the tomb. John got there first. He looked in. Peter went on into the tomb. He saw the grave clothes that were on Jesus still there. The napkin that covered his face was in a different place off by itself.

We do not know why the napkin or cloth that wrapped the head was in a different place from where it had been. If Jesus resurrected up out of the clothes they should be in place as they were. So Jesus must have taken the face covering cloth folded separately and put it off to the side. Why? We do not know. There is a “explanation” that is going around on the internet that it was a sign to us that he was coming back.

The story on the internet is that there was a Jewish custom that if a person left the table but was not finished and was coming back they folded the napkin in a certain way so that the servants knew he was coming back.

So they say that is what Jesus did he was showing he was coming back.

However, men who know the old languages very well do not think that was the reason.

These men also say there is no proof that there was a custom about folding the napkin at meal time.

My guess is that if someone had stolen the body of Jesus the clothing would not have been lying there as it was when Jesus was wrapped in it.

And the face cloth would not have been folded and laid to the side.

Someone stealing Jesus’ body would have put all the clothes back where they were when they were on Jesus’ body. Or they would have taken the clothes on Jesus and there would be nothing there.

For a reason we do not know Jesus wrapped or folded the face cloth and put it to the side. In some way Jesus was trying to show some kind of meaning to those who would find the clothes and see the face cloth.

Vs. 8 John entered the tomb after Peter. When he sees that the tomb is empty (except for the clothing) he believes that Jesus resurrected.

Vs. 10 The disciples up until now did not understand that Jesus would die and rise to life again on the third day. Jesus tried to tell them see Matthew 12:40, Matthew 16:21, Matthew 20:18,19 Old Testament verses: Hosea 6: 2 The story of Jonah .

Isaiah 26:19 Psalm 16:10 The story of Abraham giving Isaac in sacrifice believing that if Isaac died God would raise him up.

When John saw that Jesus’ body was not there He began to remember and understand what Jesus had said he would rise again the third day.

 

 

Vs. 11 Mary came back to the tomb. She is looking in. She is crying. She sees two angels. They ask her why she is crying. She said it was because someone had taken the body of Jesus and she could not find it.

Vs. 14 When she turned around she saw Jesus standing there. She thought he was the man who took care of the garden. Mary was crying, her eyes were full of tears so she probably did not see well. She was not expecting to see Jesus so she thought it must be some other person.

But then Jesus called her by name. Then she recognized his voice. She saw it was Jesus. She called him, “Master” meaning teacher, leader. Jesus told her not to touch him because he had not yet gone up into heaven to stand before God.

In the Old Testament, there was ceremony of the Wave Offering. It happened at the beginning of the harvest time. A handful (sheaf) of grain was cut. It was the first from the field. It was brought to the priest as an offering to God a thanks for the field of grain and a good harvest. The priest took the handful of grain and waved it before the Lord and prayed and gave thanks. Then the farmer went back home and harvested (cut) all the grain in his field. Each farmer brought a handful of grain for the priest.

In the days of Jesus’ time on earth, the priest would wave one handful before God and give thanks. This one handful represented all of the farmers handfuls so just the one handful was waved then all the farmers were free to harvest their fields.

Jesus resurrection was a symbol of the first of the resurrections to come.

It is true that other people had been raised from the dead—-both in the Old Testaments and the people Jesus raised from the dead. However, Jesus was the first resurrection to happen after Jesus died on the cross and conquered sin and death.

Jesus was like the “first of the grain (fruit) to be harvested”. Jesus was to be given to God as the first of the resurrection. Jesus would go to heaven before God show that he had done what he was sent to earth to do die rise again and now it was finished. As he was the first one to rise again after sin had been conquered . Now there would be a “harvest” of many people who would believe in him and they would be resurrected to eternal life.

Paul talks about Jesus as the “first fruits” I Corinthians 15: 20,–23.

 

After Jesus came alive from the grave others also came up out of the grave.

Matthew 27: 52-53 “ And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints,

which slept arose. And came out of the graves, after his resurrection and went into the holy city and showed themselves to many.

That must have been a big surprise to the families of those people!

 

Any way getting back to Mary and Jesus Jesus did not want Mary to touch him yet. Maybe as Jesus represented an “holy offering” he was not to be touched.

Later after showing himself to God he would be ready to be among the people.

Later people did touch him. He invited the disciples and Thomas to touch him.

Luke 24: 39 John 20:27

Vs. 18 Mary went and told the others that she had talked with Jesus and that he was alive.

Vs. 19 The same day but in the evening the disciples were together in a room. They had the doors closed because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.

The Jewish leaders had heard by now that Jesus was not in the tomb any more. The Roman soldiers who had been put there to guard it and fell to the ground when the angels came went and told their boss what happened. Their boss told them not to say what really happened and paid them money to keep quiet. Matthew 28:11-15

The story was out that the disciples took the body and hid it. Then they would say that Jesus came alive from the dead.

However, Jesus was seen alive after his death by many people. For 40 days people w saw Jesus around. Acts 2:3 Paul said that Jesus was seen by more than 500 in one place. I Corinthians 15:5, 6 7.8

 

Jesus suddenly appears in the room. The doors were closed. But he appeared standing in the room. In some of the gospels, it said that the disciples thought he was a ghost. But Jesus told them that he was not a ghost. A ghost does not have flesh and bone as he did. He invited them to touch him. He took food and ate it. Ghosts do not eat.

Vs. 20, 21 Jesus shows his hands and feet the scars are there.

Then he tells them that just as God the Father sent him to the world so Jesus is sending them the disciples out into the world to tell about Jesus all that happened.

Vs. 22, 23 He breathed on them. And said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Whoever you decide to “remit” them of their sins, their sins will be “remitted“. The words “remit” is used in the King James version. Some versions use the word forgive.

 

There has been much argument over what this verse means. The Catholic church has taken this verse to mean that the disciples had the power to forgive sins. And have taken that to mean that the priests in a Catholic church have the power to forgive sins.

It is a hard verse to understand and could have several meanings.

I am not sure anyone has the “right” answer for this verse.

 

We know that Jesus/God is the only one who can forgive our sins.

Bible teachers say the word “remit” in the old English of King James’ day meant “to send away” or to “send back”.

Church leaders can help us find forgiveness.

Church leaders have authority within their church to decide things about people.

The disciples would be the first ones to begin “churches” and they would be the leaders and have authority over those churches at first. They had the authority to make decisions about people. Especially people in the church.

If they decided someone was not living right or having the right attitude they would make a decision about them they would not be able to be a leader in the church.

For the disciples and later others it was expected that they would be praying people and would follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and would know if someone was sinning or not.

We know from experience that church leaders do not always know the “mind of God” and make wrong decisions.

Every person stands before God himself to be judged and forgiven or not. Only God will be able to judge him correctly.

Church leaders who truly try to follow the Holy Spirit must make decisions about things of the church hopefully they will make the right decision.

In the end only God/Jesus can forgive and judge a person.

 

Vs. 24 Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus first appeared in the room with the disciples. But Thomas is with them this time. Jesus appears in the middle of their group again. The door was closed.. Jesus just appeared in the room with them.

Jesus speaks to Thomas. He know what Thomas has said.. Even though Jesus was not in the room when Thomas said he would not believed unless he touched Jesus Jesus still knew what he said. Jesus invited Thomas to touch him.

Thomas is surprised that Jesus knew what he said. That alone seems to make Thomas believe that this is Jesus. Thomas says “My Lord, and my God.”

Vs. 29 Jesus told Thomas you have believed because you have seen me. But blessed will be all those who have not seen me but still believe in me. Jesus was talking about all those people in the future who would never see him in person but they would believe in him.

 

Vs. 30 John says that they were many miracles that Jesus did that are not written in John’s book. But the things that are written are for the purpose that we will believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. And that in believing we will have life through His name.