The victory of Jesus over His enemies, in the midst of apparent defeat, is still the subject before us. The preceding chapter had closed with the statement that He was laid in the tomb: when the narrative of chap. 20 begins, the tomb is empty. The great event of the Resurrection had already taken pl... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:1. BUT ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK COMETH MARY MAGDALENE EARLY, WHEN IT WAS YET DARK, UNTO THE SEPULCHRE, AND SEETH THAT THE STONE HAD BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM THE SEPULCHRE. Few parts of the Fourth Gospel illustrate better than these words the principle of selection upon which it is composed.... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:2. SHE RUNNETH THEREFORE 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. That the Lord is risen does not enter into her thoughts: she can but imagine tha... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:3. PETER THEREFORE WENT FORTH, AND THE OTHER DISCIPLE, AND THEY CAME TOWARDS THE SEPULCHRE. The word rendered ‘went forth' is so often used in this Gospel in regard to the most solemn events in the life of Jesus, as implying a Divine mission, the accomplishment of a Divine purpose, that we m... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:4. And they ran both together, and the other disciple did outran Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. It is extremely probable that John was the younger and thus also the more active of the two. The same supposition throws light on the next verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:5. AND STOOPING DOWN, AND LOOKING IN, HE SEETH THE LINEN CLOTHS LYING; YET WENT HE NOT IN. A feeling of awe and mystery in all probability possessed him. He was afraid to enter. It was not so with Peter.... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:6-7. SIMON PETER THEREFORE ALSO COMETH FOLLOWING HIM; AND HE WENT INTO THE SEPULCHRE, AND BEHOLDETH THE LINEN CLOTHS LYING, AND THE NAPKIN THAT WAS UPON HIS HEAD NOT LYING WITH THE LINEN CLOTHS, BUT ROLLED TOGETHER IN A PLACE BY ITSELF. Peter, ever bold and daring, is less overcome by awe th... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:8. THEN WENT IN THEREFORE THE OTHER DISCIPLE ALSO, WHICH CAME FIRST TO THE SEPULCHRE, AND HE SAW AND BELIEVED. It is certainly not a belief of the statement of Mary that is expressed in this last word. As John stood gazing on the signs which bore their silent witness that the body of Jesus h... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:9. FOR NOT EVEN YET KNEW THEY THE SCRIPTURE, THAT HE MUST RISE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD. The connection between this and the preceding verse is readily perceived: ‘He _saw_ and believed,' sight was needed to evoke this faith, _for_ not even yet had they learnt that thus it was ‘written that the C... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:10. THE DISCIPLES THEREFORE WENT AWAY AGAIN UNTO THEIR OWN HOME. We are not told why or in what frame of mind they thus returned to their own homes. One thing is clear: they believed that Jesus was risen, and that it was vain to search for Him in the tomb.... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:11. BUT MARY STOOD WITHOUT AT THE SEPULCHRE WEEPING. Peter and John had returned to their homes. Mary had followed them when they first ran to the sepulchre; but (probably in consequence of their eager haste) she had not reached it before they departed. Nothing at least is said of her having... [ Continue Reading ]
The paragraph now before us presents an advance upon that last considered. There we had only preparation for the risen Jesus; here we have Jesus risen. There all was negative: Jesus was not in the tomb, and the inference was that He was risen. Here all is positive. The risen One appears to Mary, pro... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:12. AND BEHOLDETH TWO ANGELS IN WHITE SITTING, ONE AT THE HEAD, AND ONE AT THE FEET, WHERE THE BODY OF JESUS HAD LAIN. In each of the accounts of the Resurrection an angelic appearance is recorded, in every case an appearance to the women who came to the tomb: by Peter and John no angels had... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:13. AND THEY SAY UNTO HER, WOMAN, WHY WEEPEST THOU? SHE SAITH UNTO THEM, THEY HAVE TAKEN AWAY MY LORD, AND I KNOW NOT WHERE THEY HAVE LAID HIM. Mary's reply betrays neither consternation nor even surprise: as has been well said, her excitement is such that the wonderful ceases to be wonderfu... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:14. WHEN SHE HAD THUS SAID, SHE TURNED HERSELF BACK; AND SHE BEHOLDETH JESUS STANDING, AND PERCEIVED NOT THAT IT WAS JESUS. Mary has answered the inquiry of the angels; and, satisfied that the Lord is not in the sepulchre, she turns round to see if information regarding Him can be obtained f... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:15. JESUS SAITH UNTO HER, WOMAN, WHY WEEPEST THOU? WHOM SEEKEST THOU? The object of the questions seems to be, to recall Mary to herself and to awaken more deliberate thought. She is confounded by all that has happened, overwhelmed by her emotions, and hence unable to judge justly of what sh... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:16. JESUS SAITH UNTO HER, MARY. That single word completes her present training. Nor is this wonderful. She is calmer now: the intervening conversation has produced this effect. Then again we cannot doubt that there would be more of the old tenderness of Jesus in the pronunciation of her nam... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:17. JESUS SAITH UNTO HER, TOUCH ME NOT; FOR I AM NOT YET ASCENDED TO THE FATHER; BUT GO TO MY BRETHREN, AND SAY UNTO THEM, I ASCEND UNTO MY FATHER AND YOUR FATHER, AND MY GOD AND YOUR GOD. Many different interpretations have been given of these words, some coarse, others either requiring the... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:18. MARY MAGDALENE COMETH, BRINGING WORD TO THE DISCIPLES, I HAVE SEEN THE LORD, AND THAT HE SAID THESE THINGS UNTO HER. Mary has now recognized her Lord. We have seen her longing, with weeping eyes and breaking heart, for the Friend whom she had loved on earth. She was prepared for more, an... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:19. WHEN THEREFORE IT WAS EVENING ON THAT DAY, THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, AND WHEN THE DOORS HAD BEEN SHUT WHERE THE DISCIPLES WERE FOR FEAR OF THE JEWS, CAME JESUS AND STOOD IN THE MIDST; AND HE SAITH UNTO THEM, PEACE BE UNTO YOU. The message sent by the Lord to His disciples through Mary M... [ Continue Reading ]
Mary Magdalene has carried to the disciples the tidings with which she was charged. We have now the first appearance to them of the Risen Lord.... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:20. AND WHEN HE HAD SAID THIS, HE SHOWED UNTO THEM BOTH HIS HANDS AND HIS SIDE. If the words of Luke 24:40 are genuine, the feet were also shown; but the genuineness of that passage is too doubtful to permit us to argue from it with confidence. In whatever respects the glorified body of Jesu... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:21. JESUS THEREFORE SAID TO THEM AGAIN, PEACE BE UNTO YOU. The words are exactly the same as before (John 20:19), but they must have gone home with a deeper power to the hearts of the disciples, who now understood more fully the Person from whom they came. They prepare the way for the great... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:22. AND WHEN HE HAD SAID THIS, HE BREATHED ON THEM, AND SAITH UNTO THEM, RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. Not only did the Risen Lord thus send His disciples on their mission to the world, He gave them also the preparation which should enable them to fulfill their trust. The literal and correct rend... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:23. IF YE SHALL HAVE REMITTED THE SINS OF ANY, THEY HAVE BEEN REMITTED UNTO THEM; IF YE RETAIN THE SINS OF ANY, THEY HAVE BEEN RETAINED. We regard two points as established from what has been already said. 1. The words of this verse are not addressed to apostles alone. 2. Though conjoined wi... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:24. BUT THOMAS, ONE OF THE TWELVE, CALLED DIDYMUS, WAS NOT WITH THEM WHEN JESUS CAME. On the object of thus interpreting the name Thomas, see on chap. John 11:16. It is impossible to think that the Evangelist translates the word for the mere purpose of mentioning that Thomas had a Greek as w... [ Continue Reading ]
We have here a second appearance of Jesus to the disciples, distinguished from that coming immediately before, inasmuch as it seems especially intended to set forth the blessedness of those who believe without seeing. John 20:29 evidently forms the climax of the whole, and presents to us the point o... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:25. THE OTHER DISCIPLES THEREFORE SAID UNTO HIM, WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD. Thomas received information from his fellow-apostles of the first manifestation of Himself by Jesus; but he is not satisfied. BUT HE SAID UNTO THEM, EXCEPT I SHALL SEE IN HIS HANDS THE PRINT OF THE NAILS, AND PUT MY FIN... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:26. AND AFTER EIGHT DAYS AGAIN HIS DISCIPLES WERE WITHIN, AND THOMAS WITH THEM. The place of assembly was without doubt the same as before; and that the apostles were assembled on the Sunday appears to indicate that they already regarded the host day of the week as a day which the Risen Lord... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:27. THEN SAITH HE TO THOMAS, BEACH HITHER THY FINGER, AND SEE MY HANDS; AND REACH THY HAND AND PUT IT INTO MY SIDE, AND BE NOT UNBELIEVING BUT BELIEVING. Jesus at once speaks without needing to be told of the doubts of Thomas. At the same time he recognises the naturalness of that element of... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:28. THOMAS ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM, MY LORD AND MY GOD. He passes at once from the depths of his despondency and hesitation to the most exalted faith. The words are certainly addressed to Jesus; and it is unnecessary to combat the position that they are only an expression of the apostle's... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:29. JESUS SAITH UNTO HIM, BECAUSE THOU HAST SEEN ME, THOU HAST BELIEVED; HAPPY ARE THEY THAT HAVE NOT SEEN AND YET HAVE BELIEVED. The words are intended for the Church now about to be called out of the world, for the Church of all ages, which by the very necessity of the case must believe wi... [ Continue Reading ]
The life of Jesus has now been traced from His eternal pre-existence as the Logos, through His manifestation of Himself in action and suffering upon earth, to the beginning of His glorification. The Evangelist has thus accomplished the purpose that he had proposed to himself; and he now sums up the... [ Continue Reading ]
John 20:30-31. MANY OTHER SIGNS THEREFORE DID JESUS IN THE PRESENCE OF THE DISCIPLES WHICH ARE NOT WRITTEN IN THIS HOOK: BUT THESE ARE WRITTEN, THAT YE MAY BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD; AND THAT BELIEVING YE MAY HAVE LIFE IN HIS NAME. Almost every word of this statement is of the... [ Continue Reading ]