John
Chapter 20
Resurrection of Jesus
Early on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala arrived at the tomb before sunrise and saw that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled away.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them:
“They have taken the LORD from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple then went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and got there first.
He leaned down and saw the linen cloths lying flat, but he did not go inside.
Then Simon Peter arrived after; he went into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there.
The cloth, which had been around his head, was not lying flat like the other linen cloths but lay rolled up in its place.
Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in; he saw and believed.
Scripture clearly said that Jesus must rise from the dead, but they had not yet understood that.
Then the disciples returned home.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb; as she wept, she bent down to look inside.
She saw two angels dressed in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the feet.
They said to her:
“Woman, why are you weeping?”
She replied:
“They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.”
As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize him.
Jesus asked her:
“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener and answered:
“Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her:
“Mary!”
She turned and said to him:
“Rabboni!”—which means Teacher.
Jesus told her:
“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father, and your Father, to my God, and your God.”
So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples:
“I have seen the Lord, and this is what he said to me.”
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples were locked in because of their fear of the Jews. But Jesus came and stood among them and said:
“Peace be with you!”
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Seeing the Lord, the disciples were filled with joy.
Jesus said to them again:
“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
After saying this, he breathed on them and said:
“Receive the Holy Spirit!
Those whose sins you forgive are forgiven; those whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples told him:
“We have seen the Lord.”
But he replied:
“Until I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger in the nail marks, and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
Eight days later, the disciples were again inside the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said:
“Peace be with you!”
Then he said to Thomas:
“Put your finger here and see my hands; stretch out your hand, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believe!”
Thomas said:
“My LORD and my God.”
Jesus replied:
“You believe because you see me, don’t you? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
There were many other signs that Jesus did in the presence of his disciples, but they are not recorded in this book.
These are recorded, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name!
Commentaries
Resurrection of Jesus.
Mary Magdalene is the first to witness the resurrection. “It was still dark” is the symbol from which Easter faith begins. Mary sees the stone removed and runs to tell Peter and the beloved disciple, providing two witnesses who can give reliable testimony. Both respond positively. The beloved disciple arrives at the tomb first, sees the linen cloths but does not enter; after Peter enters, he does: “he saw and believed.” What did he see? That the tomb was empty, and he believed in the resurrection. This belief should not be understood as complete certainty but rather as “he began to believe,” as indicated by the tense of the original Greek verb. This belief emerged at the sight of the empty tomb, a negative “sign”: the absence of a body; not based on Jesus’s words, because “they did not yet know the Scriptures” that speak of the resurrection. Since it is not a complete belief, he does not share it with the others but goes home.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene.
Mary Magdalene is described as “the faithful woman.” Peter and the beloved disciple go to the tomb and find only emptiness: the sheets on the ground and the rolled-up shroud. They begin to believe, then each one goes home. However, Mary remains at the tomb (11). Unlike the weary, inconsistent disciples, her steadfast perseverance stands out. Mary Magdalene represents “the Beloved of the Song.” As such, she can be seen as mad or lovesick, which is why she perceives Jesus everywhere, even thinking that the gardener has taken him away and wanting to fetch him herself (15). But the Master appears and calls her by name. She wants to hold on to Jesus (17). She does not yet understand that the risen Lord is a living gift for all humanity; she cannot keep him for herself alone. True love is never selfish or possessive; it always manifests in self-giving and pure generosity. Mary receives a great revelation: Jesus has risen, and she shares the wonderful gift from God the Father — that Jesus’ Father is now our Father, and his God is now our God (17). Finally, the Lord makes her a missionary (18): she must go to her brothers and sisters and proclaim her faith experience — that she has seen the risen Jesus and that he has shared all these things with her.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples.
The evangelist shows the disciples in an uncertain place with the doors tightly shut out of fear. Then, the Lord appears to them, stands among them, offers peace, and reveals the wounds from his passion: he is the same one who was crucified on the cross. The disciples are filled with joy. The Lord breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” With the Spirit’s help, the disciples will be able to forgive sins. In verses 24-29, Jesus appears again to the disciples, this time with Thomas present. The scene’s vivid, dramatic realism is striking. What happened to Thomas can happen to any Christian today. From that moment on, the community of disciples is not just the Twelve gathered in a specific place and time; anyone who has faith is blessed and becomes a disciple of the Lord, even if they haven’t seen him physically. The vision of faith is the only way to encounter him truly.