The Empty Tomb
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.
4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,
7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.
8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb
12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb and saw that the stone had been removed. Shocked and confused, she ran to tell Peter and the other disciple. They hurried to the tomb and found the burial cloths lying there, but Jesus’ body was gone. The disciples began to realize that something extraordinary had happened.
After the disciples left, Mary stayed outside the tomb crying. As she looked inside, she saw two angels sitting where Jesus’ body had been. Then Jesus Himself appeared to her, though she did not recognize Him at first. When Jesus called her by name, Mary finally understood that He had risen from the dead and she joyfully went to tell the disciples.
That evening, the disciples gathered behind locked doors because they feared the Jewish leaders. Jesus suddenly stood among them and greeted them with peace. He showed them His hands and side, proving that He was truly alive. The disciples rejoiced, and Jesus spoke to them about their mission and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Thomas was absent during Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples. When the others told him they had seen the Lord, he doubted and said he would not believe unless he saw the wounds himself. Eight days later, Jesus appeared again while Thomas was present. Jesus invited Thomas to touch His wounds, and Thomas responded with faith, calling Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20 ends by explaining the purpose of the Gospel. The writer says that Jesus performed many other miraculous signs not recorded in the book. However, these written accounts were given so that people may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and through faith in Him receive eternal life.
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and said,
🌿 “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Then He said,
🌿 “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
In these verses, Jesus commissions His disciples to continue His mission in the world.
Through the Holy Spirit, they would proclaim the message of repentance, forgiveness, and salvation through Christ.
The disciples themselves did not gain independent power to forgive sins apart from God.
Throughout Scripture, ultimate forgiveness belongs to God.
Instead, Jesus was giving them authority to proclaim God’s forgiveness through the gospel:
The Holy Spirit would guide the disciples in truth, wisdom, and faithful witness as they carried this message to the world.
These verses also emphasize reconciliation, grace, and the continuing work of Christ through His followers.
John 20:22–23 reminds us that through Jesus Christ, forgiveness and peace are offered to the world, and believers are called to share that message through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus brings peace, gives the Holy Spirit, and opens the way for forgiveness through Him.
The risen Christ gives new life through the Holy Spirit and calls believers to share God’s forgiveness with the world.
Then Jesus told Thomas,
🌿 “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
After the resurrection, Thomas struggled to believe until he saw Jesus with his own eyes.
When Jesus appeared to him, Thomas believed and confessed his faith.
Jesus then spoke about a deeper blessing—
the blessing of those who believe through faith even without physically seeing Him.
This verse speaks to future believers throughout the world and across generations.
Most followers of Christ would not see Jesus physically as the disciples did, yet they would come to faith through the testimony of Scripture, the witness of believers, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Faith in the Bible is not blind belief without reason. It is trust grounded in the truth of Christ, His resurrection, and God’s revelation.
Jesus honors those who place their trust in Him even when they cannot see everything fully with human eyes.
John 20:29 reminds us that faith trusts in Jesus Christ beyond physical sight, and those who believe in Him are blessed with relationship, hope, and eternal life.
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