John Chapter 20

                  John Chapter 20

People who hear about the resurrection for the first time may need time before they can comprehend this amazing story. Like Mary and the disciples, they may pass through 4 stages of belief:

1) At first, they may think the story is a fabrication, impossible to believe.

2) Like Peter, they may check out the facts and still be puzzled about what happened.

3) Only when they encounter Jesus personally will they be able to accept the fact of the resurrection.

4) Then as they commit themselves to the risen Lord and devote their lives to serving him, they will begin to understand fully the reality of his presence with them.

Mary Magdalene had taken Jesus’s call to follow him very seriously. Her name indicates that she was likely from Magdala,a town near Capernaum in Galilee. She had followed Jesus all the way to Jerusalem, and other women from Galilee had come with her.

(Luke:23v55) The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.

In Jerusalem, these women followed him to the foot of the cross and to the empty tomb. The stone was not rolled away from the entrance to the tomb so Jesus could get out. He could have left easily without moving the stone. It was rolled away so others could get in and see that Jesus was gone.

On Friday, Jesus’s lifeless body had been placed on the burial preparation bench in the receiving room of the tomb chamber.No doubt the women thought they could return following the Sabbath, somehow rollback the stone, and complete the preparation of Jesus body for burial. Mary's discovery that the tomb door has been rolled to one side suggests immediately to her that someone has entered the tomb.

On the first day of the week-Sunday-Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early in the morning. Jesus had cast 7 demons from her, so she was a devoted follower.

(Luke:8v2) And also some woman who had been cured of evil spirits and disease: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom 7 demons had come out;

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke inform us that Mary had gone to the tomb with other women to anoint Jesus’s body.

(Mark:16v1) When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene,Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’s body.

(Luke:24v1) On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

She saw that the large stone sealing the tomb had been removed,and she had also seen an Angel.

(Mark:16v5) as they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

So, she ran to tell Simon Peter and John (the disciple Jesus loved) that the Lord's body had been taken.

Peter and John ran for the tomb John was faster and right there first, but Peter entered the tomb ahead of him. They saw the linen clothes lying there, which had been used to wrap Jesus body.

The strips of linen were left as if Jesus’s body had simply vacated them. The cloth that covered Jesus’s head was still folded up in the shape of his head, and it was at about the right distance from the wrappings that had enveloped Jesus body. A grave robber wouldn't have left the expensive linens behind.And certainly not so neatly.

As further proof that the disciples did not fabricate this story, we find that Peter and John were surprised that Jesus was not in the tomb. When John saw the strips of linen looking like an empty cocoon from which Jesus had emerged, he believed that Jesus had risen. It wasn't until after they had seen the empty tomb that they remembered what the scriptures and Jesus had said-he would die, but he would also rise again!

One of the many theories that men have concocted to explain away the resurrection is that Jesus was merely resuscitated.This theory proposes that after enduring the intense brutality of being beaten and crucified, Jesus was revived by the cool interior of the tomb. But this doesn't explain why a half-dead man would remove his head cloth neatly fold it, and place it separate from his intact linen wrappings! Nor does it explain how he could have had the strength to move the heavy stone blocking the entrance. As with other attempts by unbelievers to deny the resurrection, this one fails to adequately explain the evidence. One thing is clear. When the disciples saw Jesus later, he didn't look like a man who had been merely resuscitated from a near death experience!

Mary did not want to lose Jesus again. She had not yet understood the resurrection, perhaps she thought this was his promised second coming. But Jesus did not want to be detained at the tomb. If he did not ascend into heaven, the Holy Spirit would not come. Both he and Mary had important work to do.

But Mary was still standing there crying. She couldn't grasp what had happened. Then inside the tomb she saw 2 angels…sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, asking her why she was crying. The only thing she could conclude was that someone had taken away Jesus’s body. And it had broken her heart. Resurrection was not an option she had considered.

Mary didn't recognize Jesus at first. Her grief had blinded her.She couldn't see him because she didn't expect to see him.Then he spoke her name, and immediately she recognized him. Imagine the love that flooded her heart when she heard her savior saying her name.

At first, she didn't recognize him and supposed he was the gardener since the tomb was in the garden, she even wondered if he'd moved the body. The son of God, the king of creation, had risen from the dead. And he was mistaken for a gardener! But when she heard the man say Mary, she finally knew this was her teacher. She hadn't recognized him. But when he spoke her name, her eyes were opened. The sheep follow (the shepherd) because they know his voice.

Mary did not meet the risen Jesus until she had discovered the empty tomb. She responded with joy and obedience by going to tell the disciples.

Once Mary had Jesus, she didn't want to let go. But he told her not to cling to him because he had not yet ascended to the father. In other words, he said, “I haven’t gone anywhere yet.There's no need to hang on to me. Instead, he wanted her to go tell the good news to his disciples. The risen Lord Jesus gave Mary Magdalene the privilege of going to his disciples on that first resurrection morning and telling them, I have seen the Lord! Don't Overlook that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was first announced by a woman. And first-century Judaism, a woman's testimony was often not considered reliable. So, if the disciples had made-up the resurrection story, they probably would not have chosen a woman to be the first person to see Jesus and tell others about him. Her testimony could easily have been rejected. The fact that women were the first witnesses gives us important evidence that the resurrection really happened.

This also shows that women can use their gifts to speak,teach, and communicate, while still respecting God's order and the leadership and authority he has given in the home and church.

(1Cor:11v5) But every woman who prays or prophecies with her head uncovered dishonors her head-it is the same as having her head shaved.

(1Cor:11v10) it is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.

That evening.. The disciples were gathered together with the doors locked. They were in hiding because they were afraid of what the Jews might do to them. But at that moment, Jesus came and stood among them. Don't miss what John tells us:the doors were shut and locked. Nevertheless, Jesus joined them.

Now, clearly, Jesus had a physical body. Mary touched him;Thomas would touch him; later he would eat with his disciples. He was no mere phantom.

(Luke:24v39) Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself!Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bone; as you see I have.

He had risen bodily from the grave. But his resurrected body no longer had material limitations. Apparently, he could pass through locked doors if he wanted. And later he would ascend on a cloud into heaven.

(Acts:1v9) After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

the apostles tell us that our resurrection bodies will be like his.

(1 Cor:15v45-57) So it is written: the first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Phil:3v21) Who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

(1John:3v2) Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

The disciples were surely railing as Jesus stood before them alive. But he showed them his hands, with nail wounds, and his side, which had been pierced by a Roman spear. Those scars had not been removed from his resurrection body. One day, then, all believers will see them. They will serve as eternal reminders of the cost of our redemption, and they will forever give us reason to praise him. Jesus will be the only scarred person in eternity; a perpetual reminder of the price paid for hour redemption.

He said peace be with you. Why? Because they were terrified of the Jews. That's why they had locked the doors. Yet Jesus gave them his peace, notice that their situation hadn't changed. The Jewish leaders would still oppose them in the days ahead.

(Acts: 4v 1-24) The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest's family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: by what power or what name did you do this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them:rulers and elders of the people! We are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stand before you healed. Jesus is the stoneyou builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. What are we going to do with these men? They asked. Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed A notable sign, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people,we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name. Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over 40 years old. On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. Sovereign Lord, they said, you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

(Acts: 5v 17-42) Then the high priest and all his associates,who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an Angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. Go, stand in the temple courts, he said, and tell the people all about this new life. At Daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin-the full assembly of the elders of Israel-and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, we found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the door; but when we opened them, we found no one inside. On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.Then someone came and said, look! The men put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people. At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, he said. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood. Peter and the other apostles replied: we must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead-whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. When they heard this,they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudesappeared, claiming to be somebody, and about 400 men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed,and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas Galilean appeared in the days of the census and LED a band of people in revolt.He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God. His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

 Jesus can speak peace into trouble. Though your circumstances are unstable, it can provide the internal stability your heart needs.

As the father has sent me, I also send you. The father had sent the son on a Kingdom mission to atone for the sins of the world so that all who believe would receive eternal life. Now the son was sending his disciples on a Kingdom mission to proclaim that message and make other disciples throughout the world.

(Matt: 28v16-20) Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And Surely I am with you always. To the very end of age.

Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, receive the Holy Spirit. Most interpreters recognize this as an anticipatory act.The Holy Spirit will come to dwell within the apostles on the day of Pentecost, enabling them to accomplish the mission on which Jesus was sending them.

(Acts: 2v 1-21) When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked; aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, meads, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans And Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tones! Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, what does this mean?Some, however, made fun of them and said they have had too much wine. Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only 9 in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: in the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophecy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they will prophecy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

The breath of God has life. The first man was created but did not come alive until God breathed into him the breath of life.

(Gen: 2v7) Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Jesus was given the disciples their spirit powered and spirit guided mission to preach the good news so people's sins might be forgiven. The disciples did not have the power to forgive sins. (Only God can do that), but Jesus gave them the privilege of telling new believers that their sins have been forgiven because they have accepted Jesus’s message.

(Matt:16v19) I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Have you ever wished you could actually see Jesus, touch him, and hear his words? At times do you wish you could sit with him and get his advice? Thomas wanted Jesus’s physical presence. He wants to be present with you at all times. Even now he is with you in person of the Holy Spirit. You can talk to him, and you can find his words to you in pages of the Bible. He can be as real to you as he was to Thomas.

Here, then, Jesus was visibly and physically preparing them for what was spiritually to come. They would be granted Kingdom authority, so he told them, if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. The Holy Spirit would enable them to authoritatively declare that God had indeed forgiven the sins of any who believed in Jesus.

Jesus wasn't hard on Thomas for his doubts. Despite his skepticism, Thomas was still loyal to the believers and to Jesus himself. Some people need to voice their doubts before they believe. If doubt leads to questions, and questions lead to answers, and if the answers are accepted, then doubt has done good work. It is when doubt becomes stubbornness and stubbornness becomes a prideful lifestyle that doubt harms faith. When you doubt, don't stop there. Let your doubt deepen your faith as you continue to search for the answers.

Jesus’s resurrected body was unique. It was not the same kind of flesh and blood Lazarus had when he came back to life.Jesus’s body was no longer subject to the same laws of nature as before his death. He could appear in a Locked room, but he was not a ghost or a vision, because people could touch him and he could eat. Jesus's resurrection was real and physical.He was not just a spirit without a body.

Jesus performed many other signs… that are not written in this book. In other words, John tells his readers that the things he has written down in his gospel are merely the highlights!Nevertheless, these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.