Written ~ 05-01-2024
Read John Chapter Twenty
John 20
When we ended chapter 19 of John, Jesus has died, and verses 19:38-42 show Him being buried in a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea. Mary Magdelene and Mary (the mother of James the younger and Joseph) watched as a great stone was rolled in front of the entrance. Roman soldiers were summoned to stand guard at the tomb to ensure no one would attempt to steal the body of Jesus. As evening approached everyone went home because it was the beginning of the Sabbath.
Then the Third Day arrived!
Our story has now taken an abrupt left turn, we ended with grief and sorrow but now excitement and joy will soon fill the air!
Jesus had risen from the dead!
John 20:1-10… (with added excerpts from Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-8 and Luke 24:1-12)
“Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and Joseph) and Salome (mother of James and John – wife to Zebedee) came to the tomb… Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shown like lightening, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw Him and fell into a deep faint.
The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the man asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen. Come, see where His body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and He is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there. Remember what I have told you.”
The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there.”
Meanwhile…
As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.
The women rushed back from the tomb to tell His eleven disciples – and everyone else – what had happened. So… Peter and the other disciple (John) started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed — for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home.”
Incredible, right? Wouldn’t that be the most exhilarating morning if you were there watching all this play out? The sorrow, the fear, the excitement, the joy! So many emotions! Disbelief and hope all mingled together.
Can you imagine the conversations that were taking place when Peter and John got back to the meeting place? Their level of surprise and joy had to be contagious as they talked about everything Jesus had said during His three year ministry. They had a difficult time understanding what Jesus had said about His death and Resurrection, but now it was all falling into place.
John 20:19-29…
19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” He said.
20 As He spoke, He showed them the wounds in His hands and His side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!
21 Again He said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.”
22 Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, was not with the others when Jesus came.
25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side.”
26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” He said.
27 Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.”
Just three days before, the disciples had seen their beloved friend and teacher hanging on a cross, He had just died in a horrible and painful way. They were devastated and they also feared for their lives because they followed Jesus. To be in their shoes, you would have to imagine one of your loved ones being dragged away, innocently, and put to death right in front of you. The disciples are overwhelmed, confused, but also fearful. Let’s look at this scene… the disciples are sitting together locked away in a hidden room talking with each other, praying, consoling each other and suddenly Jesus is standing there in their midst! Can you imagine the shock? As they sat there dumbfounded, it isn’t surprising the first words from Jesus needed to be “Peace be with you.” The gasp of astonishment, everyone standing quickly to their feet and the clamor of everyone talking all at once would have been a little chaotic! They were looking into the eyes of their beloved friend, they could see the wounds in His hands, feet and side. The happiness and joy must have been explosive! It doesn’t say how long Jesus was with the disciples, but it was long enough for them to know and to realize He had risen from the death just as He said He would.
Thomas was not there when Jesus had visited the other disciples, so when he heard their account of what had happened, what he had missed, he didn’t believe them. Thomas needed proof. He needed to see and touch Jesus himself before he would believe.
Thomas symbolizes anyone today who doubts, anyone who doesn’t believe. Are you one who does not want to believe there was a man named Jesus, who came to earth from heaven and is the Son of God? Are you one who is not yet sure about believing in a man who died on a cross, rose again three days later and provides Salvation from sin and death? Proof is needed. Well… let’s take it from Thomas! When Jesus said to him, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” What was Thomas’ response? “My Lord and my God!”
I realize it could be difficult for some to believe in something they cannot see with their own eyes or touch with their hands. But what does Jesus say to Thomas? “Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe.”
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.” (John 20:29)
Look at that last sentence… “Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.” These few words from the mouth of Jesus refers to us! Any of us who have chosen to believe, with faith in our hearts and minds, that Jesus Christ IS who the Bible says He is, we fall into the “blessed” category of those words! Awesome!
Do you want to believe even without seeing Jesus face to face? Ask Jesus to show you His presence in your life, even if you can’t see His physical body, He will show you who He is, you just need to open your eyes to what He is showing you.
Many of us reading through these Scriptures have already made the decision to believe. We have put our faith into the fact that Jesus is real, we believe He is the Son of God. We know without any doubt that He came to earth with one purpose, that purpose was to die for our sins. We also have put our faith into the fact that after three days He rose from the dead, forever shattering the hold sin and death had over us. For those of us who have put our trust in the Lord, we don’t have to search any longer, we don’t need to seek other theologies, other religions. Why? Because we have a relationship with Jesus and God the Father, He has become our everything! Once Jesus enters your life as Lord and Savior, there’s no turning back! He fills the unbelief with courage! He fills the doubt with hope!
I love the way John ends this chapter. The brief explanation as to why he wrote this book tells us everything we need to know!
John 20:30-31…
30 “The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have LIFE by the POWER of HIS NAME.”
John wrote this book so we might believe! Here’s a little bit of trivia… the word believe is mentioned 98 times in the Book of John!
~AMEN~
- Do you want to believe? Do you want to enter into a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you ready to set your doubt and unbelief aside and trust? If so, today is your day. Don’t talk yourself out of it! Asking Jesus to come into your life, is the greatest gift you could ever receive! But you won’t know what you are truly missing if you don’t humble yourself and allow the Lord to show you that He is real.
- The following is a prayer of Salvation. You know it’s time. You’ve been fighting this decision long enough. Come, just as you are, ask Jesus to come into your life.
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
- If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you! And just as Jesus said, “Peace be with you.”