Week 10: Jesus' Resurrection and Appearances (John 20:1–29)

John 20:1–29

John 19 ends with the Son of God crucified, dead, and buried in a tomb. John 20 begins with the Son of God alive, having been raised from death itself. The tone of John’s Gospel dramatically shifts in John 20. This is the hinge on which the entire Gospel account pivots. Jesus is alive, and he now appears to his disciples and commissions them for ministry.

John 20:1–29 recounts Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, his encounter with Mary Magdalene and the disciples, and his commissioning of the disciples.

Read through the complete passage for this study, John 20:1–29. Then review the questions below and write your notes on them concerning this phase of Jesus’ ministry. (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 2068–2071; also available online at www.esvbible.org.)

Jesus’ resurrection takes place “on the first day of the week” (20:1). Thus the early Christians set aside Sunday as the day for gathering and worship (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). What does this say about how Christians are to view their work week? Do we rest from work, living for the weekend, or do we “work from rest,” gaining strength for our work from our times of worship?

Mary Magdalene is the first to visit Jesus’ tomb. Upon finding that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, Mary “ran” to tell the news to Peter and the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (John, the author of this Gospel). What does Mary communicate to these two disciples; how does she explain the empty tomb? What do Peter and John do once they hear the news from Mary?

Verse 8 signals a change. What happens to John once he enters the tomb? Why do you think the disciples, Peter and John, went back to their homes (v. 10)? With whom might John have shared the good news? Recall John 19:27.

Mary stays at the tomb and weeps. Two angels1 appear and ask Mary a question. Mary answers the question. Then, Jesus appears and asks Mary the same question the angels asked. Who does Mary think Jesus is? What does it take for Mary to recognize Jesus? From what you know of first-century Jewish culture, why might it be significant that a woman is the first one to encounter the resurrected Jesus?

Later that same day, at nighttime, Jesus appears to his disciples. Why do his disciples have the doors locked? What does Jesus say to his disciples, what does he show his disciples, and how do his disciples respond?

After showing his disciples his hands and his side, Jesus commissions his disciples. The sent one (Jesus) has now become the sender, commissioning his disciples to serve as his messengers and empowering them with the Holy Spirit. How do you see all three members of the Trinity involved in this scene? How does this notion of being “sent” by Jesus help deepen your understanding of Christian discipleship?

John 20:21–22 is John’s version of the Great Commission. Compare this passage with Matthew’s (Matt. 28:16–20) version of the Great Commission. What similarities and what differences do you notice?

Eight days after Jesus’ first encounter with the disciples, how does Jesus handle Thomas’s doubt? How does Thomas respond to his encounter with Jesus? Through this encounter, what does Jesus teach his disciples about faith?2

Read through the following three sections on Gospel Glimpses, Whole-Bible Connections, and Theological Soundings. Then take time to reflect on the Personal Implications this passage from John may have for your walk with the Lord.

THE DEATH OF DEATH. Jesus defeated death. The world and Satan gave Jesus their best shot—betrayal, beatings, crucifixion, death, and burial. But it couldn’t hold Jesus. Even death couldn’t defeat him. Jesus died; he took a final breath; he was wrapped in burial clothes and placed in a tomb. And on a Sunday morning, Jesus stood outside his tomb, resurrected and alive. This is our Savior—the Son of God who defeated death. Do you think God and his gospel are not powerful enough to rescue you from what enslaves and shames you? Meditate on the empty tomb. God raised Jesus from the dead; he can certainly raise you out of your tomb.

MY FATHER AND YOUR FATHER. Encountering Mary after his resurrection, Jesus gave Mary instructions: “Go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (John 20:17). This is good news! Because of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus’ disciples can now call God “Father.” Throughout the Old Testament God’s people did not speak of God as “Father,” for the Messiah had not yet come to make a full atonement3 for sins. But with the finished work of Jesus, we can now know God in the most intimate sense, as our Father. The finished work of Jesus turns sinners into sons and daughters of the almighty God.

HOPE FOR THE DOUBTING. Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, doubted whether or not Jesus really rose from the dead. Instead of condemning Thomas, the risen Jesus came to Thomas and gave him proof that silenced all doubts. The dominant note in this scene is that of a grace-filled, humble Savior who knows our doubts and takes action to help us overcome them.

THE SERPENT CRUSHER. After Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden of Eden, God promised that Adam and Eve’s line would continue and that one day, a descendant of Adam and Eve would crush the serpent, Satan (Gen. 3:15). The whole Bible is, from one standpoint, the story of the search for the serpent crusher, the coming king who would conquer God’s enemies and defeat Satan and death. John’s Gospel highlights Jesus as the offspring who has finally conquered Satan. Sin, Satan, and death were decisively defeated when Jesus rose from the dead.

THE SPIRIT POURED OUT. Long before the arrival of Jesus, Joel prophesied that one day God would pour out his Spirit on his people. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit” (Joel 2:28–29). Here in John we see that this day begins to dawn. One of the first things Jesus does after his resurrection is go to his disciples and breathe on them, giving them the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). This is a foretaste of what will happen later in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit falls upon God’s people in even greater measure, enabling and empowering them to be a light to a dark world.

RESURRECTION. The Scriptures teach that everyone who dies will be resurrected. The wicked—those who refused to trust in God—will be resurrected to judgment.4 And the righteous5—those who trusted in God—will be resurrected to eternal life (John 5:29). Those raised will be given new, physical bodies. For the redeemed, resurrection life will be a return to Eden, with no more sickness, sadness, or death—and without even the possibility of sin.

THE MISSIONARY TRINITY. All three members of the Trinity are involved in Jesus’ commissioning of his disciples—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (John 20:21–23). With the full involvement of the Trinity, Jesus’ disciples are commissioned to be his messengers on earth, to spread the gospel of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus (v. 23). More than the other Gospel writers, John highlights the missionary nature of God’s work in the gospel. All three persons of the Trinity are concerned to reach people with the good news of God’s great love.

Take time to reflect on the implications of John 20:1–29 for your own life today. Make notes below on the personal implications for your walk with the Lord of (1) the Gospel Glimpses, (2) the Whole-Bible Connections, (3) the Theological Soundings, and (4) this passage as a whole.

1. Gospel Glimpses

2. Whole-Bible Connections

3. Theological Soundings

4. John 20:1–29

Take a moment now to ask for the Lord’s blessing and help as you engage in this study of John. And take a moment also to look back through this unit of study, to reflect on a few key things that the Lord may be teaching you—and perhaps to highlight or underline these to review again in the future.

Definitions

1 Angel – A supernatural messenger of God, often sent to carry out his will or to assist human beings in carrying out his will. Though angels are more powerful than humans and often instill awe, they are not to be worshiped (Col. 2:18; Rev. 22:8–9). The Bible does, however, note certain appearances of an “angel of the Lord” which are apparently a physical manifestation of God himself.

2 Faith – Trust in or reliance upon something or someone despite a lack of concrete proof. Salvation, which is purely a work of God’s grace, can be received only through faith (Rom. 5:2; Eph. 2:8–9). The writer of Hebrews calls on believers to emulate those who lived godly lives by faith (Hebrews 11).

3 Atonement – The reconciliation of a person with God, often associated with the offering of a sacrifice. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ made atonement for the sins of believers. His death satisfied God’s just wrath against sinful humanity, just as OT sacrifices symbolized substitutionary death as payment for sin.

4 Judgment – Any assessment of something or someone, especially moral assessment. The Bible also speaks of a final day of judgment when Christ returns, when all those who have refused to repent will be judged (Rev. 20:12–15).

5 Righteous – The quality of being morally right and without sin. One of God’s distinctive attributes. God imputes righteousness to (justifies) those who trust in Jesus Christ.

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