John Chapter 20:1-31 King James Bible KJV

The Empty Tomb, Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene, Jesus Appears to the Disciples, Jesus and Thomas, The Purpose Statement of John’s Gospel

John Chapter 20:1-31 King James Bible KJV. John Chapter 20 details the resurrection of Jesus and his appearances to his disciples. This chapter portrays the resurrection as the transformative event that brings joy, peace, and new purpose to Jesus’ followers. Jesus’ appearances reassure the disciples, dispelling their fear and confusion. His resurrection becomes the foundation for Christian faith, inviting believers to trust in him even without physical proof and empowering them to spread the message of his victory over death.

Key Themes

• The Reality and Power of the Resurrection: Jesus’ resurrection is central to Christian faith, offering hope that death has been conquered. The physical details—the empty tomb, the folded linen, and Jesus’ wounds—affirm the bodily resurrection of Christ, which assures believers of their own future resurrection.
• Transformation from Doubt to Belief: John 20 highlights both the initial doubt of the disciples and the faith that results from their encounter with the risen Christ. Thomas’ journey from doubt to confession of Jesus as “Lord” and “God” demonstrates that Jesus meets people where they are and transforms their doubt into genuine faith.
• Jesus as the Source of Peace: Jesus’ greeting of peace to his disciples reassures them in their fear and distress. His peace is not merely a comforting word but a restoration of relationship with God and a foundation for their future mission.
• Commissioning and Empowerment: Jesus commissions his followers to continue his work, breathing on them as a symbolic act of imparting the Holy Spirit. This empowerment prepares them for their mission of sharing the gospel and represents a foretaste of the fuller outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
• Faith Beyond Sight: Jesus’ statement to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed,” emphasizes the importance of faith. This blessing extends to all future believers, encouraging them to trust in the testimony of the apostles and the written Word.

John Chapter 20:1-31 King James Bible KJV
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The Empty Tomb – Verses 1-10

• Mary Magdalene Discovers the Empty Tomb: Early on Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene goes to Jesus’ tomb and finds the stone rolled away. Assuming the body has been taken, she runs to tell Peter and John.
• Peter and John at the Tomb: Peter and John rush to the tomb to investigate. John arrives first and sees the strips of linen lying there but does not enter. When Peter arrives, he goes into the tomb and notices the linens and the neatly folded cloth that had covered Jesus’ head. John then enters, sees the evidence, and believes that Jesus has risen, although he and Peter still do not fully understand the implications of the resurrection.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene – Verses 11-18

• Mary’s Encounter with Angels: After Peter and John leave, Mary remains by the tomb, weeping. She sees two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been. When they ask why she is weeping, she expresses her grief over the missing body.
• Mary Sees Jesus: Turning around, Mary sees Jesus standing there but does not recognize him immediately, mistaking him for the gardener. Jesus gently speaks her name, “Mary,” and she recognizes him, calling him “Rabboni” (Teacher). This moment of recognition shows the personal and relational nature of Jesus’ resurrected presence.
• Jesus’ Instruction to Mary: Jesus instructs Mary not to cling to him because he has not yet ascended to the Father. He tells her to go to his “brothers” and share the news of his resurrection. Mary becomes the first to proclaim the risen Christ, often referred to as the “apostle to the apostles” because of her role in sharing this message.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples – Verses 19-23

• Jesus Brings Peace and Commissions the Disciples: That evening, Jesus appears to the disciples who are hiding behind locked doors out of fear. He greets them with, “Peace be with you,” and shows them his hands and side, confirming his identity and the reality of his resurrection. The disciples are overjoyed to see him alive.
• The Gift of the Holy Spirit: Jesus breathes on the disciples and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This act signifies the beginning of their empowerment for ministry. Jesus is giving them the spiritual authority and guidance they will need as they continue his work.
• Authority to Forgive Sins: Jesus tells the disciples, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This statement grants them authority to declare God’s forgiveness through the gospel message, reflecting the power of the gospel to reconcile people with God.

Jesus and Thomas – Verses 24-29

• Thomas’ Doubt: Thomas, also known as Didymus, was not present when Jesus first appeared to the disciples. When they tell him they have seen Jesus, he famously responds, “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.”
• Jesus Appears to Thomas: A week later, Jesus appears to the disciples again, with Thomas present. Jesus invites Thomas to touch his wounds, saying, “Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas responds with a profound declaration of faith: “My Lord and my God!” This confession is one of the clearest acknowledgments of Jesus’ divine nature in the Gospels.
• Blessed Are Those Who Believe Without Seeing: Jesus affirms Thomas’ belief but pronounces a blessing on those who believe without physical evidence. This statement emphasizes faith and speaks to future generations who will come to believe in Jesus based on the testimony of others rather than firsthand experience.

Purpose of the Gospel – Verses 30-31
John concludes by stating that Jesus performed many other signs not recorded in his Gospel. He clarifies that his purpose in writing is so readers may “believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” This final statement encapsulates the entire purpose of John’s Gospel: to inspire faith in Jesus as the Christ and to offer eternal life to believers.

John Chapter 20:1-31 King James Bible KJV

1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, andlooked into the sepulchre,
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them,
and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.