Joh 20:1-12 | Clarke | STEP | Mary Magdalene, coming early to the sepulchre, finds it empty, and runs and tells Peter, , . Peter and John run to the tomb, and find all as Mary had reported, . Mary sees a vision of angels in the tomb, . Jesus himself appears to her, and sends her with a message to the disciples, . He appears to the disciples, gives the fullest proof of the reality of his resurrection, and communicates to them a measure of the Holy Spirit, . The determined incredulity of Thomas, , . Eight days after, Jesus appears again to the disciples, Thomas being present, to whom he gives the proofs he had desired, , . Thomas is convinced, and makes a noble confession, . Our Lord's reflections on his case, . Various signs done by Christ, not circumstantially related, . Why others are recorded, . All that John relates concerning the resurrection of our Lord he has collected partly from the account given by Mary Magdalene, and partly from his own observations. From Mary he derived the information given, , , and from . From his own actual knowledge, what he relates, , , and the whole of John 21:1-25. It is supposed that he details the account given by Mary, without altering any circumstance, and without either addition or retrenchment. See Rosenmuller. Verse 1 The first day of the week - On what we call Sunday morning, the morning after the Jewish Sabbath. As Christ had been buried in haste, these holy women had bought aromatics, ; , to embalm him afresh, and in a more complete manner than it could have been done by Joseph and Nicodemus. John only mentions Mary of Magdala, because he appears to wish to give a more detailed history of her conduct than of any of the rest; but the other evangelists speak of three persons who went together to the tomb, viz. Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome: ; .

John 20:1-12

Introduction

Mary Magdalene, coming early to the sepulchre, finds it empty, and runs and tells Peter, Joh 20:1, Joh 20:2. Peter and John run to the tomb, and find all as Mary had reported, Joh 20:3-10. Mary sees a vision of angels in the tomb, Joh 20:11-13. Jesus himself appears to her, and sends her with a message to the disciples, Joh 20:14-18. He appears to the disciples, gives the fullest proof of the reality of his resurrection, and communicates to them a measure of the Holy Spirit, Joh 20:19-23. The determined incredulity of Thomas, Joh 20:24, Joh 20:25. Eight days after, Jesus appears again to the disciples, Thomas being present, to whom he gives the proofs he had desired, Joh 20:26, Joh 20:27. Thomas is convinced, and makes a noble confession, Joh 20:28. Our Lord's reflections on his case, Joh 20:29. Various signs done by Christ, not circumstantially related, Joh 20:30. Why others are recorded, Joh 20:31.

All that John relates concerning the resurrection of our Lord he has collected partly from the account given by Mary Magdalene, and partly from his own observations. From Mary he derived the information given, Joh 20:1, Joh 20:2, and from Joh 20:11-18. From his own actual knowledge, what he relates, Joh 3:3-10, Joh 3:19-29, and the whole of John 21:1-25. It is supposed that he details the account given by Mary, without altering any circumstance, and without either addition or retrenchment. See Rosenmuller.

Verse 1

The first day of the week - On what we call Sunday morning, the morning after the Jewish Sabbath. As Christ had been buried in haste, these holy women had bought aromatics, Mar 16:1; Luk 24:1, to embalm him afresh, and in a more complete manner than it could have been done by Joseph and Nicodemus. John only mentions Mary of Magdala, because he appears to wish to give a more detailed history of her conduct than of any of the rest; but the other evangelists speak of three persons who went together to the tomb, viz. Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome: Mat 28:1; Mar 16:1. Verse 2

Then she runneth - This was after the women had seen the angels, who said he was risen from the dead, Luk 24:4. She told, not only Peter and John, but the other apostles also, Mat 28:8; but only the two disciples above mentioned went to the tomb to see whether what she had said was true.

They have taken away the Lord - She mentions nothing of what the angels had said, in her hurry and confusion; she speaks things only by halves; and probably the vision of angels might have appeared to her only as an illusion of her own fancy, and not to be any farther regarded. Verse 4

Outrun Peter - Not because he had a greater desire to see into the truth of these things; but because he was younger, and lighter of foot. Verse 5

Went he not in - Why? Because he was fully satisfied that the body was not there. But why did he not seize upon the linen clothes, and keep them as a most precious relic? Because he had too much religion and too much sense; and the time of superstition and nonsense was not yet arrived, in which bits of rotten wood, rags of rotten cloth, decayed bones (to whom originally belonging no one knows) and bramble bushes, should become objects of religious adoration. Verse 6

Seeth the linen clothes lie - Θεωπει: from θεαομαι, to behold, and ὁραω, to see - to look steadily at any thing, so as to discover what it is, and to be satisfied with viewing it. Verse 7

Wrapped together in a place by itself - The providence of God ordered these very little matters, so that they became the fullest proofs against the lie of the chief priests, that the body had been stolen away by the disciples. If the body had been stolen away, those who took it would not have stopped to strip the clothes from it, and to wrap them up, and lay them by in separate places. Verse 8

That other disciple - John.

Saw - That the body was not there.

And believed - That it had been taken away, as Mary had said; but he did not believe that he was risen from the dead. See what follows. Verse 9

They knew not the scripture - Viz. Psa 16:9, Psa 16:10 : Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell - כי לא תעזב נפשי לשאול ki lo taazob naphshi l'sheol - For thou wilt not abandon my life to the grave, nor suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. It was certainly a reproach to the disciples that they had not understood this prophecy, when our Lord had given them often the most direct information concerning it. Christ had referred to the history of Jonah, Mat 12:40, which was at once the type and the proof of his own resurrection. However, this ingenuous confession of John, in a matter so dishonorable to himself, is a full proof of his sincerity, and of the truth of his narration. Verse 10

Unto their own home - Either to their own houses, if they still had any; or to those of their friends, or to those where they had a hired lodging, and where they met together for religious purposes. See Joh 20:19. Verse 11

But Mary stood without - She remained some time after Peter and John had returned to their own homes. Verse 12

Seeth two angels - See on Joh 20:6 (note). She knew these to be angels by their white and glistening robes. Matthew and Mark mention but one angel - probably that one only that spoke, Joh 20:13.

One at the head, and the other at the feet - So were the cherubim placed at each end of the mercy-seat: Exo 25:18, Exo 25:19. Lightfoot.