John - Week 56

The Stone Rolled Away 

READ 

John 20:1-2 

1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 

Mary Magdalene was a faithful follower of Jesus. On the first day of the week she came to the tomb and found the stone rolled away from the tomb and the body of Jesus missing. In panic, she ran to tell Peter and “the other disciple.” The “other disciple” is surely the apostle John who is recording these events. You could hear her cry, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him.” She apparently thought someone stole the body even though, as Matthew 27:63-65 indicates, there was a guard of soldiers watching the tomb.  

REFLECT 

In this moment of panic that Mary Magdalene expressed, her love for the Savior is seen. How is your devotion to the Savior seen today? 

RESPOND 

Read Luke 8:1-3 to see why Mary Magdalene was so thankful to the Lord for what He had done for her. She was among many other women who were supporting Jesus and His disciples. Consider what you are doing to support the work of Jesus and those who follow Him. 

Race to the Tomb 

READ 

John 20:3-5 

3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 

It is thought the reason the other disciple was able to outrun Peter is that John was younger. Being reluctant, John looked in the tomb but did not go in. He did see evidence, however, that the body of Jesus was missing. One wonders what might have gone through his mind at this sight. 

REFLECT 

What do you imagine John was thinking when he realized the body of Jesus was no longer there? What would have been your thoughts if it would have been you instead of John? 

RESPOND 

Spend time with your disciple talking about this. If all your hope depended on the physical presence of Christ it would have seemed devastating to find His body missing. Focus now on the fact that the presence of Jesus actually resides in the believer (see Colossians 1:27). 

The Empty Tomb 

 READ 

John 20:6-10 

6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home. 

Peter, always the more aggressive disciple, arrived at the tomb and went inside. The fact that the cloth was folded indicated the body was not taken out in a hurry. Jesus Himself took the time to fold it. When John went in he saw and believed. Note especially that “until then they hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead” These were followers of Jesus but had not until now realized the significance Old Testament predictions about Jesus’ resurrection (see Psalm 16:10-11; 110:1, 4; Isaiah 53:11-12).  

REFLECT 

It may not seem to that the Old Testament Scriptures refer to the resurrection of Jesus. Your understanding is different, however, after you know about the empty tomb.  

RESPOND 

Make it a promise to yourself that you will seek to know more about the Old Testament so you will better understand the New Testament. Encourage your disciple to make the same promise.  

Why Are You Crying 

READ 

John 20:11-15 

11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 

14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” 

God continues to do the unusual. He announced the birth of baby Jesus to the despised shepherds; He sent His only son to be born in a stable, not a mansion; and now after the resurrection He arranges that Jesus first reveal Himself to a formerly demon-possessed woman. When she looked in the tomb she saw two angels at the head and foot of where the body was lying. One commentator thinks this is connected to the Old Testament where the cherubim are at opposite ends of the mercy seat (see Exodus 25:18-22).  It is uncertain why Mary Magdalene did not recognize Jesus at first. For whatever reason, she was still asking where He had been put. 

REFLECT 

Have you occasionally missed something obvious because you were assuming it could not possibly be true? When God arranges a special blessing for you, do you have a hard time believing it is really from Him? 

RESPOND 

Because you were looking only at natural circumstances, have you failed to believe God was working on your behalf? Talk about this with your disciple. Examine verses such as Psalm 103:19; Proverbs 21:1; 1 Timothy 6:15 to be reminded that God is ultimately in control no matter what he allows mankind to do.  

I Have Seen the Lord 

READ 

John 20:16-18 

16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). 

17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 

18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message. 

It is not sure what Jesus meant by telling Mary Magdalene not to cling to Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father. Perhaps Mary was only thinking of Him in the physical sense as she had before and now the relationship is to be different. Also, in His glorified body Jesus could have easily ascended to the Father before seeing the disciples. When Mary and other women told the disciples about the empty tomb, Luke 24:9-11 reveals the disciples did not believe them. Then Peter ran to take a look himself. The reaction of the disciples is not recorded when Mary took the message now from Jesus Himself. 

REFLECT  

What would you have thought when you first heard the words that Jesus had risen from the grave? This is what distinguishes Christianity from all other religious beliefs. Only the grave of the Lord Jesus is empty. 

RESPOND 

Listen carefully to messages about Jesus. Do they only tell of His life and death, or do they tell about His resurrection? Read Acts 4:1-2 to see the reaction of the religious leaders when Peter and John preached the resurrection of Jesus. To believe in Jesus of the Bible for salvation it is necessary to believe He rose from the dead (see Romans 10:9).