John 20 John 20:1–10 Mary Magdalene, seeing the stone taken away from the sepulchre, runneth to tell Peter and John, who go thither, and find not the body. John 20:11–18 Mary seeth two angels sitting in the sepulchre; Jesus himself appeareth to her. John 20:19–23 He appeareth to his disciples.

Chapter Introduction The evangelist St. John giving a fuller account than the other evangelists of Christ’s resurrection, and his converse upon the earth forty days, until he ascended up into heaven, we have in our notes on the other evangelists been shorter, reserving ourselves for a fuller…

Then she runneth; that is, Mary Magdalene ran into the city to tell Peter; and that seemeth to be the reason why John mentions only her going to the sepulchre: but yet Luke Luke 24:10 makes not Mary Magdalene only, but Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, the reporters of the news to the apostles;…

Luke, Luke 24:12, mentions Peter’s going only, upon Mary Magdalene’s report; but he must be expounded by this evangelist, who expressly saith, that Peter and John went together, and that John outran Peter, and got first to the sepulchre.

John stooped down and looked into the sepulchre, and saw the linen clothes lying, but he would not adventure to go in.

But Peter, who all along the Gospel appears to have been the boldest spirit, goeth into the cave, and seeth all the linen clothes lying there, and the napkin that was about his head lying by itself.

John seeing Peter adventure in, adventures also, and seeth the same things, and believeth that Christ was risen from the dead; or (as some think) that, as the women had said, somebody had taken him away.

That is, they did not fully understand those scriptures of the Old Testament, Ps. 2:2, Ps. 16:10, Ps. 110, and the types of the Old Testament, by which Christ’s resurrection was foretold and prefigured.

Peter and John, when they had been within the sepulchre, and seen that the body was not there, went home; believing verily that what the women at first told them was true, that somebody had removed the body out of the sepulchre; whither, they knew not.

That the Mary here mentioned was Mary Magdalene appeareth from John 20:14, compared with Mark 16:9, which saith, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene.

The other evangelists differing in their accounts of this part of the history, have raised some questions here not easily to be resolved. Matthew reports thus, see Matt. 28:2–9.

And presently Christ himself appeareth to her, though at first she did not know him.

Either these words passed before the angels had told her that he was risen, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:5–6; or (which is most probable) Mary was hard to believe what the angels had told her so lately; but coming out of the sepulchre, Christ appeareth to her, whom she knew not, but thought him to have been…

Christ calleth her by name, making such a sound as he certainly knew she understood. She calleth him Rabboni, which is as much as to say: My Master.

There are in this verse two no mean difficulties: the one about the sense of the prohibition, when our Saviour forbade this woman to touch him; when after his resurrection (Matt.

This was that first appearance of our Lord after his resurrection to Mary Magdalene, after that he was risen from the dead, mentioned Mark 16:9–10, which she reported to the disciples; but Mark saith, they believed her not, John 20:11. Matthew tells us of another appearance of his, Matt.

Luke expounds this verse, Luke 24:29, where the two disciples told Christ it was towards evening, and the day was far spent; for the Jews called the afternoon evening, as well as the time after sunset; and John tells us expressly, it was yet the first day of the week.

He showed unto them his hands and his side; Luke adds his feet too; those parts of his body where were the most undeniable marks of the death he had suffered upon the cross.

Peace be unto you; the repeating of this salutation speaketh it more than an ordinary compliment, or form of salutation. It signifieth his reconciliation to them, notwithstanding their error in forsaking him, and fleeing; it prepared their attention for the great things that he was now about to…

The apostles could not but be apprehensive how great a work their Lord had laid upon them, in sending them as his Father had sent him, to carry the gospel over the world; Who (said Paul afterward) is sufficient for these things? Our Lord therefore fortifies them with an earnest of that more…

Whether Matt. 18:18 be a parallel text to this, I doubt: See Poole on “Matt. 18:18”. Our Lord here speaks of the sins of persons, Whose soever sins remit, & c.; he saith there, Whatsoever ye shall bind or loose. This text hath caused a great deal of contest.

Whether Thomas had ever, since they all forsook our Saviour in the garden and fled, returned again to a communion with the rest, or was absent through some occasion, is not said; but upon this some have started a question, Whether Thomas, being absent, received the Holy Ghost at this time as the…

It is not said what disciples, whether any of the apostles, or some others, told Thomas of this appearing of the Lord unto them. But Thomas eminently declareth his unbelief, which argues him as yet much ignorant of the Deity of Christ, and having given too little heed to what Christ had told them…

After eight days signifieth here the eighth day from the resurrection, counting the day wherein Christ rose for one; as we call those third day agues which have but one day’s intermission, and those quartan agues which have but two days’ intermission; so it is said, Mark 8:31, after three days he…

We had need take heed what we speak wherever we are. Christ had not after his resurrection so ordinary and frequent a converse with his disciples as before. This is the fifth time that we read of Christ’s appearing to them since his resurrection.

My Lord, to whom I wholly yield and give up my self; and my God, in whom I believe. It is observed, that this is the first time that in the Gospel the name of God is given to Christ; he was now by his resurrection declared to be the Son of God with power, Rev. 1:4.

Thou believest that I am risen from the dead upon the testimony of thy senses; thou doest well in that: thou hast seen, thou hast felt me; but it is a more noble faith to believe without any such sensible evidence.

This passage plainly refers to whatsoever signs we read of in any part of St. John’s Gospel; and lets us know, that the evangelist could have added abundance more to the history of the miracles which Christ wrought upon the earth.

But he had wrote these to induce his readers to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God; a thing of so great concernment to them, that their eternal life depended upon it; for through his name alone eternal life is to be obtained, Acts 4:12.