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SCRIPTURE: John 20:1-18
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VERSES 1-2: EARLY ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK
1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came (Greek: some manuscripts say erchetai proi –– comes early) to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."
"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb" (v. 1a). People believed that the dead person's spirit remains in the vicinity of the tomb for three days, so they commonly visited the tomb during the first three days after burial. Sabbath regulations prohibit such visits on the Sabbath, so the earliest that Mary can visit is sundown on our Saturday evening, which ends the Sabbath and begins the first day of the week.
The Synoptic versions of this story have Mary Magdalene accompanied by other women, but the accounts do not agree (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; Luke 24:10).
This Gospel does not tell us the purpose of the visit, but Mark 16:1 says that the women "bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him."
"and saw that the stone had been removed" (v. 1b; see also Matthew 28:2; Mark 16; Luke 24). Mary does not even consider that Jesus might be risen from the dead. She sees only that the grave has been opened –– probably desecrated.
"So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved" (v. 2a). The presence of these two men at the tomb will be important, because it establishes two legal witnesses (the number required by Torah law) to the empty tomb. As a woman, Mary has no legal standing as a witness.
"They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him" (v. 2b). Presumably the authorities have removed the body as part of their effort to erase Jesus' memory –– or perhaps grave robbers have stolen the body.
VERSES 3-10: HE SAW THE LINEN WRAPPINGS LYING THERE
3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth (Greek: soudarian –– face cloth) that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must (Greek: dei –– it is necessary –– a divine imperative) rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to their homes.
"Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb" (v. 3). It is interesting to see the interplay between Peter and the beloved disciple, commonly thought to be John. They run together for a bit, but then the beloved disciple outruns Peter and arrives at the tomb first.
The other disciple "bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in" (v. 5). It is important that this disciple sees the linen wrappings, because he constitutes one of two witnesses required by Torah law.
"Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up by itself" (vv. 6-7). Some scholars propose that these grave clothes are lying in place as if Jesus' body has somehow dematerialized, letting the clothing settle into place where his body laid. However, if Jesus had dematerialized, the soudarian would be quite near the rest of the grave clothes and would not be rolled up.
The grave clothes serve three functions in this story:
–– First, they provide visual evidence of Jesus' resurrection.
–– Second, they provide evidence that Jesus' body was not stolen. Grave robbers would not leave behind valuable linen cloth.
–– Third, they serve a theological function. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Lazarus emerged from the tomb still wrapped in his burial clothes (11:38-44). However, when Jesus emerged from the tomb, he did so unencumbered, perhaps signaling "his resurrection into the life of God's eternal order" (Beasley-Murray, 372).
"Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed" (v. 8). Believed what? The impression is that he believes that Jesus has been raised from the dead, but John does not say that. Instead, in the next verse, John says that "they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead" (v. 9). It seems that the sight of the grave clothes and the tomb have awakened some sort of fledgling belief in the beloved disciple that he would be hard-pressed to define.
"that he must (dei – it is necessary) rise from the dead" (v. 9b). The word "must" (Greek: dei –– it is necessary –– a divine imperative) "is important…. Since they came to see the resurrection in inspired prophecy it was no chance happening. The hand of God was in it. It must happen" (Morris, 737).
"Then the disciples returned to their homes" (v. 10). Their return to their homes reflects their uncertainty about what they should do next.
VERSES 11-18: JESUS SAID TO HER, "MARY!"
11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." 14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " 18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
"But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying one at the head and the other at the feet" (vv. 11-12). Mary returns to the tomb to find two angels sitting where Jesus had lain, like the two gold cherubim who sat at either end of the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:18).
"Woman, why are you weeping?" (v. 13a). Neither Peter nor the beloved disciple saw the angels, and Mary does not recognize them as angels.
"They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him" (v. 13b). Who is "they"? Roman soldiers? Jewish leaders? Grave robbers?
"When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus" (v. 14). Perhaps Mary's vision is clouded by tears. Perhaps her grief so overwhelms her that she cannot think clearly.
"Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" (v. 15a). Jesus repeats the question that the angels just asked.
"Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away" (v. 15b). Mary addresses Jesus, whom she assumes to be the gardener, with the word, kyrie, which the NRSV translates Sir, but can also mean Lord.
There is something lovely about Jesus making his first resurrection appearance to Mary Magdalene, otherwise a minor character in the Gospel story.
"Mary" (v. 16a). Jesus addresses her by her name, Mary. Hearing her name and Jesus' voice, Mary recognizes him and addresses him, "Rabbouni" (v. 16b).
"Rabbouni" (v. 16b). Mary's word, Rabbouni, is confusing. John tells us that it means teacher, a lesser word than Lord, which she used earlier (kyrie – translated Sir in the NRSV – v. 13).
"Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God' " (v. 17). This verse has generated a great deal of scholarly comment. Why does Jesus prohibit Mary from touching him and later invite Thomas to do so (v. 27)?
Scholars differ on this matter, but the preponderance of opinion is that Mary has thrown herself at Jesus' feet and is clinging to him in her great joy. Jesus commands her not to cling to him, because he is ascending to the father and is therefore unable to resume life, as he knew it before.
Rather than clinging to Jesus, Mary is to go to his brothers, his disciples. He and his disciples are brothers by virtue of the fact that they share a common Father, "my Father and your Father…, my God and your God."
Mary obeys by going to the disciples and announcing, "I have seen the Lord" and by telling them all that he had said to her (v. 18).
–– Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Barclay, William, The Daily Study Bible, "The Gospel of John," Vol. 2 (Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1955)
Beasley-Murray, George R., Word Biblical Commentary: John (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999)
Brown, Raymond, The Anchor Bible: The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI (Garden City: Doubleday, 1970)
Bruce, F. F., The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983).
Brueggemann, Walter; Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R. and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV––Year B (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993)
Carson, D. A., The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991).
Craddock, Fred R.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; and Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year B (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1993)
Gossip, Arthur John and Howard, Wilbert F., The Interpreter's Bible, Volume 8 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1952)
Howard-Brook, Wes, Becoming the Children of God: John's Gospel and Radical Discipleship (New York: Maryknoll, 1994).
Moloney, Francis J., Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of John (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1998)
Morris, Leon, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995).
O'Day, Gail R., The New Interpreter's Bible, Volume IX (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995)
Palmer, Earl F., The Book That John Wrote (Vancouver: Regent College Publishing, 1975)
Pazdan, Mary Margaret, in Van Harn, Roger (ed.), The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sunday's Text. The Third Readings: The Gospels (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001)
Sloyan, Gerald, "John," Interpretation (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988)
Smith, D. Moody, Jr., Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: John (Nashville: Abingdon, 1999)
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