John 20: Days 44-45

—John Chapter 20—

Memory Verse:

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you!

As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

(John 20:21)

John 20:21–22 are John’s version of the Great Commission, or the authorization of the disciples (and all Christians) to tell others about Christ.  Here is a listing of the other places where Jesus commissions us to tell others about Christ and His salvation:

THE GREAT COMMISSION IN THE GOSPELS:

¹⁸And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Matthew 28:18–20

¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Mark 16:15–16

⁴⁶ Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Luke 24:46–47

⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

Faith Frees Us From Fear;

The Spirit Empowers Us To Forgive

Day 44: Morning

Do you believe?

(Read John 20:1–10)

All of the gospels record that Jesus arose on the first day of the week, or Sunday. More than 100,000 Sundays later, every week there has been some form of celebration of Jesus’s resurrection. And it all began just before sunrise.

The law of resting on the Sabbath or the seventh day of the week was surpassed by a celebration of Jesus’s proclamation of “It is finished.” Sunday has become the Christian Day of Rest, setting apart Christ’s triumph over death and the grave.

What is the most important part of Sunday for you? (check one)

__Worship __Sermon __Music

__Bible Study __Fellowship __Other

Although John only records Mary Magdalene as at the tomb, verse 2 and the other gospels show that there were indeed others with Mary. “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Even with the evidence of the empty tomb and despite all of the prophecies of Jesus and the Scriptures (see Ps. 16:10) that He would rise again, Mary’s first thought was that someone had taken His body.

Notice the urgency portrayed of Mary running from the tomb and Simon Peter and the other disciple, John, running to the tomb.

Which of the two arrived at the tomb first?________________

What does that imply about John’s age?___________________

John lived into the mid 90s AD. He might have been in his teens or early 20s when Jesus died, since his parents are featured several times in the gospels. Peter was already married, so John’s youthfulness likely aided him to arrive at the tomb first. Also John’s reflective nature and Peter’s impulsiveness likely caused Peter to go into the tomb first.

Would you have entered the tomb?

YES     or     NO

What would you have believed?

I love the detail in the narrative here. John gives his eye-witness account of how he had to stoop down to look in. He also pointed out how the cloths were laid out, indicating that a grave-robber would not have left the linen and face cloths so orderly, certainly not with Roman guards outside the tomb.

When John followed Peter in and saw, something happened to John, according to verse 8. What was it?

Pray this prayer to God: “We praise You, Jesus, for Your resurrection from the dead. We confess our faith and belief in the Resurrection. Help me to trust in Your word that what You have said, it will come to pass. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.”

Day 44: Evening

Why Weepest Thou?

(Read John 20:11–17)

There is something so poignantly touching about this resurrection story, from Mary Magdalene’s despair to Peter’s exuberant race to the tomb and John’s optimistic faith.

“But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping.” Those who have stood at a grave weeping know Mary Magdalene’s heart. Her Master had delivered her from demonic possession (Mark 16:9). Mary had not lived a normal life. In today’s world, we would say Mary “had issues.” Mary undoubtedly loved Jesus deeply and He in a very holy sense also loved her. Tears blurred her vision. Sobs of mourning pierced the crisp spring air. She had seen the stone rolled away, but she again looked into an empty tomb for an answer to solace her question, “Where is He?”

Two angels in white now sat in the tomb. She didn’t know or care who they were, as long as they could answer her confusion. King James beautifully poses their question, “Woman why weepest thou?”

When you face grief, it is good to talk it out. God asks questions, but not to glean information but to let us verbalize what we are going through.

Why would the angels and Jesus ask Mary, “Why are you weeping?”

The angels and Jesus knew why she wept. But in talking through grief, we can receive consolation. Pour out your heart to God. He cares. It was He who created our eyes to moisten when faced with grief or joy. Emotions are God-given and godly.

If you had seen Jesus’s eyes as He watched Mary’s despair and approaching joy, do you suppose they would have been wet or dry? 
Jesus loved and like His Father and like the Holy Spirit, He too could grieve. Mary turned to Jesus but blinded by her sorrow, she did not truly see Jesus. Only when Jesus called her name did she turn to Jesus in recognition. While there is godly sorrow, it should never eclipse our vision of seeing God and His purposes despite our sadness.

Mystery and myths have swirled around Mary Magdalene, with the most blasphemous being that she and Jesus were married and had children. Her response of “Rabboni” or “Teacher” hardly seems to validate such ridiculous fables. If you hear ridiculous fables that contradict the Bible, trust God’s Word!

Read verse 17. Newer translations convey the true meaning of “Touch me not.” Mary was likely grabbing onto Jesus so tightly that He told her to “stop clinging to Me.” He had not yet ascended to the Father and if He did not go away, the Holy Spirit could not come.

Pray this prayer to God: “Teacher, I give to You my tears. Teach me to cling to what is truly important. Teach me to find joy in what pleases You and to have sorrow over what grieves You. In Your name. Amen.”

Day 45: Morning

Seeing is Believing

(Read John 20:18–23)

When I was in high school, I counseled a girl who, although quite young, had so much sorrow that she had built up walls of “protection” around her heart. Those walls which sheltered her from pain also imprisoned her from experiencing true trust, friendship, and God’s love. I shared with her how Jesus walked through walls and locked doors, found in today’s passage.

According to verse 19, what is one word which would sum up why the disciples were shut up in a room?
When Jesus came through the shut doors, what did He announce to be the antidote to fear?

One disciple who was apparently not afraid to be outside was Thomas, but it likely was not because he was at peace, which was Christ’s antidote to fear. We are not told why Thomas was not present, but he had earlier expressed no fear of death when Jesus was going to Judea (John 11:16).

Later, Thomas expressed he did not believe and would not believe that Jesus was alive, no matter the disciples said or claimed they saw. Ask yourself:

What puts you into fear? 

What blocks doors for you? 

What makes you experience a lack of peace?

Whatever your answers are, know that Jesus is the antidote to every answer you may have given. 

The fear of the disciples was soon to turn to joy. Mary Magdalene had told the disciples earlier in the day that she had seen the Lord. The other women had also seen Jesus along the road back to Jerusalem. What was the one word of greeting He gave to them, according to Matthew 28:9?

Jesus also told the women to not be afraid. However, it was not enough for the disciples to hear of the experiences of others with the resurrected Savior. Each one of them and each one of us need to have that personal, liberating experience of Jesus breaking through the walls that bind us in fear.

Verses 21–22 are John’s version of the Great Commission, or the authorization of the disciples (and all Christians) to tell others about Christ. Jesus wants you to personally experience the resurrection of Christ, and then share it with others.

Pray this prayer to God: “Prince of Peace, I fall down at Your feet. Cast fear far from me and replace it with faith to testify of You and Your great salvation. Fill me with the fullness of Your forgiveness for others. Amen.”

Day 45: Evening

Not Seeing But Believing Is A Greater Blessing

(Read John 20:24–31)

While Thomas expressed no fear of death, he also apparently had no faith in Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. Perhaps because Thomas was a twin, he knew what it was like to have a case of mistaken identity. The disciples may have simply been confused or saw what they wanted to see. Thomas, however, said he needed proof that they had seen the true Christ. Thomas is now renowned as “Doubting Thomas” but he is also a testimony that there is a need for a reasonable faith. Rather than condemning Thomas, Jesus appears specifically to allow Thomas to examine the facts.

As Jews reckon days, “eight days later” was actually the following Sunday. Already the practice had begun of gathering the day after the Sabbath, or Saturday. This time, Thomas had no intentions of being left out of the gathering of the disciples. Jesus was very knowledgeable of what Thomas had said about putting his finger in the place of the nails and his hand into the side where the spear had pierced. The Bible doesn’t say whether Thomas actually did either of those things once He actually saw the Lord.

Thomas’ reply is a strong affirmation that Jesus is both Lord and God. Again notice that Jesus does not rebuke Thomas for calling Him God, nor falling at His feet in worship.

Do you believe as Thomas did that Jesus is God?
Chapter 20 concludes with a beautiful beatitude, a "blessed are those" statement. Blessed are those who have not seen but still believe is obviously speaking to everyone to whom John was writing and of course to all of us today.

Christ also affirms that those who have not seen Jesus and still believe are even more blessed. Except for the five hundred or so whom Paul refers to as seeing the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:6), all the rest of Christianity fall into the latter category of being blessed without seeing.

Finally the purpose statement of John’s gospel is found in verse 31. Fill in the blanks from the New King James Version:

But these are written that you may _________________ that ____________ is the ____________, the Son of God, and that believing you may have _________ in His name.

Pray this prayer to God: “My Lord and God, I believe and have faith in You. Take unbelief and cast it far from me. Replace my unbelief with faith and blessings. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.”