John 20 Devotional: Experience the power of the empty tomb and the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Discover the peace, mission, and faith that come from encountering the living Son of God.Â
Dear brothers and sisters, peace in Christ. Welcome to John Chapter 20. We have reached the glorious dawn of the Resurrection. In this chapter, the grief of the Cross is swallowed up by the victory of the empty tomb. As we read, let us join Mary, Peter, and Thomas in the transition from weeping to worshiping the One who has conquered death forever.Â
The Resurrection and the Purpose of Faith
John 20 begins in the early morning darkness with Mary Magdalene finding the stone rolled away. Through a series of intimate encountersâfrom the race to the tomb by Peter and John to Jesus' tender calling of Maryâs nameâthe reality of the Resurrection is established. Jesus then appears to His disciples behind locked doors, breathing on them the Holy Spirit and commissioning them for the work ahead. The chapter concludes with the famous story of "Doubting Thomas," whose skepticism is turned into a profound confession of faith: "My Lord and my God!"
What can we learn from this today? In this chapter, we see the foundation of our Eternal Life . As your Statement of Faith affirms, we believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. John explicitly states his reason for writing these things: "That you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." This chapter teaches us that faith is not a blind leap, but a response to the living Presence of Christ. Whether we are struggling with grief like Mary or doubt like Thomas, the Risen Lord meets us exactly where we are, offering us His peace and a purpose that transcends the grave.
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, âThey have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we donât know where they have put him!â
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesusâ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesusâ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, âWoman, why are you crying?â
âThey have taken my Lord away,â she said, âand I donât know where they have put him.â 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, âWoman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?â
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, âSir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.â
16 Jesus said to her, âMary.â
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, âRabboni!â (which means âTeacherâ).
17 Jesus said, âDo not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, âI am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.ââ
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: âI have seen the Lord!â And she told them that he had said these things to her.
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, âPeace be with you!â 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, âPeace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.â 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, âReceive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyoneâs sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.â
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, âWe have seen the Lord!â
But he said to them, âUnless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.â
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, âPeace be with you!â 27 Then he said to Thomas, âPut your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.â
28 Thomas said to him, âMy Lord and my God!â
29 Then Jesus told him, âBecause you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.â
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Jesus stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" As we enter into prayer, let us receive that same divine peace, knowing that our Savior is alive and interceding for us at the right hand of the Father.Â
Dear Heavenly Father, We praise You for the glorious victory of the Resurrection! We believe that Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead, and we thank You that because He lives, we who believe in Him shall live also. Thank You for the gift of Your Word, which reveals these truths so that we might have life in Your name.
Lord, I ask that the reality of the Resurrection would permeate my heart today. When I feel locked behind "doors of fear" or held back by "shadows of doubt," speak Your peace into my soul. Just as You breathed Your Spirit upon the disciples, I ask that the Holy Spirit would empower me for godly living and service today. Help me to be a witness of Your grace, sharing the hope of the empty tomb with a world that is searching for life. May my life be a constant confession of Your lordship, declaring with joy: "My Lord and my God!"
We pray for the universal Church, that we would be a people defined by Resurrection hope. We lift up those in our community who are walking through seasons of deep mourning; may the Living Christ meet them and call them by name. We pray for a world that feels trapped in the darkness of sin and death; use us to proclaim the Gospel of reconciliation and the promise of eternal life to all who believe. In the name of our Risen and Ascended Savior, Amen.
Thomas needed to see the scars to believe, but Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." In what area of your life is the Lord asking you to trust His Word and His character today, even if you cannot yet see the "outcome" of your situation?Â
Why did Jesus tell Mary "Do not hold on to me"? Jesus was not forbidding her touch (He later invited Thomas to touch Him), but was teaching her that their relationship was changing. He was no longer just a physical Teacher on earth, but was ascending to be her (and our) High Priest in heaven.
What is the significance of the "folded linen" in the tomb? Grave robbers would have left the tomb in a mess. The neatly folded face cloth indicates a calm, orderly, and divine eventâproving that the body was not stolen, but that Jesus had simply risen out of the wrappings.
Why did Jesus breathe on the disciples? This was a symbolic act pointing toward the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It mirrors God breathing life into Adam in Genesis, signaling that through the Resurrection, a "New Creation" and new spiritual life have begun.
Thank you for joining us for the powerful testimony of John 20. May the peace of the Risen Christ guard your heart and mind today. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for the beautiful restoration of Peter in John Chapter 21.Â
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