Lord’s Day, Vol. 7 No. 16
Jesus Lives! (John 20:1-8)
The account in John’s gospel was the Apostle John’s personal testimony of how he arrived at the conviction even before he saw the resurrected Christ that Jesus is alive. He has risen from the dead.
It was Mary Magdalene who was early at the tomb of Jesus when it was still dark on Sunday morning, three days after Jesus was buried to find the stone of the tomb taken away – John 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. She immediately ran to Peter and John to inform them that Jesus’ body was missing from the open tomb. Peter and John immediately ran to the tomb.
John 20:5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
The verb translated “seeth” (v1) and “saw” (v5) (blépō) expresses a single look, of physical sight with purely with an outward sense. [Vine] John saw the linen cloths in the tomb but the body of Jesus was indeed missing.
John 20:6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
This word “seeth” (v6) theōréō – a spectator, to look at a thing with interest and with care for details. [The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament] Peter studied carefully what he saw, tried to process what had happened in his mind.
“Blepo” is used of John’s sight of the linen cloths in the tomb, without his entering in; he “saw” a glance, the Lord was not there; in verse 6 the closer contemplation by Peter expressed in the verb “theoreo”. [Vine]
This was what Peter and John witnessed – John 20:7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. What they saw was evidence of the undisturbed cloths with the missing body.
John 20:8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
The grasping by John of the significance of the undisturbed cloths is described in this third verb “saw” (v8). This verb “saw” (v8) (horao) means to perceive with understanding. At that moment, the truth dawned upon John, the writer, that Jesus is alive. He lives. Hallelujah! He believed! This is the testimony of Scripture by two witnesses, Peter and John, that we may see the Scriptures’ witness and believe that death has lost its sting! Hallelujah! Amen.