New Testament · Gospel

John 20

The Empty Tomb

Mary weeping in a garden hears her name spoken by a voice she thought she'd lost forever. Then Jesus walks into a locked room: peace.

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV

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1Early 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.

2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!”

3Then Peter and the other disciple set out for the tomb.

4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

5He bent down and looked in at the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

6Simon Peter arrived just after him. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there.

7The cloth that had been around Jesus’ head was rolled up, lying separate from the linen cloths.

8Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in. And he saw and believed.

9For they still did not understand from the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

10Then the disciples returned to their homes.

11But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb,

12and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet.

13“Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked.

14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not recognize that it was Jesus.

15“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?”

16Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

17“Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘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 what He had said to her.

19It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.

20After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side.

21Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.”

22When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

24Now Thomas called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.

25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

26Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

27Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

29Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.

31But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

Understand This

John 20, explained

What John 20 is saying

Mary Magdalene discovers the empty tomb and reports to Peter and the beloved disciple, who race to verify. Mary encounters the risen Jesus, initially mistaking him for the gardener until he speaks her name. That evening, Jesus appears to the disciples behind locked doors, showing his wounds and breathing the Holy Spirit upon them with the commission to forgive sins. Thomas, absent at the first appearance, declares 'My Lord and my God!' upon encountering the risen Christ a week later—the Gospel's supreme christological confession.

The background behind it

The 'other disciple' outrunning Peter may reflect an eyewitness detail from the beloved disciple himself. Jesus' breathing on the disciples (enephysesen) uses the same verb as Genesis 2:7 (LXX), where God breathes life into Adam—a deliberate new-creation parallel. Thomas's demand for empirical evidence and subsequent confession addresses the epistemological questions facing second-generation believers who had not seen the risen Christ.

Themes running underneath

The resurrection narratives progress from confusion (empty tomb) to recognition (Mary's encounter) to commissioning (the disciples) to confession (Thomas). Mary's recognition through Jesus speaking her name fulfills the Good Shepherd's promise that his sheep know his voice. Thomas's confession 'My Lord and my God' constitutes the highest christological statement in the Gospels, applying the divine title (ho theos) directly to Jesus. John's purpose statement—that readers 'may believe and have life'—frames the entire Gospel as evangelistic testimony.

Why it still matters

The beatitude 'Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed' directly addresses every subsequent generation of Christians. Thomas's honest doubt, met with patient revelation, validates the faith journey of those who need more time and evidence.

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Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.