John 20 (Holy Week)

April 17, 2022

Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.

Reading along with us in John for Holy Week? Here’s today’s reading:

John 20 (NIV)

The Empty Tomb
1 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, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”..........Continue Reading

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This Post Has 7 Comments

  2. It doesn’t get any better than this. Overwhelmed that God would come in flesh knowing that he would be crucified for mankind since the beginning of time. And to defeat the last enemy: Death. As he rose from the grave, we also will rise from the grave. Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb before daylight. Picture that a woman walking to a tomb . How much she loved Jesus. The grave clothes laying in the form of a body with the head linen neatly folded. Grave robber scenario is impossible. Seeing the 2 angels at each end of where Jesus body was. Certainly sounds like a picture of the cherubim. Love how Mary recognizes Jesus’ voice. Sheep know the voice of their Shepard. Jesus appears to the apostles. As the doors were locked for fear of the Jews. Jesus passes through locked doors and stood smoking them. Peace be with you! Their fear goes to overjoy. Again Jesus says peace be with you. The same he says to us when we become a child of God. But then noise comes and steals the peace away. God says peace be with you. My trust needs to increase. Doubting Thomas. Why wasn’t he with the apostles the first time Jesus appears. Most likely so depressed wanted nothing to do with anyone. Exactly what I would have done. For sure Jesus was dead. How many times have I doubted and the lord never left my side. Blessed are those who have not seen and believe. Reminds me of rich man and Lazarus in like 16. Even if we send someone from the dead to your 5 brothers they still would not believe. They have Moses and the prophets. Today we have the holy word. The testimony of believers. And a RISEN SAVIOR. Overwhelming!!!!

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  3. 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
    Reading this chapter after Pastor’s Easter message confirmed for me all the different places are with their belief in God. How much evidence they require, how much they need to “understand” something that is really outside of our ability to truly understand. Ultimately our devotion to Christ happens when we take that step of faith to believe what we can’t see and what we can’t understand. God gives us examples of what I call “everyday miracles” in our lives but so many times we miss them and our faith is what gets us through the good times and the bad. Praise God for what He did on that cross, thank you for saving a sinner like me!

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  5. How incredibly amazing these accounts are. Once again we need to protect ourselves from familiarity with what the Bible shares here and wonder at the miracle of Jesus being raised from the dead. We see no evidence here of collusion by His followers because they are as confused as anybody as to what has happened. It is interesting that John shares that he beat Peter to the grave, but Peter went inside before he did. And it is even more interesting that the angels and Jesus appear to Mary and not the apostles. If this was just a story, it wouldn’t have been told that way. But to recognize that Jesus met Mary (not His mother) and gave her this special visitation on His way to being presented to the Father is awesome. It clearly shows the personal and sensitive nature of our God. And what a turn around this was from Friday. The disciples fearful, confused and running in light of Jesus’ arrest and death are now encouraged by His presence. How much more made sense to them because of this! And how silly must Thomas have felt to not believe because He didn’t see first hand, but how amazing to see Him and touch Him. Jesus certainly does meet us where we are at and encourages us with what we need!

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  6. I was thinking of how we seek physical confirmation of the spiritual and Jesus gives physical confirmation to His disciples of resurrection. He appears to Mary even before going to the Father, He tells Thomas to stick his hands in Jesus’ wounds, He shows Himself to the disciples and breaths on them the Holy Spirit! It makes me wonder if they had the Holy Spirit in some form before Acts 2?
    And in chapter 21, He offers more physical “evidence” of His resurrection…..fish, breakfast and prophesy of their future.
    Thomas recognizes the resurrected state of Jesus and blesses those who believe without seeing.
    And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
    Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

    “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

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    1. Yes, Amy, at this point the apostles had the Old Testament relationship with the Holy Spirit….conditional and temporary for the task at hand or the role they played. Acts 2 brought the permanent sealing ministry…

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