Jesus Rises from the Dead
John 20 opens with the greatest event in human history—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. She discovered that the stone had been rolled away:
“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early… and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.” — John 20:1
Peter and John ran to investigate. John records:
“Then the other disciple… went in also; and he saw and believed.” — John 20:8
After they left, Mary remained weeping outside the tomb. Then came one of the most beautiful moments in Scripture. Jesus appeared to her, but she did not recognise Him until He simply called her by name:
“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him, ‘Rabboni!’ (which is to say, Teacher).” — John 20:16
Jesus then gave her a message for the disciples:
“Go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” — John 20:17
Mary became the first witness of the risen Lord.
This reminds us that the resurrection changes everything. Death could not hold Jesus because He is the Author of life. Just as Jesus called Mary by name, He knows each of His people personally. In seasons of grief, confusion, or disappointment, the risen Christ still meets His followers, brings hope where there was despair, and transforms sorrow into joy.
The Risen Christ Brings Peace and Commission
That evening, the disciples gathered behind locked doors because they feared the Jewish authorities. Suddenly:
“Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace to you.’” — John 20:19
To remove every doubt, He showed them:
“…His hands and His side…” — John 20:20
John records:
“Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” — John 20:20
Jesus repeated His greeting:
“Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” — John 20:21
He then breathed on them and said:
“Receive the Holy Spirit.” — John 20:22
This anticipated the fuller outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, equipping the disciples for their mission. The risen Christ did not merely comfort His followers—He commissioned them to continue His work of proclaiming the Gospel to the world.
This reminds us that the risen Jesus brings both peace and purpose. His peace removes fear, while His commission gives direction. Every believer is called not only to rejoice in the resurrection but also to share its life-changing message with others. Those who have experienced Christ’s peace are sent into the world as His witnesses.
Thomas Moves from Doubt to Worship
Thomas was absent when Jesus first appeared. When the other disciples told him:
“We have seen the Lord.” — John 20:25
He replied:
“Unless I see… I will not believe.” — John 20:25
Eight days later, Jesus again appeared among them. He graciously invited Thomas:
“Reach your finger here, and look at My hands… Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” — John 20:27
Confronted by the risen Christ, Thomas made one of the clearest confessions of Jesus’ deity in the New Testament:
“My Lord and my God!” — John 20:28
Jesus then spoke directly to future generations of believers:
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” — John 20:29
John closes the chapter by explaining why he wrote his Gospel:
“…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.” — John 20:31
This reminds us that genuine faith rests upon the trustworthy testimony of the risen Christ. Jesus graciously meets honest doubts, leading people from uncertainty to worship. Like Thomas, we are called to confess Jesus as both Lord and God. Through the testimony preserved in Scripture, every generation can believe in Him and receive eternal life.
Deeper Waters
John 20 presents Jesus as the risen Lord, the conqueror of death, the giver of peace, the sender of His Church, and the divine Son who calls all people to faith. The resurrection is not merely the conclusion of Jesus’ earthly ministry; it is the decisive victory that confirms every claim He has made throughout John’s Gospel and inaugurates the new creation.
The chapter opens on the first day of the week, a detail rich with theological significance. The original creation began with God’s work in Genesis 1, but now, through the resurrection, God begins a new creation. Just as light broke into the darkness at the beginning, the light of the risen Christ now breaks into a world overshadowed by sin and death. John’s repeated references to the garden (introduced in John 19) also echo Eden. Humanity’s fall occurred in a garden, but God’s work of restoration begins in another garden, where death is overcome by life.
Mary Magdalene’s encounter with Jesus beautifully illustrates the personal nature of salvation. She recognises Him only when He speaks her name:
**”Mary!”**
This recalls Jesus’ teaching in John 10, where the Good Shepherd calls His own sheep by name, and they know His voice. The resurrection is therefore not only a public triumph over death but also a deeply personal relationship between the risen Shepherd and His people.
Jesus’ words,
**”My Father and your Father, and My God and your God,”**
reveal the new relationship established through His redemptive work. Believers are brought into God’s family through union with Christ. While Jesus is the eternal Son by nature, believers become children of God by grace through adoption. His resurrection secures not only forgiveness but also a restored relationship with the Father.
The repeated greeting,
**”Peace to you,”**
fulfils Jesus’ promise in John 14:27. This peace is far more than the absence of conflict; it is the peace purchased through His atoning death. The One who bears the wounds of crucifixion now speaks words of reconciliation. His scars remain visible, not as signs of defeat, but as eternal testimony to the price of redemption and the certainty of His victory.
Jesus’ breathing upon the disciples and saying,
**”Receive the Holy Spirit,”**
intentionally recalls Genesis 2:7, where God breathed life into Adam. The risen Christ now breathes spiritual life into His disciples, anticipating the fuller outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). This symbolic act highlights that new covenant life flows from the risen Lord. The same Jesus who conquered death is the One who gives spiritual life to His people.
Thomas’ confession,
**”My Lord and my God!”**
forms one of the theological summits of John’s Gospel. The Gospel began with:
**”The Word was God”** (John 1:1),
and now concludes its narrative with a disciple openly confessing Jesus as God. John’s purpose is complete: the signs have led to faith, and faith has led to worship. Thomas’ declaration leaves no room to regard Jesus as merely a prophet or moral teacher; He is the divine Son worthy of worship.
Jesus’ blessing upon those
**”who have not seen and yet have believed”**
extends beyond the first century to every subsequent generation of believers. Our faith rests not upon physical sight but upon the trustworthy apostolic witness recorded in Scripture. This prepares the reader to receive John’s Gospel itself as sufficient testimony for saving faith.
John’s purpose statement is one of the clearest mission statements in the Bible:
**”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.”**
Every miracle, discourse, and sign in the Gospel points toward this single purpose: leading people to faith in Jesus Christ. Eternal life is found not in religious performance but in believing the crucified and risen Son of God.
John 20 encourages us to: re.joice daily in the reality of Christ’s resurrection, – remember that the risen Shepherd knows each of His people personally, – live in the peace secured through Christ’s finished work, – embrace the mission of proclaiming the risen Lord to the world, – bring honest questions to Jesus, trusting Him to strengthen our faith, – and worship Him as both Lord and God, the victorious Saviour who has conquered sin, death, and the grave.
Ultimately, John 20 points us to Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God who defeated death forever and inaugurated the new creation. He calls His people by name, grants them peace through His finished work, sends them into the world with His message, and invites every generation to believe through the testimony of Scripture. The empty tomb proclaims that His sacrifice has been accepted, His victory is complete, and eternal life is available to all who trust in Him. Because He lives, His people live also, awaiting the day when faith will give way to sight and they will rejoice forever in the presence of their risen Lord.