THE EMPTY TOMB (JOHN 20:1-9)

Have you ever had your dreams crushed? Imagine being the people who followed Jesus in the days after his brutal death on the cross. They believed he was the Son of God, they believed he was the Messiah, but now he was dead.

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus'[a] head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. (Jn 20:1-9)

This account of the empty tomb is recorded in all four Gospels. But John’s account differs from Matthew, Mark and Luke’s. He does not mention the other women who were with Mary Magdalene that morning John does this for our edification. He told us the reason for writing his Gospel, 

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But 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” _{(Jn 20:30-31BSB).}

John gives us this simplified account so that we would naturally make a simple comparison between the personal reactions of Mary, Peter and John. 

HOW DID MARY, PETER & JOHN REACT WHEN THEY SAW JESUS’ TOMB WAS EMPTY? 

Most of us will be able to identify with one of these three reactions to the empty tomb of Jesus on Easter Morning!

MARY’S REACTION TO THE EMPTY TOMB

Who is Mary Magdalene? We read that she was one of the women who traveled with Jesus and his disciples. She was there on the brutal day of the cross and rose at day break to be at Jesus’ tomb. 

Mark tells us that Jesus had casted out seven demons from her. Tradition tells us that she is the woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. If tradition is correct, then Jesus saved her from being publically stoned to death. No wonder she was the first one to tomb. 

No doubt, like any good Jew, Mary believed in an afterlife, what the Jews called the ‘resurrection of the dead’. All Jews believed this, except the Sadducees, that’s why they were so Sad-You-See! But the resurrection of the dead was not supposed to take place until the Last Day, at the end of time, not in the here and now!

You see, Mary came looking for a body. A dead and brutalized body. She watched him die with her own eyes. So when she saw the tomb was empty, she did not naturally think that he had risen to life. She thought that someone had stolen His body.

Mary jumped to the wrong conclusion! A natural conclusion to jump to, but the wrong conclusion! Jesus must have thought this woman was special though, because in the next couple of verses, He appears to her first! But in these verses, she runs to tell Peter and John that the tomb is empty, but in the next couple of verse she will run to tell them that Jesus has risen! [HE IS RISEN INDEED!]. What conclusion have you come to about Jesus? Maybe you are beginning to sense the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart right now.

PETER’S REACTION TO THE EMPTY TOMB

Most of us can relate to Peter. He is bold and impulsive. Full of faith, he got out of the boat, walked on water towards Jesus, and then became distracted by the waves and sank into the waters. He was the first to claim that Jesus was the Son of God, only to deny Jesus three times when He was arrested and put on trial. 

When Mary told him that the tomb was empty and Jesus was missing—he ran to the tomb! When he entered the tomb he saw Jesus’ grave linens lying there! The cloths were there, but the body was not! Peter was to first to confess that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God! Peter even walked on water. Maybe he was low on faith this time because he had let Jesus down. 

As always, we cannot be too hard to judge Peter, because, “…They still did not understand from the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead” (v. 31). 

Luke tells, 

“He saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what happened” (Lk 24:12).

Peter just didn't know what to think! Maybe you have heard the accounts of the cross & resurrection of Christ but didn’t know what to think—I encourage listen to the Holy Spirit, who make His witness!

JOHN’S REACTION TO THE EMPTY TOMB

John is the “other disciple” in this account. John never refers to himself by name, but he does refer to himself as the “one whom Jesus loved.” 

Like Peter, when he heard Mary’s news, he ran towards the tomb. He tells us twice, that he outran Peter to the tomb (v.4,8). But when he got to there and looked in he was to overwhelmed to go into the tomb. Once Peter arrived he followed Peter into the tomb. When he saw the burial cloths lying there as Jesus’ body once filled them, and that his head cloth was folded as if Jesus took it off and folded. John saw all this as a sign of all Jesus had taught them. 

John saw and believed. Maybe the Holy Spirit is showing you that Jesus not only died for your sins, but also rose again.