CH Spurgeon on John 20 verses 1–18

Spurgeon on John 20, verses 1-18

Verse 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.

Her love for her Lord made her rise early and helped her to overcome the fear which would have prevented many from going out “when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre.” There are fears which some cannot shake off in the dark—and those fears would be apt to become intensified in going to a sepulchre in the dark. But love wakes early to try to find Christ and love can see in the dark when looking for Jesus. Mary little expected to find the tomb of Jesus rifled and the stone rolled away—she was so surprised at what she saw that she hurried away to tell the story to other friends of her Lord.

Verse 2. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

This was the language of ignorance and unbelief. She had forgotten that the Lord had said that He would rise again the third day. Or else she had never understood the meaning of His words. So, instead of saying “He is risen,” she said, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”

Unbelief often reads things wrongly—it reads sorrow into facts that should create joy. Nothing could have made Mary happier than to believe that her Lord had risen from the dead—and nothing ever made her more sorrowful than feeling that she must say, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”

Verses 3–4. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

They wanted to know what had really happened, so they resolved that they would go and see. The woman’s message surprised them and troubled them, “So they ran both together.” A good many people seemed to be running that morning. Had the disciples known the whole truth, they might have taken to dancing for joy, but their fears quickened their footsteps.

Verse 5. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying;

So that he knew that they had not taken away the body of Jesus, for if they had, they certainly would not have taken off the linen clothes. It would have been very difficult and would have taken considerable time to unwrap the cold grave-clothes when they were bound to the body by the ointments that had been used—“He saw the linen clothes lying;”—

Verse 5. Yet went he not in.

Perhaps out of reverence or possibly, out of deference to the older man, he would give him the preference and let him enter first.

Verse 6. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

They were evidently both struck with that sight. It indicated that there had been no haste, no hurry by thieves, but deliberate action of quite another kind.

Verse 7. And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

As one has well said, there were the grave-clothes left as the furniture for the believer’s last bed, and there was the napkin, “in a place by itself,” to wipe away the tears of mourners. The chief lesson is that this act had been done at leisure by someone who was in no hurry whatever. He had put together the linen clothes, and wrapped up the napkin, and laid it “in a place by itself.”

Verse 8. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

That is a great deal for John to be able to say concerning himself, for Mary had not yet believed. Possibly Peter had scarcely believed, but John had. He felt certain that the Lord had risen. He remembered His words and He correctly interpreted the fact now before him—“He saw, and believed.”

Verse 9. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

They did not understand it. Even John himself did not until then. The rest of the disciples had never put that interpretation upon our Lord’s words which was the clear and simple meaning of them, namely, that He would rise from the dead. I should not wonder if there are other words of Scripture, with regard to the future, which we should comprehend if we took them exactly as they stand in the Word—but we have put other meanings upon them, and consequently, see no further into them.

Verse 10. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

Having ascertained that the body of Jesus was not there, and John having come to the conclusion that the Lord had indeed risen from the dead, he and Peter went away home prayerfully to wait and see what would happen next.

Verse 11. But Mary stood

She was not going away home. Love cannot leave the place where it lost its object. It will continue to search there. “But Mary stood—”

Verse 11. without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked

Some can weep, but never look. Do not act so, beloved, but look for comfort even when your heart is breaking. “As she wept, she stooped down, and looked—”

Verses 11–12. into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white

The resurrection colour, the colour of joy and gladness. “Two angels in white.”

Verse 12. sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

I have no doubt that the angel who sat at the feet was quite as content to sit there as the other was to sit at the head. If any two of you are sent upon the Lord’s business, do not pick and choose as to where you shall be or what you shall do. “One at the head, and the other at the feet.” I am afraid that if they had been men instead of angels, both would have wanted to sit at the head, and the feet would have been neglected. This sight seems to remind one of the mercy seat where the cherubim stood facing each other and covering the mercy seat with their outspread wings.

Verse 13. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

Grief has not many words. It is apt to repeat itself, as the Lord Himself did in Gethsemane when He prayed three times using the same words.

Verses 14–15. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?

Christ often repeats the words of His messengers as if to endorse them. The angels said, “Woman, why weepest thou?” The angels’ Master said the same. I pray Him, tonight, not only to give me the right word to say, but also to say it Himself to your hearts. But Jesus added another question to the angels’, “Woman, why weepest thou?”

Verse 15. Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Did it occur to her that, possibly, the gardener objected to having a corpse in the garden and that, therefore, He had come early in the morning and taken it away? We can hardly imagine what she did think, but when people are in great grief, they often think a great many things which they would not think if they were quite in their right minds. What strange delusions, what singular images of monstrous shape will pass through the heart of grief! God help us to be clear-minded and not to think what we should not like to say! Still, Mary was a brave woman, for she said to the gardener, “Tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”

Verse 16. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

She said, “My Master, my Rabbi, my Teacher, my Leader, my dear Master.” And I expect she said it with great exultation. She delighted to have her Master again, to have her Teacher again, for to be without her Teacher and without her Lord was a terrible bereavement to that gentle, teachable heart.

I suppose she was about to lay hold upon Christ, to grasp Him by the feet, lest He should again go away from her.

Verse 17. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not;

Or, as the words may be read, “Hold me not; detain me not;”

Verse 17. for I am not yet ascended to my Father:

“I have to go away from you, so do not imagine that you can hold Me back. Nay, the time for such communications with Me is past, for I am now in another condition. I will communicate with you spiritually, but for that, you must wait a little—‘I have not yet ascended to my Father.’”

Verse 17. but go to my brethren,

He had never called them that before. “Brethren,” He had called them, but not with the emphatic, “My.” “Go to my brethren,—”

Verse 17. and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Thus Christ explained to them that the Father, who is God, was God to Christ and God to them. The Father of Christ and their Father also.

Verse 18. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord.

That was a very different message from her first one. Then she came and said, “He is gone. The tomb is empty. The stone is rolled away.” Now she comes with the joyful tidings, “I have seen our risen Lord.”

Verse 18. and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Sometimes we have to deliver the message of stern justice, which is one of doom to the guilty, but oh, how sweet it is to be able to come with the message of the Gospel!

“‘He lives; The great Redeemer lives.’

“He lives to plead for sinners. So, sinners, come and trust Him, for He will manifest Himself to you as surely as He did to these disciples, though not in exactly the same form.”