Sunday, May 23, 2021 - 10:15 AM
In chapter 20, Mary Magdalene tells the disciples that the tomb in which they laid Jesus is empty. Peter and John race to the tomb to see for themselves. They saw the strips of linen lying there and the cloth that had been wrapped around his head lying separate from the linen. John saw all this and believed.
Jesus appears to Mary outside the tomb. She at first mistakes him for the gardener, but when he speaks her name she realizes who it is and she clings to him. "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father," he tells her. "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
Mary Magdalene then tells the disciples that she has seen the Lord.
On the evening of that first day of the week, Jesus appears to the disciples in a locked room showing them his hands and side, but Thomas was not present. A week later, he appears again, and Thomas sees the marks of his wounds. Jesus says, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
John then states the purpose of his book: Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
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