Holy Week • Guided Prayer Retreat (31 March)
reading for: 31 March
John 20:1-18
The Good News According to John
READ
Suppose our friend told us that he/she saw Jesus last night, we would be instantly amazed and sucked into what exactly he saw and heard!
Yet the irony is when we come to John 20, we usually brush it off as "ai ya just another story about Jesus' resurrection lah"
But this is, an actual, eye witness account from John about his sighting of Jesus on Easter morning! And he has only 1 purpose - these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have eternal life in his name (John 20:31).
The first thing to appreciate about this scene is that everyone is likely in shock. Mary arrives to the tomb, while it was still dark (5 or 6am) and on seeing the stone rolled away, runs to tell Peter and the other disciple (most likely John) (v. 1-2). We can’t sense the shock in her sentence, but its probably more like “PETER! JOHN! JESUS IS GONE! SOMEONE REMOVED THE STONE AND REMOVED JESUS’ BODY!”
Shocked, Peter and John run to the tomb (v. 4). John outruns Peter who was either less fit or half awake (v. 5), but on arriving at the tomb, looked in timidly without going in. Peter, arriving later, dashed straight into the tomb and saw exactly what John saw, linen cloths folded nicely (v. 5-6). On closer look, they found the cloth that would wrap Jesus’ head folded separately from the linen cloths that wrapped his body (v. 7). John, seeing the bravery of Peter, also follows him into the tomb and seeing, now believes (v. 8). For before this, they had not understood what Jesus meant by being raised from the dead (v. 9). And leave, conveniently leaving Mary behind (v. 10-11).
Mary, who had first saw the empty tomb couldn’t hold her grief and wept (v. 11). The body of my Lord Jesus is gone! Someone has taken his body (v. 13)! Mary likely only realised she had seen angels later, because if she knew then, she might have ran away (v. 12). We can guess this because she didn’t recognise Jesus at first and thought he was the gardener (v. 14-15). Only when Jesus called her by name, “Mary”, did she realise it was him! (v. 16).
And it was these words that Jesus told her, “bring this good news to the others, that I am not ascending to not just my Father and God, but your Father and your God. (v. 17-18)
REFLECT
Sink for a moment into this account by John, who has written his own personal encounter and Mary’s encounter with Jesus. The entire account of John, starting from early morning and empty tomb, builds up to this statement by Jesus.
Amidst the shock and surprise, Jesus told her these words, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
Amidst the shock and surprise, Jesus’ Father, is now our Father, and His God is now our God.
Give thanks to God for this is the good news John wants to tell us, Jesus is alive and because of Him, His Father is now our Father, His God is now our God.