(a)

Verse 1

The women are not harmed, for God is restraining the guard.
The unharmed women

(b)

Verses 2-4

The angel is not opposed.
The unopposed angel

(c)

Verses 5-8

The women are not prevented from entering the tomb, for the guards are as dead men.
The unhindered women

(d)

Verses 9-10

The guards are restrained from rousing until the women have seen the Lord. The Lord tells the women to not be afraid, thus assuring them that He had the situation under control.
The unconscious guards

(e)

Verses 11-15

The guards and the priests are shown to have lost control.
The unconvincing argument

(f)

Verse 16

The disciples meet on a mountain, the symbol of control.
The unending kingdom

(g)

Verses 18-20

The Lord expresses His control and the proper response from His people.
The unlimited power

The guards

The angel

“So they went” (with authority from Pilate).

“the angel of the Lord descended from heaven”, (with authority from God).

“And made the sepulchre sure” (ensuring it was kept closed).

“and sat upon it”, (ensuring it was kept open).

“Sealing the stone” (to show everyone that the body was inside).

“rolled back the stone from the door”, (to show everyone that the body was gone, but the grave-clothes were intact)

“Setting a watch” (to ensure that none would approach).

“the keepers did shake, and became as dead men” (to ensure the women, Peter, and John could approach).

Mark 16:1
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

And when the sabbath was past- the women of whom Luke writes did not seem to stay as long at the tomb after the burial as Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, hence they had time to prepare spices before the sabbath began, Luke 23:56. But these had lingered, and hence had no time to buy and prepare spices on Friday before the sabbath started at 6 o’clock. Perhaps they purchased them either before or after they had come to see the sepulchre at the beginning of the first day of the week, after 6 o’clock, Matthew 28:1.

Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome- we noticed in connection with Mark 15:40, where Salome is mentioned with those who stood afar off, that no-one who is not a Mary is mentioned by name until Christ has died, Mary meaning “bitter”. But now that He has died others are mentioned, and so it is here. The name Salome means “peace”, and the name Joanna, (the other woman mentioned in the resurrection narratives) means “God is gracious”.

Had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him- now that the bitterness of His experiences are over, it is appropriate to bring sweet spices. Commendable as this is, it would still have been better to have done as Mary of Bethany had done, who kept spikenard in preparation for His burial, but became convinced He would rise again soon, so poured it out on Him while He could appreciate it. She anointed Him on the eve of His presentation of Himself to Israel as the King, so He rode into the city already anointed. When He had been arrested, He was anointed with spittle by men who rejected His claims.

Mark 16:2
And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

And very early in the morning the first day of the week- having told us what they did in the first hours of the first day of the week, in the evening, Mark now tells us what they did the next morning. We should remember that the Jewish day began at 6 o’clock in the evening.

They came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun- John tells us that Mary Magdalene came early, “when it was yet dark”. Possibly John is referring to the time when she set out. The ashes of the burnt offering were poured out on the east side of the altar, which is the side the sun lights up first. So it was possible for a man who had brought a burnt offering to go to the altar next day, and see that his offering had been completely burnt up, and therefore completely accepted, because he could see the ashes in the light of the rising sun. But when the sun lit up Christ’s sepulchre, it revealed an empty place; yet nevertheless this was the sign of the acceptance of His offering at Calvary. If there had been any defect in Christ or His sacrifice, He would not have been raised from the dead.

Mark 16:3
And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? If they had been going about their everyday chores, such a question would have come to their minds first, before they set out. But this was no ordinary task, and their love for the one they were intent on honouring made practical problems an afterthought. Perhaps they expected Joseph and Nicodemus to be there finishing what they had begun on the night they buried the Lord. It is as if they have got near enough to the tomb to see that it was closed, and so the question of the rolling of the stone arose at that point. How often we allow things to become obstacles, when all the time the Lord is able to remove them, or, as in this case, has removed them before we realised it.

Mark 16:4
And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

And when they looked- they eagerly looked as they came towards the sepulchre. The word is literally “looked up”, so they may have been looking around them in case there were others there, but when they arrived, the first thing they noticed was that the stone was moved.

They saw that the stone was rolled away- they do not seem to notice the guards, laying as dead men. Or did the sight of the angel cause the soldiers to flee from the tomb, and then fall as dead out of sight? The angels repeatedly urged the women not to be afraid, and this was one way of relieving their fears, if the guards were nowhere to be seen. They may not even have known that guards had been posted at the tomb. Nor may they have known the tomb had been sealed, because they do not wonder how they are going to break the seal, or whether they ought to.

For it was very great- this seems to be connected with them wondering who was going to move the stone for them, verse 3, rather than why it was rolled away.

John 20:1
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.

The first day of the week- in Old Testament times the first day of the week was called “the day after the sabbath”, for the sabbath was the climax to the week. Now the emphasis is different, for a new era has dawned, and what happened on the very first day of that new era gives character to it. In the Old Testament, God was working towards the setting up of Christ’s kingdom on earth, when He will be able to rest gloriously with His people, for “there remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God”, Hebrews 3:9, Where the word rest has the idea of the keeping of a sabbath. The first sabbath was after God’s six days of work in creation, but now a new creation has begun, and the sabbath recedes.

Cometh Mary Magdalene early- this Mary had stood by the cross before the Lord committed His mother to John’s keeping. They, no doubt, left the scene before the hours of darkness, perhaps with His mother’s sister. Mary Magdalene seems to have then withdrawn to be with other women who stood further away, John 19:25; Matthew 27:56. Then she, with Mary the mother of Joses, watched where His body was laid, as they sat over against the sepulchre, Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47. Then Mark tells us they bought sweet spices, Mark 16:1. They prepared those spices and ointments, Luke 23:55,56; 24:1, 10. They rested the sabbath day, according to the commandment, Luke 23:56. Then after the sabbath was past, she came to see the sepulchre. Now Mary is doing the eigthth thing, for she is coming to the sepulchre to anoint His body. She had been delivered from the domination of seven devils, and now, released from her tormentors, she shows her love and devotion in a eight-fold way. Mark seems to make this connection when he writes, “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils”, Mark 16:9. Her love and devotion was rewarded, and she showed herself a fit messenger to tell of His rising again. It is characteristic of Mark in his servant gospel to highlight the work the Lord did to deliver Mary.

Having noted her devotion, we should remember that there was one Mary who did not come to the sepulchre, and that was Mary of Bethany. This was not because of any lack of devotion to Christ, but rather because she had already anointed His body unto the burial whilst He was alive and could appreciate it, John 12:1-8. It is always good to show our devotion in a way that most pleases Christ. Furthermore, Mary had sat at the feet of Christ and heard His word, and had seen her brother rise from the dead at His word. The fact she anointed Him in life showed that she not only knew He was going to die, (for it was “against the day of my burying”, as He Himself said, John 12:7), but also that He would rise again, and no anointing was necessary in the tomb for that reason. She does not come to seek to preserve His body with spices, for she would have learnt from His own teaching that He was holy, and His body had no corruption-principle within.

When it was yet dark- this no doubt refers to when she started out. The sun was rising when she arrived, Mark 16:2. We know from Mark 16:1,2 that she came with Mary the mother of James, and Salome, but John only tells us about Mary Magdalene. Just as Peter is always mentioned first when the apostles are listed, so Mary Magdalene is always first when the women are listed. John is impressed with her fervent devotion.

Unto the sepulchre- the word sepulchre has the idea of memorial about it, suggesting that the person within was worthy of remembrance. The Lord Jesus is indeed worthy of remembrance, but He is remembered as one who has conquered death, and His tomb, whilst important when He was in it, has lost its attraction now. The question of the angels was, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen”, Luke 24:5,6. The Living One is pleased to be found amongst the living, those who have eternal life, as we see in verse 19.

And seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre- she had watched Joseph of Arimathea roll a great stone to the entrance to the sepulchre, Matthew 27:60,61. But this no doubt was comparatively easy, for the custom was to have a trench cut into rock which sloped towards the entrance to the tomb, and the stone would be like a huge millstone that could be rolled down this trench until it covered the doorway completely. To roll the stone back uphill would be a different task altogether, and she knew that she, even with her companions, would not be able to do this, Mark 16:3. We have already noticed the possible significance of the word “taken away”, suggesting it was completely removed from the entrance to the tomb.

We are not told whether she knew that the Jews had obtained permission from Pilate to seal and guard the tomb. She might have thought that to be a disaster, but in fact it was ordered of God, so that no-one could steal the body even if he wanted to. God makes the wrath of man to praise Him, over-ruling their schemes to His glory.

John 20:2
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.

Then she runneth- without investigating further, she leaves the other two within sight of the tomb, and runs to tell the disciples that the body has been taken. It is good to be quick to do the Lord’s will, but we should remember the Scripture which says, “He that believeth shall not make haste”, Isaiah 28:16. We must serve the Lord with careful thought, and not be rash. There is such a thing as ” a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge”, Romans 10:2. Mary’s zeal has overtaken her knowledge in this situation.

And cometh to Simon Peter- he is the one that has most often taken the lead, and his name is always first in the list of the apostles. It seems that the apostles as a company did not fully believe Christ was raised until Peter was convinced it was so, although John is said to believe in verse 8, (but see on that verse). Those who occupy leadership roles should be very careful to maintain a strong faith, lest they hinder others.

Note John calls him Simon Peter here and in verse 6. Simon was his birth-name, whereas Peter, or Cephas was the name given to him by the Lord Himself, John 1:42. 20:3 The two names tell of what he was by nature, and what he had become by Divine calling. So in this verse and verse 6 there is something of the old about him. Here, he is the one who has denied his Lord, and is cowering in fear. In verse 6 we shall see him still in unbelief.

And to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved- this is usually thought to be the way that John puts his signature on the gospel. He uses the expression in John 13:23; 19:26; 21:7; 21:20. We should bear in mind, however, that the expression “whom Jesus loved” is most likely to be applied in this passage to Peter as well as to John. It is also true that in this place the verb for “loved” is different to the one used in the other cases.

The fact that Mary is said to come to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, rather than coming to Simon Peter and John, suggests that they were in separate places. The Lord had prophesied that “ye shall be scattered, each to his own”, 16:32. This had come to pass. No doubt John would be anxious to keep the mother of Jesus safe in isolation, since he had been entrusted with her care.

And saith unto them- even if they were in separate places, the message to them both was the same.

They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre- this was, in fact, not true, but the hasty conclusion from seeing that the stone had been rolled away. This would be the last thing God would allow to happen. Mary does not explain who the “they” are. Does she mean Joseph and Nicodemus? After all, it does seem that they had laid the body in the sepulchre temporarily, for John tells us, “Now in the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new tomb, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jew’s preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand”, John 19:41,42. Notice the “therefore” and the “for”, giving reasons for the choice of sepulchre, namely, that it was nigh at hand, and the body could be laid there quickly, before the sabbath started. Against this must be set the fact that when Mary later sees a man near the tomb, she does not think him to be Joseph or Nicodemus, but the gardener, although the Lord may have appeared in the guise of a gardener to show that He was not Joseph or Nicodemus. He would later on appear in another form to the two on the road to Emmaus, and they would think Him to be a stranger and a pilgrim. The word for “form” that Mark uses is “morphe”, which may be defined as “reality in manifestation”. So we may say that He really is a Stranger and a Pilgrim as He moves towards His ascension, and He really is a Gardener of a far better sort that Adam was, for he brought in corruption and sin in a garden, whereas this Gardener brings in holiness and purity as He emerges from His garden-tomb. It is also true that this garden is close to where the Saviour died. So He hung upon a tree in a garden to deal with sins, whereas Adam reached up to take of the fruit of a tree in a garden, in transgression.

And we know not where they have laid him- it does not cross her mind that He might be risen from the dead. She expected Him to rise with the righteous dead “at the last day”, as Martha said about Lazarus, John 11:24. Daniel 12:2 speaks of the resurrection from among the dead, when the righteous of Old Testament times rise, leaving the unrighteous behind in the grave, to wait for the resurrection to shame and everlasting contempt. What had puzzled the disciples was the idea of one man rising from among the dead, Mark 9:9,10. The truth was withheld from them, so that it could not be said that the resurrection was the fabrication of those who had been told it would happen, who believed it would happen, and who then convinced themselves it had happened when it had not.

So Mary is still seeking the resting-place of the body so that she can anoint it. She is surely not suggesting that the Jews would have removed the body. The last thing they want to do is make it look as though He has risen. They sealed the tomb to stop this happening, Matthew 27:62-66. She says “we” to assure us that she speaks for all the women that came to the tomb. All the other believers were avoiding the tomb.

Mark 16:5
And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

And entering into the sepulchre- the other party of women entered into the tomb of their own accord, because they probably thought Nicodemus and Joseph were there, and they did not see any angels before they did so. These two had been met by the angel of the Lord, and it is at his invitation they enter the tomb.

They saw a young man sitting on the right side- the other women saw two men also, yet the two on the way to Emmaus later in the day declared that the women had seen a vision of angels, Luke 24:23. So if one was an angel, and the women saw angels, then the young man here must be an angel in human guise. The angel of the Lord appears as an angel to assert his authority as he rolls back the stone and to cause the guards to fear, whereas the “young man” here is going to be met by these women within a tomb. Although they have been assured by the angel that all is well, nonetheless it must have been a traumatic experience for them. To then be confronted by a glorious angel would be too much for them, perhaps. If this is the reason, then we can see why only one angel appeared to them, and that as a man, in the confines of the tomb, to not over-awe them. The other party saw two angels, but it seems they were outside at the time.

There is a contrast here, for when the angel Gabriel, no less, appeared to Mary to tell her she would be the mother of the Messiah, she did not seem to be afraid at his presence. She was troubled, certainly, but by his saying, not by his presence, Luke 1:25-29. It was only when she was troubled in that way that the angel said “Fear not, Mary”, verse 30.

Why was he sitting on the right side? And on the right side of what? We know that a little later Mary Magdalene will see these two angels, (assuming it was the same ones), sitting on the ledge where His body had lain, one at the head and one at the feet where His body had been.

Clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted- the other angel’s raiment was white as snow, and this one’s is long and white, the colour befitting the purity of the place from which he has come. The length denotes his dignity, for he wears the robe of one who has high office. He is not clad to labour, but to testify.

Mark uses a different word to Matthew when he tells us that the women were affrighted. It is found four times in the New Testament, and is translated as “be affrighted” twice, and “be greatly amazed” and “be sore amazed” once each, so it is a word that combines fright with amazement. They are frightened by seeing another strange person, and that inside a tomb, but they are not so fearful as when they saw the angel of the Lord. But they are amazed also, no doubt because they could see that the body was gone.

Mark 16:6
And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted- like the other angel, he seeks to allay their fears. The best way of doing that is to reveal that He is risen.

Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified- we have already noticed that the angels speak repeatedly of the death of Christ as by crucifixion, as if they are astonished that mankind could stoop to such depths. The other angel called Him Jesus, and the Lord, thus recognising His real manhood and His true God-hood. This one speaks only of Jesus of Nazareth, the name of His low estate, and the one they had followed from Galilee.

He is risen- the other angel said “He is risen, as He said”, for He had foretold His rising again, and it had come to pass. This angel reinforces that, for he is able to point to the proof.

He is not here- they must not think that He is an invisible spirit, perhaps hovering around the tomb. He had risen with a glorified body of flesh and bones that could be seen, if He chose to reveal Himself, which He did.

Behold the place where they laid him- he speaks as if he watched Joseph and Nicodemus laying Him in the tomb. It is noticeable that the women say nothing at all to either of the angels, for they are convinced by the reminder by one of the angels of what the Lord had said, and the action of the other in showing them the place where he had been but now was not. What was there to say further?

Mark 16:7
But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.

But go your way- there is nothing else for them to see and tell at the sepulchre. The angels no doubt know that the other party of women are on their way, and then Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene will come to the tomb also.

Tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee- like the Good Shepherd He is, the Lord would go before, after He had met with His own in Jerusalem. It is only Mark that adds “and Peter”. Angels have a strong aversion to disloyalty, because they have seen the havoc wrought by one of their number when he rebelled against God and was expelled from heaven. And they have a special interest in Peter because he had denied the Lord, and the Lord had warned that those who deny Him before men will be denied before the angels. They welcome the thought of Peter having a special interview with the Lord so that matters may be put right.

There shall ye see him, as he said unto you- when they were on the way to Gethsemane, He had said to the apostles, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night…But after I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee”, Mark 14:37,38. Even though the mention of Peter reminds them of his denial, the angel does not refer to them all being scattered. If they are obedient, and gather to Him in Galilee, that will reverse their failure in deserting Him at His arrest. But Peter will need a private interview, because he deserted and denied.

Mark 16:8
And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

And they went out quickly- this is in accordance with the word of the first angel, Matthew 28:7. The guards will soon be recovering from their shock.

And fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed- this is no doubt because of the shock of the experiences they had gone through in the last few minutes. They were traumatised as they came to the tomb, given what they had seen happen to their Lord, and then to find the tomb open, then to see angels, and be told news that He was not there, and then that He was risen. All these facts amazed and overwhelmed them. So they went out quickly from the sepulchre as the young man said, and fled because they still had fears. Matthew says that they “departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy”. A mixture of emotions filled their hearts as they ran to bring the disciples word of what had happened.

Luke 24:1
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning- notice there is no reference to sunrise, because if the scheme we are following is correct, the sun has been risen just a little while.

The rulers had taken Christ into their Council “as soon as it was day”. After their brief questioning of Him, they led Him to Pilate, and John says, “it was early”. So if the time from break of day to it being “early” is, say, thirty minutes, can we not say that break of day to being “very early” is fifteen minutes? We shall return to this later.

They came unto the sepulchre- Luke is connecting with those who had “followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid”, 23:55. Now these were not the two Matthew and Mark mention, (Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses), because they did not prepare their spices until after the sabbath; but these women did it before, verse 56. We have suggested this was because they did not stay so long near the sepulchre, but left earlier. The other two were sitting, as if they were there a while.

Of course this seems to make a difficulty when we come to verse 10, for Luke seems to put Mary Magdalene with the other women as they testify, but we will consider that when we come to the verse.

Bringing the spices which they had prepared- they had prepared these before the start of the sabbath, on the day the Lord died. Luke tells us they prepared ointments as well, but there is no reason to think they changed their minds about these just because they are not said to have brought them. In the event, neither spices nor ointments were needed.

And certain others with them- because he says “certain others”, we may gather that Luke knows their names, but for some reason does not give those names. Perhaps they were younger, and would live through persecution, so Luke leaves them unnamed in his record for their own safety. Maybe this applies to others whose names are not given in the gospels, for example, the woman of Samaria. We may be sure, however, that their names are in the book of life. Which prompts the question, is that true of my reader? It is only those who believe the gospel who have their names there, for we are warned that at the Great White Throne judgement, the Book of Life will be opened, and those whose names are not found there will be cast into the Lake of Fire, Revelation 20:11-15.

Luke 24:2
And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre- the other three women may have been older, (for both Mary and Salome were the mothers of grown men, and therefore might have been fifty years old). These, however, may have been younger; they were certainly more in number, so the question of the difficulty of rolling the stone did not arise in their minds, as it did with the others.

Luke 24:3
And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

And they entered in- they see no guards, they see no angels outside. They probably assumed that because the tomb was open, Joseph and Nicodemus were inside, preparing to move the body elsewhere. They did not believe that He would rise the third day, so had no idea of anyone wanting to steal the body to try to make it look as if He had risen. Such a thought did not enter their heads, or else they would not have gone into the tomb when they saw it was open, for they might be implicated in the theft if they did. They fact they entered without hesitation shows they had no such idea.

And found not the body of the Lord Jesus- we know from Luke 23:55 that they had seen “how his body was laid”, so they knew exactly where the body had been put. We are not told whether they knew it was a new tomb, and therefore did not have other bodies in it. Even if they did not know, (which is unlikely), this was no problem, for they knew precisely where His body had been laid.

Luke 24:4
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

And it came to pass- Luke is writing for Gentiles, who were not so used to the idea of angels speaking with men as Jews were, through familiarity with the Old Testament. So he assures us here that he is writing authentic history.

As they were much perplexed thereabout- well might they be perplexed, for firstly they did not find anyone inside, yet the door was open, and secondly, the grave clothes appeared to be separated, with the napkin that was around His head in a place by itself, showing there was no body present. If someone had moved the body, why would they leave the grave-clothes? And why did it look as if the body was still within them, yet it could not be because there was a gap between the body-cloth and the head-napkin?

Behold, two men stood by them in shining garments- they appeared as men, so their first thought might be that they were Joseph and Nicodemus. But then they saw their garments were shining, the sure sign these were angels. Eastern sepulchres would usually have a room immediately upon entering, (especially if it was a rich man’s tomb, which this, of course, was), where the mourners could stand if they wished. It is likely that these two men stand by them there. They appeared as men so as not to frighten them.

Luke 24:5
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth- their shining garments told them they were angels, and this caused them fear. But it also caused them to bow to their heavenly authority. They did not worship them, or else the same rebuke John would receive later would have been theirs. He tells us that “I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. The saith he unto me, ‘See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God'”, Revelation 22:8,9.

They said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? there is an echo of this later, again in connection with the apostle John. Overawed by the majesty of the vision he had been given, John fell at Christ’s feet as dead. But even the appearance of death must not be found in the presence of Christ. Then came those grand words, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen”, Revelation 1:18. Not only can death, (or even the semblance of it), not be allowed in His presence, His presence can not be allowed to continue in death. The Living One and death are incompatible.

Why do the angels speak as if to be in the sepulchre is to be “among the dead”, when there was no-one else buried there? To one versed in the Old Testament, like these women were, (and for that matter, as the angels were), the grave was the entrance to Hades. The Hebrew word “sheol” is translated in the Old Testament as “the grave” 31 times, and as “hell” 31 times. It is never translated “a grave”, but “the grave”. It is also translated “pit” three times, twice in connection with Korah. So the same word is used of the place where the body is put, and the place where the soul resides until the resurrection. Jacob said, “For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning”, Genesis 37:35. But Jacob believed that his son had been devoured by a wild beast, and therefore had no grave. So in that first mention of the word sheol the grave is looked on as the entrance to the world of the dead, so that Jacob would go down to the grave where his son was, meaning sheol, the realm of the dead. So it is not that there were other bodies in the tomb, for we know that was not the case, but, being a sepulchre, it was associated with the dead. Christ being alive, He would not be found there.

Luke 24:6
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

He is not here, but is risen- that is, the reason He is not here is not because His body has been taken away, either by friend or foe, but because He is risen from the dead, and a tomb is not an appropriate place for Him to be.

Remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee- the angels are careful to attribute the word they bring as coming from Christ, who is their Lord. The first angel said “He is risen, as He said”; this angel will say “as He said unto you”; the angel will say to the other women, “remember how he spake unto you”, and then Luke says, “they remembered his words”, not the angel’s. These were women of Galilee, and had followed Him faithfully during His ministry, which took place mostly in the province of Galilee. See Matthew 4:12-17; 11:20.

Luke 24:7
Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again- it seems from this that the angels had heard these words spoken, as had the women. It is one of the mysteries of godliness that God was “manifest in flesh”, and was also “seen of angels”, 1 Timothy 3:16. There is an echo of these words later in the day, when the Lord says to the two on the road to Emmaus, “ought not Christ to have suffered these things? As if to say He was under obligation, for “ought” is a shortening of the words “owe it”. So here, He must be delivered, for the eternal counsel of God determined it, and our need as sinners necessitated it.

The nearest to these words is found in Matthew 17:22,23, but in that place there is nothing about the men being sinful, or that the death was to be by crucifixion, or that He would rise, as distinct from being raised. So is this a reminder to the women from the angel of words that were spoken to them directly, and not recorded by Matthew? The angel heard them, and the women heard them, but Matthew does not insert them. These women had ministered unto Him of their substance, Luke 8:2,3, and he had ministered unto them of His substance. They needed to be prepared for the fact that the men who would ill-treat Him would be sinful men, that He would not just die, but die by the horrible death of crucifixion, but yet God would vindicate and compensate Him by raising Him from the dead.

Luke 24:8
And they remembered his words,

And they remembered his words- they had not taken proper note when the words were spoken, but now things begin to fall into place. There is no rebuke for these women, as there will be for the two people on the road to Emmaus, or the disciples later on.

Luke 24:9
And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.

And returned from the sepulchre- the word “return” directs our minds to where they came from, rather than where they went from. In other words, the sepulchre has lost all interest for them now that they know Christ is not there. Their interests lie alone with the company of those who believe in Him.

And told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest- Luke does not tell us their emotions as they heard that He was risen, nor do the angels instruct them to go and tell the disciples, yet this is what they do. They defer to the authority of “the eleven”, meaning the eleven remaining apostles, and tell them first, then the other believers. At no time do these women assert themselves because they are in possession of knowledge the others do not have. They humbly tell what they know. All believers now have the knowledge of what happened, yet that does not give them superiority over others. They are to simply and humbly tell what they know, as these women did.

John 20:1,2
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. 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.

We have already considered these two verses in connection with the account of Matthew and Mark, so we take up the account where Peter and John come to the sepulchre.

John 20:3
Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple- they are mentioned individually again, as if they are coming from different places, see on verse 2.

And came to the sepulchre- they join up before they reach the sepulchre.

John 20:4
So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

So they ran both together- having joined up with one another, (if they came from different houses), they not only ran with concern, fearing the body had been stolen, but also perhaps with fear, in case any had seen them start out, and they were being followed.

And the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre- there was perhaps a certain hesitancy with Peter. He had denied the Lord three times, and had said he would go into prison and death with Him if necessary. We can well understand that his steps were not quite so eager as John’s. He would also be more fearful of being spotted, since he had used the sword in the garden, and might be looking about him more than John.

John 20:5
And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

And he stooping down- Jewish sepulchres were usually six feet high inside, and had a nine foot by nine foot area upon entry, and then a nine foot by six foot area for the niches for the bodies. These niches would be seven handbreadths from the ground and six hand-breadths wide. We could understand how the doorway would be lower than the inner chamber, so that a person needed to stoop down to gain entry.

And looking in, saw the linen clothes lying- John does not enter, perhaps being of a more sensitive nature in the face of death, but can see the linen clothes on the ledge within. The word for lying is the one meaning “utterly prostrate”. The clothes are still as they were when the body was inside. Just as the body was laid prostrate on the stone niche, so the clothes remain. They are not lying in a heap.

Yet went he not in- even though he could see the linen clothes, he could not see closely enough to realise their implication. He is satisfied that the body has not been stolen, for the linen clothes are still in the tomb, and are as if wrapped around a body.

John 20:6
Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

Then cometh Simon Peter following him- Peter now arrives on the scene. It need not be more than a minute or so after John.

And went into the sepulchre- with characteristic and business-like purpose he goes straight into the sepulchre. Perhaps John told him that he had seen the linen clothes, and Peter wanted to make sure for himself that the body was still there.

And seeth the linen clothes lie- he now sees close-up what John sees from a distance. The linen clothes are lying as if the body within is outstretched, for this is the meaning of the word used for “lying”.

John 20:7
And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

And the napkin, that was about his head- clearly there was more than one linen cloth, (hence 19:40 speaks of winding the body with linen clothes, which is plural), perhaps one was for the body, two others for the legs, two more for the arms, and the napkin for the head. So on this reckoning He had five items of clothing in life, and five items in death.

Lazarus had come forth from the grave bound hand and foot with grave clothes, suggesting that the limbs were indeed wrapped separately, allowing for enough movement to come forth but still with some restriction. John has already told us that the Lord was buried after the manner of the Jews, 19:40, so the wrapping of the burial clothes is not like the Egyptian mode, where the body looked as though it was in a plaster cast, with no separate wrapping of the limbs.

Not lying with the linen clothes- the clothes that were around the body showed that they had not been unwrapped. This would mean one of two things. Either the body was still within, or it had been raised as a spiritual body. A spiritual body does not need the grave-clothes to be unwrapped in order to allow it to leave them. (This, incidentally, shows that Lazarus did not come forth with a body fit for resurrection conditions, but with his body unchanged from when he was alive before. If he had been given his resurrection body, the stone would not have needed to be removed from the entrance to the tomb, nor would the grave-clothes restrict him. Christ must be the first of them that should rise from among the dead, with a resurrection body, Acts 26:23; 1 Corinthians 15:23).

The position of the napkin settles which of the two possibilities is in fact the case. If the napkin had been in its original position, then it would not be evident that the body was gone. But since there is a space between the body-clothes and the head-clothes, it is certain that there is no body.

But wrapped together in a place by itself- is it not the case that the Lord Jesus, raised from the dead, lays the cloth or napkin that was wound about His head some distance away? (The other option is that the angels did it, but this would introduce an element of interference, and it is vital that neither man nor angels interfere with the grave-clothes. The angels say nothing about the napkin to the women, but simply point our where the Lord lay, and not where the napkin lay). So there are now three indications that He is risen. One, the clothes which were around His body are undisturbed. Two, the cloth that was wound around His head is not where it would be if His head were still within it and attached to His body. And three, because the word John uses for the napkin when he writes that it was “wrapped together”, is the same one that Matthew and Luke used for “wrapped” in connection with the burial, then the head came out of the napkin without disturbing the cloth, for it is still as when Joseph wrapped it round His head, but in a different place to emphasise that something has happened.

John 20:8
Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre- notice these two men seem not to say anything to one another. They are each having their own thoughts about what they are seeing. Encouraged by Peter’s entry, John now either joins Peter in the tomb, or goes in after Peter has come out, we are not told which.

And he saw, and believed- John understands now the implication of the state and position of the grave-clothes, and by this means he believes Christ is in fact risen. This shows that the state of the grave-clothes was significant, and enough to prove that Christ was risen. Later on that day, however, the Lord upraided the eleven disciples “because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen”, meaning the women, Mark 16:14. They are not condemned here for not believing He would rise, but for not believing those who had seen Him after He was risen, and this would include John. So in what sense did John believe as he came out of the sepulchre? Did he believe that the Lord was risen, but only as a spirit? Luke tells us that when the disciples saw the Lord in the evening “they supposed that they had seen a spirit”, Luke 24:37, which is why the Lord had to show them His hands and feet, and also eat before them.

John 20:9
For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead- they should have realised the meaning of the Old Testament scripture about the resurrection of Christ. The psalmist wrote about the Messiah as follows,

“I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel:

My reins also shall instruct me in the night seasons.

I have set the Lord always before me:

Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:

My flesh also shall rest in hope.

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;

Neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.

Thou wilt shew me the path of life:

In thy presence is fulness of joy;

At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore”.

Psalm 16:7-11.

In the first five statements, the Messiah speaks of His dependence upon His God, and His determination to have Him foremost in His thoughts at all times. As a consequence He is confident that after He has died, there will be the same care for Him as was evident during His life. His flesh will rest in the grave in hope, and that hope is based on three things. One, that God will not leave His soul in hell. Two, that His body will be kept free from any external defilement whilst in death. And three, that the path of resurrection life will open up before Him. Now on the Day of Pentecost the apostle Peter used this Scripture to show that the resurrection of Christ was foretold in Old Testament scripture, Acts 2:24-31. But at this point in time it is only John amongst the apostles that has made the connection between the grave-clothes and Psalm 16. As a result, he believes.

Luke tells us that God deliberately withheld from the apostles the meaning of the Lord’s words when He said, “‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again’. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken”, Luke 18:31-34. No wonder Luke next tells us of the blind man in Jericho whose sight was restored. He was like the apostles, blind to the truth about Christ until the moment of God’s choosing. There is the added thought that the giving of sight to the blind was one of the features of the Messiah as foretold in Isaiah 35:5; Luke 4:18; Luke 7:18-23.

It seems from what the Lord said to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, that they only believed the glory part of the prophecies about the Messiah. So that when Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, they began to doubt whether He was the Messiah after all. And the consequence of not believing what He said about His person was that they did not believe about His rising again.

We have already been reminded from Luke 18:34 that these things were hid from the apostles by God. This means that they did not preach the resurrection of Christ simply because the believed what He said. They preached about the resurrection of Christ as those who did not believe at first that He was going to rise, but who had seen with their very own eyes that He had risen. It was not, then, that their enthusiasm for His words led them to convince themselves that He alive from the dead when in fact He was not. Their unbelief was turned to belief by evidence, not by wishful thinking.

Now that the apostles have gone through this process, and can personally testify to the resurrection of Christ, then we, nearly twenty centuries later, may have confidence, both in their writings, and also in the Old Testament scriptures as well. We may come into the blessing the Lord promised when He said, “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”, John 20:29. For us, the scriptures are the evidence.

John 20:10
Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

Then the disciples went away again unto their own home- they need time to digest the things they have seen. They are not hasty in their reactions, but soberly consider what has taken place. John’s belief must have been a qualified one, for when the women came to tell what the angels had said to them, Luke tells us that “their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not”, Luke 24:11. And when the Lord Himself appeared to them, He “upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen”. Clearly, the Lord trusted the women to give a true testimony, and this is what they did, hence the rebuke for the apostles for not believing them.

John 20:11
But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping- the tense of the verb (pluperfect) suggests that she had been standing at the tomb a little while before she stooped down. Hence John points out that she was without, to contrast with Peter and John who had been within. She had been very brave to stand by the cross, and now she is brave as she stands by the sepulchre, for who can tell when the guards will wake up? Her love for her Lord was greater than her fear of the guards.

She was standing facing the sepulchre, (such is the preposition used for “at”), and yet was outside. Her interests lay in the direction of the tomb. She was weeping, understandably, not only because the Lord had been crucified, but now was further grieved, for His body seems to have been stolen, and she cannot pay her respects by anointing His body.

And as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre- how true to life this all is. It takes courage to look into a sepulchre, especially alone, and with guards laying around, who might awake at any moment. She fears that the body has been taken away, but her fears are going to be relieved. Not, indeed, with the idea that the Lord is still in the tomb, and His body has not been stolen, but that His body is not there because He is risen.

John 20:12
And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

And seeth two angels in white sitting- Luke 24:22 records the two on the road to Emmaus saying that the women had seen a vision of angels. But it fact the women did not see a vision, but the angels themselves appeared to her, and to the other women separately, as recorded in Matthew 28:1-7. Angels appeared at His birth, and now they appear at His resurrection. They were not in evidence at Calvary, for their help was not requested, although it was available. The work of Calvary must be done alone. In any case, Calvary was a very public place, whereas His birth and His resurrection were private, so there needed to be reliable witnesses at hand.

There are two angels, enough for adequate witness. With human testimony, two or three is the requirement, in order to saeguard against human fallibility. But two is enough in the case of angels. There does not seem to be any instance in Scripture of angels appearing in threes.

They are in white, for they come from the pure glory of heaven, and sit in a scene of death, but unpolluted. This tomb is unique in this. All other burying-places, (even of believers), contain corruption. The tomb had not been defiled by a previous occupant, (for it was Joseph’s own new tomb, Matthew 27:60, so he could be sure no-one else had lain there, for he had hewn it out, and he was the first and only owner of it, and Luke tells us “wherein never man before was laid”, Luke 23:53). It had not been defiled by the Lord’s body, for He is “holy, harmless, and undefiled”, Hebrews 7:26. If He is undefiled in Himself, He cannot defile other things or persons. Nor has it been defiled by the presence of robbers or those sheltering in it, (lepers for example), for it had been sealed.

The one at the head, and the other at the feet- like the cherubim over the ark. They are guarding the valuable evidence to the resurrection of Christ, His grave-clothes. He has no further need of them to wear, but they are filling an important role nonetheless.

Where the body of Jesus had lain- the angels are said to be sitting where He had lain, not where the clothes were still laying, although that was true. They were either end of the place where He had lain. This would perhaps suggest that the head-napkin was not removed far, but just enough to show there was no body. Otherwise one angel would have to be where His body had not lain.

Perhaps the glory of the angels and her tears, caused that she only saw them, and not the grave-clothes. She does not need the evidence of the grave-clothes, as Peter and John did, for she is about to see the Lord Himself.

John 20:13
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.

And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? To ask a woman in normal circumstances why she was weeping at a grave, would be insensitive. But this is to encourage her to tell what is in her heart, so they can relieve her sorrow.

She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him- she is still concerned about anointing Him, and so emphasises she does not know where the body is. She calls Him “My Lord”, for He had rid her of seven devils, and showed Himself superior to the forces of evil that had held her. She is about to learn that He is also Lord over death, for He has defeated the one who had the power of death, the Devil himself.

Mary Magdalene is the only one to speak to the angels. The other women only listened. They did not appear at all to Peter and John, perhaps because they were sensitive to the fact that they had forsaken the Lord, and in the case of Peter, had denied Him. The Lord warned that denial of Him would mean denial in the presence of the angels, Luke 12:9. They hold back because of this, but once Peter has been restored, an angel can rescue him from prison, Acts 12:6-11.

Mary now grieves because of the apparent stealing of the body. She had not gone into the sepulchre, but had only seen the angels through her tears, and still thought the body had gone. She had thought that when she saw the stone rolled away, and now she still thinks it. Perhaps she thought the angels had been sent to tell her that this was the case.

We note in all the visits to the tomb, and also the reaction of the disciples to the news that Christ was risen, a refusal to believe at first. “Their words seemed unto them as idle tales, and they believed them not”, Luke 24:11. “And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not”, Mark 16:11. “After that, he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them”. “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven, as they sat at meat, and upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them that had seen him after he was risen”, Mark 16:14.

Luke tells us that God had ordained that this should be so, for he tells us that when the Lord foretold His death and resurrection, “they understood none of those things,: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken”, Luke 18:34. So it was not that they were expecting it, and then convinced themselves it had happened.

So Mary is not expecting the Lord to have risen after just three days. She thought He was going to rise at the resurrection of the just. Perhaps she thought the “three days” was figurative, as Hosea uses the term when he wrote, “After two days he will revive us, in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight”, Hosea 6:2.

John 20:14
And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

And when she had thus said- the angels do not respond to her statement, no doubt because they know the Lord is now present, and defer to Him, for He is “the head of all principality and power”, Colossians 2:10.

She turned herself back- she has not gone into the tomb, but only stooped to look within. She now turns her head away from the sepulchre, sensing that someone is behind her.

And saw Jesus standing- this is not only literal, but figurative, for He stands in resurrection, after having been prostrate in death. John saw Him in heaven as the Lamb, standing, Revelation 5:6. He was as one who was slain, with the marks of Calvary upon Him still, but not laying on the “altar” any more, but in “a clean place”.

And knew not that it was Jesus- it is said of the two on the road to Emmaus, “their eyes were holden, that they should not know him”, Luke 24:16. They, and Mary, must know Him in the way He chooses, and that is by Him speaking to them. So it is for us. We are to know Him with spiritual faculties, not natural, so we are at no disadvantage to the apostles and those who saw Him in resurrection. We know Him as He speaks to us in His word, the Bible.

John 20:15
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? He asks the same question as the angels did, no doubt for the same reason.

Whom seekest thou? Without waiting for an answer, for He saw her distress, the Lord moves quickly to the matter in hand. Notice He does not say “What seekest thou?”, even though He knew she was seeking a body. He will not for one moment allow that He is not alive, and is about to prove this to her.

She, supposing him to be the gardener- John tells us that the tomb was in a garden, 19:41. It was Adam who was the original gardener, but he failed in that garden, and was defeated by evil there. This one has defeated evil, and is now beginning to show that victory, for He is the “Last Adam”, 1 Corinthians 15:45. Cain became a gardener too, and made the mistake of offering to God the fruits of a cursed earth. The Lord is Head of the new creation, and will remove the curse from creation when He comes. Meanwhile, His people are in Him, and as such are a new creation, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away- these are very forceful words, and they can be rendered literally, “Sir, as for you, if you carried Him off, tell me at once where you have laid Him, and, as for myself, I will carry Him off”. The strength of her affection gives strength to her resolve, even if she was mistaken in some things. She seems to think that the questions of this “gardener” are a distraction from the matter that is foremost in her mind. His body had been mis-treated enough, and she will prevent that happening again. If she had answered His questions, she would have realised that He was not the gardener. Then she would have stopped weeping, and also learned that He was alive in the body, and not lying elsewhere, dead.

How disastrous it would have been if the man was really the gardener, and the body had been removed, and he had known where the body was, and told her, and she had carried Him away. This was exactly what the Sanhedrin, lying, said had taken place, Matthew 28:13.

This would have been disastrous for another reason, for the place where He lay would have become a shrine, with all the attendant superstition and money-making that accompanies such places. )This is why God did not disclose where Moses’ body was buried, Deuteronomy 34:6). It was important that where the Lord Jesus was buried should be well-known while He was there, so that after He was risen it could be shown that He was in it no longer. It is noticeable that the sepulchre did not become a centre of interest for the disciples in the Book of Acts; they were taken up with their risen Lord.

John 20:16
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary- she does not seem to have recognised His voice when He asked her the two questions. What alerts her is the fact that He knew her name. He was not a stranger, as the gardener would be, but the Lord she was seeking. But she was seeking Him in the wrong place. As the angels said to the other women, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”, Luke 24:5. He is the great shepherd of the sheep, and He has been brought again from the dead by the God of all grace, Hebrews 13:20. One of His features as shepherd is that “He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out”, John 10:3. He has carried over into resurrection all the feelings that He had for His own before the cross. His personal interest, personal knowledge, and personal care for His own, are now to be known in resurrection. He has laid down His life and taken it again, and as such He has shown ultimate concern.

She turned herself- we see her first standing facing the sepulchre, verse 11, then stooping to look inside, in which position she seems to have remained until she realised there was someone standing behind her. At that point she did not turn her whole body around, for she did not expect the Lord to be alive. The sense of “turned herself back” is to “turn oneself to the rear”, which she could do without turning her body, for she was preparing to concentrate on the tomb again, after she had spoken to the “gardener”. She no doubt expected some response from the angels to her statement that His body had been taken away.

And saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master- even though she told the angels she was looking for the Lord, in the intensity of her emotion she calls Him what the disciples had often called Him, their Teacher. But, again in her intense emotion, she calls Him “Rabboni”, which is a Galilean form of the word Rabbi, meaning “My Great Master”.

John 20:17
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not- aware of the strength of her feeling, the Lord pre-empts her touching Him. It was not that no-one was to touch Him in resurrection, for He invited Thomas to do so a week later, verse 27. The point is that all contact with Christ, as far as John’s gospel goes, must be on a heavenly level. The gospel is the “burnt offering gospel”, for just as everything with the burnt offering was upward, (one of its names was “ascending offering”), so the emphasis with John is Christ’s link with heaven, and His journey back there.

In Matthew’s gospel we read of the other women that came to the sepulchre holding the Lord by the feet, Matthew 28:9. This is entirely appropriate in the context, for Matthew presents Christ as the rightful King of Israel who shall reign over the earth one day. He does not record the ascension of Christ, although of course he believed it happened. It is as if Matthew holds Christ to the earth as well, and shows Him to be fit to rule over it.

The apostle Paul made it clear that the link the believer has with Christ now is a spiritual one, for he wrote, “But he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit”, 1 Corinthians 6:17. The link between believer’s spirit and Christ is established by the Spirit of God. Because of this, the apostle can speak of “holding the head”, Colossians 2:19, meaning to grasp firmly the truths regarding the headship and supremacy of Christ. This is not to say that our hold of Him is what guarantees eternal security; but it does mean that we need to hold to the truths about Christ and not let them go in the face of error. It is in this way that we touch Him even now.

For I am not yet ascended to my Father- in this way the Lord emphasises that links with Him are heavenly in character. It is as an ascended Christ that we know Him. This is how Paul came to know Him, for he saw Jesus of Nazareth in heaven, and his conversion is the pattern for conversion during this age, 1 Timothy 1:16. Of course we must believe in Christ as the one who was crucified and rose again, but we must not stop there if we would come into the fulness of Christian things.

This is the third time that the ascension of Christ has been spoken of in John’s gospel. Each of the references is directly from the Lord Jesus. In His conversation with Nicodemus He said, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven”, John 3:13. Here the emphasis is on the fact that even as a man upon the earth He has not lost His Deity, for He claims to be in heaven still, God being omnipresent. As such He was in touch with heaven, and could unfold heavenly truths when it was appropriate to do so. But only those who have contact with Him by way of “the Son of man lifted up” can know these things.

In John 6:62 He said, “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?” Here the emphasis is on His coming down in the past. The manna had come down from heaven from God, yet the people did not understand what it was. Nor did many of them understand who Christ was. If they did not understand the meaning of His coming down, how would they understand the meaning of His ascending up?

Here in John 20, however, the reference is to what Christ will be for His people after He has ascended. He is returning to the Father, conscious that all He was sent to achieve has been accomplished. He could say, “I have glorified thee upon the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do”, John 17:4. So the references to the ascension in John’s gospel have to do with the past, the present, and the future.

But go to my brethren- the “but” presents the alternative to touching Him. One day the message came to the Lord as He taught in a house, “‘Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without desiring to speak with thee’. But he answered and said unto him which told him, ‘Who is my mother? And who are my brethren?’ And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, ‘Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother'”, Matthew 12:47-50. So it is spiritual relationship which is the most important, and that spiritual relationship is with Him as the ascended Man. The believer’s link to Christ is heavenly, and does not depend on anything of earth. Mary had the closest natural relationship to the Lord, yet He said to her, “What have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come”, John 2:4. In other words, even Mary’s spiritual relationship with Him depended on what He would do in “His hour”, the time between His prayer to the Father in John 17 and His return to the Father spoken of here in John 20. She would be linked with Him in exactly the same way as every other believer of this age. The fact that she is His mother gives her no advantage.

Psalm 22:22 had foretold that in resurrection He would declare the Father’s name to His brethren, and He had also pledged to do that in His prayer just before He was arrested. He said, “I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them”, John 17:26. He is fully able to declare the Father’s name, (meaning His character), because He shares all the characteristics of the Father, being His Only begotten Son. He did this upon the earth, but the disciples were not able to appreciate fully. When He returned back to heaven, however, He would send the Holy Spirit, and they would understand in a much better way.

And say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father- notice He does not say “Our Father”, although both He and His people have relationship with the Father. His relationship is as the Only-begotten of the Father, one with Him in the full possession of Deity. Believers call God their Father because they have been born again of the Spirit of God, and from that moment share the life of God.

No sooner has Mary found the Lord she sought, that He declares He is leaving her! But as He had said to the disciples in the Upper Room, “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you”, John 16:7. So the Spirit of God would come to make good to them all that the Lord had said, and other things besides.

And to my God, and your God- if having God as Father speaks of relationship, then having Him as God speaks of resources. The Lord Jesus has known God as His Father for all eternity, but it was only as He came into manhood that He could address His Father as His God. As “the Spirit of Christ”, (1 Peter 1:11) expressed beforehand in Psalm 22:10, “Thou art my God from my mother’s belly”. It was as He came into manhood that He needed the resources from Him as His God, so that He could glorify Him in His life in the flesh. We need resources too, and they are readily available from our all-sufficient God in heaven. Those resources are released to us because the Son has gone back to heaven, for Paul wrote to the Philippians, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”, Philippians 4:19. Well might we add, in the words of the following verse, “Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen”.

John 20:18
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord- note that John now reverts back to the name by which Mary was known normally. In verses 11 and 16 she was simply Mary, (the only places where she is called by this single name), for when it is a question of being linked to Christ in heaven, where she came from becomes irrelevant. Magdala was near Galilee, Matthew 15:39. She was of Magdala by birth, but of heaven by new birth. Now that she is conveying a message to the disciples, her everyday name is used, being the name they knew her by.

It is one of the marks of the genuineness of the gospel records of the resurrection, that it is based on the testimony of the women. The testimony of females was not allowed in Jewish courts, so any Jew attempting to write a forged account would carefully avoid giving prominence to the testimony of women. Not so the writers of the true gospels. They are confident that what they write about is true, and are very comfortable with telling the facts as they are.

And that he had spoken these things unto her- so her testimony was two-fold; what she had seen, and what she had heard. She had seen a living Person, the one who had been crucified on a cross, but who was now alive for evermore. She had heard His unmistakable voice, and she now passes on what she heard. So it was that love and faith found their reward in the first sight of the Lord,

Luke 24:10
It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.

It was Mary Magdalene- she was the first to see the Lord in resurrection, and was commissioned to go and tell the brethren that He was risen, and that He was going to ascend to His God and Father. This is specially relevant to the present age.

And Joanna- she was very probably the leader of the second group of women that went to the tomb, but did not see the Lord. The angel tells them Christ was risen, and although not specifically commissioned to tell, they did, Luke 24:9.

And Mary the mother of James- the companion of Mary Magdalene and Salome who came first to the sepulchre, Mark 16:1, and who, after Mary Magdalene had gone off to find Peter and John because she thought the body had been stolen, were told by the angel of the Lord that He was risen. She then saw Him as she went into the city, Matthew 28:9,10. and went and told the news to the disciples. These did not necessarily tell the apostles at the same time, and Luke does not imply this. He is simply summarising the testimony of the various women.

And other women that were with them- Luke has already told us that the company he tells us about were women who came with Christ from Galilee, and followed after Joseph and Nicodemus as he took the body to bury it, Luke 23:55, and then returned to prepare spices, verse 56, and then who came to the sepulchre, 24:1. These women were with the others in the sense that they were with them all at the burial, and with Joanna at the tomb on the resurrection morning in Luke’s account. It is not necessary to think that all those named here came together to the sepulchre. The unnamed women were possibly younger, and still alive when Luke wrote his gospel, and would be endangered in the times of persecution that occurred during the apostolic age if their names were given.

Which told these things unto the apostles- Luke names the three women who were prominent, Mary Magdalene alone, Mary the mother of James (and Joses), and Joanna.

Luke 24:11
And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not- perhaps they are reluctant to believe these women because the testimony of females was not permitted in Jewish courts. It is one of the marks of the Christian gospel that it puts the testimony of women on an equal level with that of men. Almost, if not all of the religions of the world give a lower place to women than men, whereas the Christian faith elevates womanhood to the highest level. By idle tales is meant incredible stories.

Luke 24:12
Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre- once all three companies had brought their report, Peter was constrained to go to investigate for himself, even though he had been to the sepulchre once already. Peter was the acknowledged leader of the apostolic band, and his view of things is going to carry a lot of weight. This is clearly not the same event as John records in John 20:3-10, where Peter and John run to the sepulchre after Mary Magdalene had told them, (mistakenly), that the body had been taken. This event takes place after the women have reported that they have seen the Lord, (hence the word “then” at the beginning of the verse, indicating a sequence of events), whereas Peter and John went together before Mary Magdalene saw the Lord, and she was the first to do so.

And stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves- John had stooped down and seen the linen clothes lying without going in. Peter had gone in and seen the linen clothes lying, and the napkin that was about His head in a separate place. After that, John had gone in and seen the same, and believed. It seems that Peter did not even believe what John believed. Now he has returned to the sepulchre, and stoops down to look at the clothes. John had stooped down to look from outside, and could just see enough of the clothes to tell him they were still there, and were not disturbed. Peter had gone in to the sepulchre, and now stooped down to examine the linen clothes more closely.

And departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass- even when he has done this closer scrutiny, we only read that he wondered, not that he believed. Notice that as on the first visit with John, there are no angels in evidence, for they are sensitive to Peter’s denial of their Lord and his. Faith in the truth of Christ’s resurrection must come about by actually seeing Him, as He confronted people openly and at close quarters. This is the force of the expression “was seen of” in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8, for the idea is that He appeared to people, confronting them directly and at close range. He was not a shadowy figure in the distance. The fact that the apostles did not believe the testimony of the angels when the women told what they had said, showed that this was necessary. And even the testimony of the women was not enough, for the apostles are going to be opposed, and they must have first-hand knowledge, and strong conviction that what they are preaching is true.