John 20:1 Commentary and Bible Study

Uniquely, the Gospel of John tracks the phased stages of God’s disclosure of the resurrection. The other Gospels announce it, but John goes through it in a different manner, not to contradict but calmly showing certain details which give us an insight into the strategy of the resurrection. This was something which was unfolded by God, by Christ, in certain phases for very good and important reasons. First, John shows us how unexpected the resurrection was to the disciples. It should not have been unexpected, but it was. We see that in the way that this narrative gently unfolds.Now in Luke’s account Mary Magdalene is not alone; she is accompanied by others. There is a band of women and they come in the hope of being able to anoint with spiced ointment the body of their Lord. So they set out under cover of darkness. They are worried – and Mark is most explicit here – they are worried about how the great stone will be removed from the mouth of the cave. Evidently they fear they cannot achieve this, but as they round the last bend and see the tomb, the stone has been lifted bodily out of its grove or socket, the massive stone, and the entrance is open, so that fear is removed. That is their first indication that death has been conquered, that something wonderful and dramatic has happened. But John focuses on Mary Magdalene alone. It is the first day of the week, the day after the Jewish Sabbath, Sunday as we would call it today. Probably Mary Magdalene forged ahead and preceded the other women, coming to the tomb while it was still dark. An angel of the Lord had rolled back the stone. And why was that done? So that they would be able to look inside. If the stone had been in place someone like Mary Magdalene would never have dreamed of having it moved. That would be to desecrate the tomb. So it was moved – almost an open invitation to Mary, the women, the disciples to discover that Christ was risen.