The Empty Tomb and Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene (John 20:1-18)
Quick Summary
John 20:1-18 tells the story of the empty tomb and Jesus’ first resurrection appearance to Mary Magdalene. She comes early, finds the stone rolled away, and runs to tell Peter and the beloved disciple. They inspect the tomb, but Mary lingers and encounters the risen Jesus, who calls her by name. This passage anchors Christian faith: the tomb is empty, death is defeated, and the risen Christ personally calls his followers into new life.
Introduction
The resurrection is the heart of Christian faith. In John 20:1-18, we move from darkness to light, despair to joy, confusion to recognition. Unlike the crucifixion accounts, which focus on public shame and suffering, this passage pivots to intimacy and revelation. It begins in grief and ends in proclamation, with Mary Magdalene as the first witness. For John’s Gospel, this is not just history—it is theology lived out. The empty tomb confirms Jesus’ promises (John 2:19; 10:17-18), and his appearance to Mary demonstrates that resurrection is not an abstract doctrine but a personal encounter with the living Lord.
John 20:1-18 Verse-by-Verse Commentary and Meaning
John 20:1 – “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb.”
John intentionally highlights the setting: early morning, “still dark.” Darkness in John’s Gospel is never just about the clock—it signals confusion, unbelief, and spiritual blindness (cf. John 3:19; 13:30). Mary comes faithfully, yet without hope. She isn’t expecting resurrection but looking for a body. The timing—“the first day of the week”—carries profound symbolism: this is the new creation day. Just as the first creation began in darkness with God saying, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), so the new creation dawns with the light of Christ’s resurrection. Church fathers like Augustine saw this as the theological “eighth day,” the eternal Sabbath that begins with Easter. For believers, Sunday worship continues to echo this new creation rhythm.
John 20:2 – “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
Mary assumes the body has been stolen. This is the most natural explanation from a human perspective. She voices not resurrection faith but confusion and grief. Notice she says, “we do not know”—suggesting others may have been with her initially (cf. Synoptics), though John zeroes in on her experience. Her words capture the realism of Easter morning: no one expected resurrection. The disciples were not gullible dreamers but devastated followers. This is significant apologetically: faith in the resurrection arose not from wishful thinking but from encountering the risen Christ. The early church proclaimed what they had seen, not what they had imagined.
John 20:3-4 – The race to the tomb
Peter and the beloved disciple run together. The beloved disciple outruns Peter, yet waits before entering. The detail of the race may seem trivial, but John is not interested in athletics—he’s contrasting personalities. Peter, impetuous and authoritative, barges in first. The beloved disciple, contemplative and reverent, hesitates. Many interpreters see this as symbolic: Peter represents office and authority (later linked with church leadership), while the beloved disciple represents intimate love and faith. Both are necessary in the life of the church. Athanasius noted that love runs faster, but authority enters boldly. The resurrection invites every kind of disciple—zealous, cautious, contemplative, or bold—into its truth.
John 20:5-7 – The linen wrappings and folded cloth
The details matter. Grave clothes are left behind, the head cloth folded separately. If this were grave robbery, the wrappings would not be carefully arranged. The folded cloth communicates order, intentionality, sovereignty. Unlike Lazarus, who stumbled out bound in grave clothes (John 11:44), Jesus leaves the garments of death behind. Chrysostom preached that the folded head cloth symbolized Christ laying aside the old order of death. Theologically, this scene shows the resurrection was not resuscitation but transformation. Jesus passed through death itself, leaving corruption and mortality behind. Paul later echoes this in 1 Corinthians 15: “This perishable body must put on imperishability.”
John 20:8-9 – “He saw and believed.”
The beloved disciple, upon entering, “saw and believed.” But John clarifies—they had not yet understood the Scripture. Faith here is genuine but incomplete. It rests not on full comprehension but on trust in what God is doing. This highlights that belief often begins with fragments of understanding. The resurrection event calls for interpretation—by Scripture and Spirit. The disciples will only grasp its full meaning after the risen Christ explains (Luke 24:27, 45) and the Spirit comes (John 14:26). For us, this is encouraging: God honors mustard-seed faith, even when our understanding lags behind.
John 20:10-11 – Disciples depart, Mary lingers
Peter and the beloved disciple return home, but Mary remains. This detail shifts the narrative’s focus. Resurrection faith isn’t just about running fast or entering first—it is about staying near, longing, waiting. Mary’s persistence leads to encounter. Many mystics have drawn from this moment: God often reveals himself not to those who rush away satisfied but to those who linger in sorrow and yearning. The psalmist said, “Wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14), and Mary models that waiting.
John 20:12-13 – Angels at the tomb
Mary sees two angels seated where Jesus’ body had been. This detail evokes the cherubim over the mercy seat of the ark (Exodus 25:18-20). Just as the ark was the meeting place of God’s presence and forgiveness, the empty tomb becomes the new mercy seat. The angels’ question—“Why are you weeping?”—is both gentle rebuke and invitation. Resurrection reframes grief. The world asks why Christians rejoice in sorrow; heaven asks why Mary sorrows in joy. This anticipates Revelation 21:4, where God wipes away every tear.
John 20:14-15 – Mistaking Jesus for the gardener
Mary turns and sees Jesus but does not recognize him. Resurrection appearances consistently involve delayed recognition (cf. Luke 24, Emmaus). Recognition requires revelation. Calling him “the gardener” is profoundly ironic yet theologically rich. In Genesis, Adam was placed in a garden to tend creation. Now Jesus, the second Adam, is in the garden restoring creation. Early Christian writers delighted in this image: Christ is the true gardener, cultivating new life in the soil of resurrection.
John 20:16 – “Mary!”
Everything changes when Jesus calls her by name. This fulfills John 10:3-4: the Good Shepherd calls his sheep by name and they know his voice. Recognition is personal, not abstract. Augustine said, “It was one word—‘Mary’—but it changed sorrow into joy, fear into faith.” Mary responds, “Rabboni” (Teacher), expressing both intimacy and reverence. The first Easter proclamation is not thundered from a pulpit but whispered in a personal encounter.
John 20:17 – “Do not hold on to me…”
Jesus redirects Mary: she must not cling to him as before. Resurrection means a new kind of presence, mediated by the Spirit. The phrase could also be translated, “Do not keep holding on to me”—he is not rejecting her, but reorienting her. His ascension will make him universally present, not limited to one place. This verse also underscores Mary’s new mission: instead of clinging, she is sent. She becomes the “apostle to the apostles,” carrying the message of resurrection. This directly connects with Luke 24:10 and parallels Paul’s later testimony in 1 Corinthians 15: the gospel begins with eyewitnesses.
John 20:18 – “I have seen the Lord!”
Mary announces the good news to the disciples. In a world where women’s testimony was considered unreliable in court, God entrusts the foundational witness of resurrection to Mary Magdalene. This shows the radical reversal of the kingdom—God chooses the lowly to confound the powerful. Her words, “I have seen the Lord,” echo throughout church history as the core Christian confession. This proclamation bridges the gospels to the early church (Acts 2:32). It also anticipates Revelation’s vision: the Lamb once slain now reigns, and the saints declare his victory (Revelation 5:9-10).
Deep Theological and Pastoral Implications
New Creation – The “first day of the week” launches a new order. Easter is the hinge of history.
Mercy Seat – The tomb becomes the new holy of holies where atonement is revealed.
Personal Encounter – Resurrection faith is not abstract—it begins with Jesus calling us by name.
Mission – Like Mary, believers are sent to testify, even in a world that may discount our voice.
Hope in Grief – Tears are real, but resurrection transforms them. Mary’s tears become testimony
Theological Significance
This passage reveals resurrection as both historical and personal. The empty tomb testifies to an objective event: Jesus is risen. The encounter with Mary shows resurrection is relational: the risen Christ calls each believer by name. Theologically, resurrection is new creation, forgiveness embodied, and mission inaugurated. The empty tomb is the mercy seat where God’s presence now meets humanity.
Meaning for Today
For modern disciples, John 20:1-18 reminds us that faith often begins in confusion but is clarified by encounter. Like Mary, we may misinterpret God’s work, but the risen Christ meets us personally. In times of grief, we can trust that he calls us by name. The call to bear witness remains: we, too, are sent to announce, "I have seen the Lord."
Works Consulted
Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John XIII–XXI (AYB), pp. 965–1003.
D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (PNTC), pp. 636–645.
Gail O’Day, John (NIB), vol. 9, pp. 841–850.
Craig Keener, The Gospel of John, vol. 2, pp. 1195–1217.
Andreas Köstenberger, John (BECNT), pp. 548–559.
