John 20:10

20:1-10 If Christ gave his life a ransom, and had not taken it again, it would not have appeared that his giving it was accepted as satisfaction. It was a great trial to Mary, that the body was gone. Weak believers often make that the matter of complaint, which is really just ground of hope, and matter of joy. It is well when those more honoured than others with the privileges of disciples, are more active than others in the duty of disciples; more willing to take pains, and run hazards, in a good work. We must do our best, and neither envy those who can do better, nor despise those who do as well as they can, though they come behind. The disciple whom Jesus loved in a special manner, and who therefore in a special manner loved Jesus, was foremost. The love of Christ will make us to abound in every duty more than any thing else. He that was behind was Peter, who had denied Christ. A sense of guilt hinders us in the service of God. As yet the disciples knew not the Scripture; they Christ must rise again from the dead.

John 20:10-13 . Then the disciples (Peter and John) went away again unto their own home — Went to their companions in the city, as the original expression, προς εαυτους , seems evidently to signify. Accordingly, soon after this the women found the eleven and the rest together. It was very prudent in Peter and John to retire immediately, lest they should have been questioned by the rulers, if found near the sepulchre. But Mary stood without — It seems she had followed Peter and John to the sepulchre, but did not return to the city with them, being anxious to find the body of her Lord; but after they were gone, she stood without at the sepulchre weeping — Being in great perplexity at her not knowing what was become of it. And as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre — To examine it afresh; and seeth — To her great surprise; two angels — In the form of men; in white — That is, clothed in white habits; the one at the head, and the other at the feet, &c. — “The sepulchre seems to have been a square room hewn out of a rock, partly above ground, its roof being as high as the top of the door, which formed its entrance. This door opened upon a stair which ran down straight to the bottom of the sepulchre, along with the side of its left wall. Having carried the body down with its feet foremost, they would naturally place it length-ways, by the right-side wall of the sepulchre, with its feet to the back wall.

This description is agreeable to the accounts which travellers give us of the Jewish sepulchres, particularly Mr. Maundrell, who was on the spot and saw several of them. They were generally caves, or rooms hewn out of rocks. And as the Jews did not make use of coffins, they placed their dead separately in niches, or little cells cut into the sides of these caves. But Joseph’s sepulchre, being a new one, was in all probability unfinished; and might have no niches cut into its sides, where they could deposite the dead; for which reason they laid Jesus on the floor, in the manner described, intending when the sabbath was passed to remove him to some finished burying-place.” — Macknight. And they say unto her — With a tender regard; Woman, why weepest thou? — This question was only designed to give occasion to inform her of that which would turn her mourning into rejoicing. She saith, Because they have taken away my Lord — The blessed body which I came to embalm; and I know not where they have laid him — That is, laid it; or how the sacred corpse may be neglected or abused.

9. For as yet they knew—that is, understood. not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead—In other words, they believed in His resurrection at first, not because they were prepared by Scripture to expect it; but facts carried resistless conviction of it in the first instance to their minds, and furnished a key to the Scripture predictions of it.

John 20:10 . Ἀπῆλθον ) went away ; as if nothing more remained now to be done in this business.— πάλιν , again ) as before. Comp. ch. John 16:32 , “Ye shall be scattered every man to his own;” Matthew 26:56 .— πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς , to their own homes ) John 20:2 , “She cometh to Simon Peter,” i.e. to his house . Comp. “ Wolfii Curae” on this passage.— οἱ μαθηταὶ , the disciples ) viz. Peter and John, being about to bring the tidings to the rest.

(10) Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. —More exactly, of course, to their lodgings in Jerusalem. They had accomplished the object of their visit to the sepulchre. One, at least, had realised, and he must have told his thoughts to his friend, that the Lord was not to be looked for in the empty grave, and that Mary’s fears ( John 20:2 ) were groundless. No enemies had taken the body away. They return, then, with hearts filled with this truth, to ponder over its meaning, or to tell it to others of the Eleven, or to wonder and to wait until He should come again to them, as He had promised.

The scripture - See Luke 24:26 , Luke 24:46 . The sense or meaning of the various predictions that foretold his death, as, for example, Psalm 2:7 , compare Acts 13:33 ; Psalm 16:9-10 , compare Acts 2:25-32 ; Psalm 110:1 , compare Acts 2:34-35 . For an account of the resurrection of Christ, see the notes at Matthew 28.

Verse 10. - The disciples then again departed to their own homes . Πρὸς αὐτοῦς corresponds with Luke 24:12 , to the πρὸς ἑαυτόν to which Peter returned. Here, again, there is a vivid touch of individuality. John's own home contained the mother of the Lord. Around Peter were gathered the other apostles, and they were shortly to be joined by John himself. To them the more detailed report of the language of the angel would be repeated a hundred times. The "other Mary," Salome, Joanna, all press the wondrous assurance upon the eleven, as they mourned and wept, and for the most part were either bewildered or unbelieving. The two disciples start for Emmaus, and all that these knew as yet was that "certain women affirmed the tomb to be empty, that they had seen a vision of angels, which declared him to be alive," and "that certain of our company had visited the sepulcher, and found it even as the women 'had said, but him they saw not" ( Luke 24:22-24 ). John 20:10