The Empty Tomb With the Stone Rolled AwayBible World
20:5John 20:5
And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
John hastened to the tomb with such zeal that he outran Peter and arrived first, and stooping down he looked in and saw the linen burial clothes lying there, yet he remained outside and did not go in until Peter had entered. He had been laid in Joseph's new tomb with a great stone before the door, and when they looked His body was gone while the linen clothes remained lying by themselves, apart from Him. The empty tomb with the burial cloths left without the body was evidence of the resurrection, and seeing them led John to believe that Jesus had risen, trusting what Jesus Himself had said even though he and the other disciples did not yet understand the Old Testament prophecies that Christ would rise. Grief and perplexity after the crucifixion had kept the disciples from taking in His repeated promise that He would rise, so others saw the same empty tomb and clothes but still could not believe and went away marveling at what they had seen. He did not remain buried but is risen as a living Saviour, Head of the church and Good Shepherd, so to act as if He is still in the tomb is unbelief that spreads discouragement like a deadly malady when things become entangled, while faith proclaims that He is risen and trusts Him to set things straight.
Scene at the Tomb
John hastened to the tomb with such zeal that he outran Peter and arrived first. Stooping down, he looked in and saw the linen burial clothes lying there, yet he remained outside and did not go in until Peter had entered. The same looking without entering is seen in the disciple who stooped to view the linen clothes but held back from going inside.
Jesus had been laid in Joseph's new tomb with a great stone rolled before the door. When they looked, the body was gone while the linen clothes remained lying by themselves, apart from the missing body. The empty tomb held the burial cloths but not the body, with the linen left lying where the body had been.
John afterward entered and saw the separate, folded head napkin.
Believing the Resurrection Evidence
The empty tomb with the linen burial cloths lying there without the body was evidence that Jesus had risen. Stooping to look in without yet entering, then entering afterward and seeing the separate folded head napkin, John believed when he saw the empty tomb. What he saw — the burial clothes remaining after the body was gone, lying by themselves apart from the missing body — helped lead him to believe that Jesus had risen.
His belief rested on trusting what Jesus himself had said to the disciples, even though he and the other disciples did not yet understand the Old Testament prophecies that Christ would rise from the dead. Grief and perplexity after the crucifixion had kept the disciples from taking in the repeated promise that he would rise from the dead. Others saw the same empty tomb and clothes but still could not believe he had risen, and returned marveling at what they had seen.
John's arriving first at the tomb and looking in at the linen clothes without entering did not keep Peter from being named personally in the first message sent to the disciples after the resurrection. The account shows that though laid in Joseph's new tomb with a great stone rolled before the door and the linen clothes left lying there, he did not remain buried but is risen as a living Saviour, Head of the church and Good Shepherd. To act as if he is still in the tomb is unbelief that spreads discouragement like a deadly malady when things become entangled, while faith proclaims that he is risen and trusts him to set things straight.
John hastened to the tomb with such zeal that he outran Peter and arrived first, and stooping down he looked in and saw the linen burial clothes lying there, yet he remained outside and did not go in until Peter had entered. He had been laid in Joseph's new tomb with a great stone before the door, and when they looked His body was gone while the linen clothes remained lying by themselves, apart from Him. The empty tomb with the burial cloths left without the body was evidence of the resurrection, and seeing them led John to believe that Jesus had risen, trusting what Jesus Himself had said even though he and the other disciples did not yet understand the Old Testament prophecies that Christ would rise. Grief and perplexity after the crucifixion had kept the disciples from taking in His repeated promise that He would rise, so others saw the same empty tomb and clothes but still could not believe and went away marveling at what they had seen. He did not remain buried but is risen as a living Saviour, Head of the church and Good Shepherd, so to act as if He is still in the tomb is unbelief that spreads discouragement like a deadly malady when things become entangled, while faith proclaims that He is risen and trusts Him to set things straight.
Scene at the Tomb
John hastened to the tomb with such zeal that he outran Peter and arrived first. Stooping down, he looked in and saw the linen burial clothes lying there, yet he remained outside and did not go in until Peter had entered. The same looking without entering is seen in the disciple who stooped to view the linen clothes but held back from going inside.
Jesus had been laid in Joseph's new tomb with a great stone rolled before the door. When they looked, the body was gone while the linen clothes remained lying by themselves, apart from the missing body. The empty tomb held the burial cloths but not the body, with the linen left lying where the body had been.
John afterward entered and saw the separate, folded head napkin.
Believing the Resurrection Evidence
The empty tomb with the linen burial cloths lying there without the body was evidence that Jesus had risen. Stooping to look in without yet entering, then entering afterward and seeing the separate folded head napkin, John believed when he saw the empty tomb. What he saw — the burial clothes remaining after the body was gone, lying by themselves apart from the missing body — helped lead him to believe that Jesus had risen.
His belief rested on trusting what Jesus himself had said to the disciples, even though he and the other disciples did not yet understand the Old Testament prophecies that Christ would rise from the dead. Grief and perplexity after the crucifixion had kept the disciples from taking in the repeated promise that he would rise from the dead. Others saw the same empty tomb and clothes but still could not believe he had risen, and returned marveling at what they had seen.
John's arriving first at the tomb and looking in at the linen clothes without entering did not keep Peter from being named personally in the first message sent to the disciples after the resurrection. The account shows that though laid in Joseph's new tomb with a great stone rolled before the door and the linen clothes left lying there, he did not remain buried but is risen as a living Saviour, Head of the church and Good Shepherd. To act as if he is still in the tomb is unbelief that spreads discouragement like a deadly malady when things become entangled, while faith proclaims that he is risen and trusts him to set things straight.