But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name.

John 20:31

Have you ever been to Israel? If so, did you visit the empty tomb? What must it have been like for Mary, coming before sunrise, expecting to find a body in the early stages of decomposition, and instead finding the tomb open and unoccupied? Picture John running pel-mel, passing Peter but stopping just short of going in, afraid to disturb the sacred place where Jesus’ body had recently been laid. Then see Peter coming up behind him and, impetuous as always, bursting into the tomb. John now follows him inside—and believes. Believes what? The Bible says they didn’t yet understand the Scriptures that foretold Jesus’ resurrection, though He had plainly told them it would happen. I think John was the first to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead, as He had promised. Shortly thereafter Jesus endowed the disciples with the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit we receive at the moment we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. Pretty soon these fearful men of little faith would be emboldened to preach the Good News without apology by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, then please join me for a few minutes as we ask Him to teach us what He wants us to learn from this chapter, and then embolden us to go out and tell the Good News to our own contemporaries.

O Come, Let Us ADORE Him

So let’s jump into John 20 using the ADORE Bible study method to find hidden treasure here.
As you read today’s chapter, look for the answers to the questions below. My answers are recorded a little further down, but don’t be alarmed if yours differ from mine. What God gives you from the passage may be different from what He gave me. The main thing is to read God’s Word with the purpose of letting it change you.

A — Application — Are there any principles to apply or promises to claim?

D — Dependence — Are there any steps of faith I should take today?

O — Obedience — Are there any commands to obey or sins to forsake?

R — Relationship — What is God revealing to me about Himself?

E — Example — Are there any examples to follow or warnings to heed?

God’s Words to Me in John 20

1 The first day of the week came Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and saw the stone taken away from the sepulcher. 2 Then she ran, and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid Him.”

3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple outran Peter and came first to the sepulcher. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet went he not in. 6 Then came Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and saw the linen cloths lying, 7 And the cloth, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in also that other disciple, who came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

11 But Mary stood outside at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, 12 And saw two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they said unto her, “Woman, why do you weep?”

She said unto them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 And when she had thus spoken, she turned back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus said unto her, “Woman, why do you weep? whom do you seek?”

She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said unto Him, “Sir, if you have borne him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

16 Jesus said unto her, “Mary.”

She turned, and said unto Him, “Rabboni,” which is to say, “Teacher.”

17 Jesus said to 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.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her.

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be unto you.” 20 And when He had so said, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad, when they saw the Lord.

21 Then said Jesus to them again, “Peace be unto you: as My Father has sent me, even so send I you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 Whoever’s sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whoever’s sins you retain, they are retained.”

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, “We have seen the Lord.”

But he said unto them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 And after eight days again His disciples were inside, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace be unto you.” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and behold my hands; and reach here your hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

28 And Thomas answered and said unto Him, “My Lord and my God.”

29 Jesus said unto him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name.

My Words to God

If you were going to talk to God about what you learned in this chapter, what would you say? Write your response in a notebook or journal in the form of a prayer.

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What God taught me

Note: As I read and study the chapter, I do not take these questions in order, but fill in my answers as the Lord shows me what He wants me to see. There was a lot of overlap in these lessons today. For instance, what I got as an application could also easily have served as an example. Honestly, I was tempted to use it for both. But that’s the lazy way out. Instead, I kept poring over this chapter, asking the Holy Spirit to show me more.

A — Application — Are there any principles to apply or promises to claim?

6 Then came Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and saw the linen cloths lying, 7 And the cloth that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

Principle: Details matter. For all of my Christian life I have tried to live by 1 Corinthians 14:40, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” It really does make life easier; however, I don’t always succeed at this. Take my bed, for example. When I take the time in the morning to make the bed properly, the pillows are fluffed, the sheet and bedspread pulled up, smoothed out, and hanging evenly on both sides, and the accent pillows are placed neatly in the center. But sometimes I wake up late because I stayed up way too late the night before. On those days I still make the bed, of a sort, but it isn’t pretty. The bedspread is pulled up, but is rarely smooth and may or may not be even; and the accent pillows remain neglected on the settee.

In the context of verses 6 and 7, Jesus has just given His life for the sins of the entire world. He was falsely accused in a mock trial, beaten beyond recognition, then hanged on a cross to die. Then because the Sabbath was approaching, the disciples rushed to get His body in the tomb, failing to prepare it with the customary spices. In fact, first thing after the Sabbath ended, the women came to the tomb for that very purpose. But He wasn’t there. I am not surprised that He wasn’t there because I know His resurrection was a crucial part of the plan. What does surprise me is that Jesus took the time to fold the linen cloths that had draped His lifeless body. When He got up, He made His bed—neatly! A neatly made bed pales in importance when compared to redeeming the world and returning to His rightful place in Glory! But there it is. Jesus, who expects us to do all things decently and in order, left us with an example to follow.

D — Dependence — Are there any steps of faith I should take today?

21 Then said Jesus… “Peace be unto you: as My Father has sent me, even so send I you.”

This commission was for the disciples, true, but not for them alone. Jesus has sent all His believers into the world to make disciples. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But how will they believe on Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear if we do not go? I cannot make excuses for myself and assume someone else will do it. There may be someone in this world who is waiting for me to tell them about Christ. This is an act of obedience, but it is also a step of faith—faith that God will use me for His glory, that He will teach me what I should say, and that He will give me courage to share this good news with those who don’t yet know how much they need to hear it.

O — Obedience — Are there any commands to obey or sins to forsake?

17 Jesus said to 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.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her.

Jesus told Mary to go and tell what she had seen and heard, and He expects you and me to do the same thing. Some people think it’s scary to tell others about Christ. But we, like Mary, are eyewitnesses to His miracle of salvation, for we know what He did for us.

R — Relationship — What is God revealing to me about Himself?

16 Jesus said unto her, “Mary.”

Jesus knows my name. Mary recognized Jesus, even through her tears, when He spoke her name. I wasn’t in the garden that day, so I didn’t hear how He said her name; but I believe there was love in His voice, tender compassion, patience, empathy. She recognized Him because she had heard Him call her name in that same way before. He is love, so how could it not be heard in His voice? Oh, how I long to hear Him speak my name! And someday I will, when I leave this world for the next. And I will hear what I already know from reading His Word—that He loves me.

E — Example — Are there any examples to follow or warnings to heed?

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said unto them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 27 “…be not faithless, but believing.”

Warning: Be not faithless, but believing. Yes, this is easier said than done. This is why I often find myself praying, “Lord, I believe. Help Thou my unbelief.” I’m so glad God meets us where we are and guides us to the place where He wants us to be—strong in faith. And He is faithful. He is worthy of our trust.

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This week’s memory verse

Jesus said unto him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

John 20:29

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Photo taken at Princess Beach in Destin, Florida, 2019