INTRO TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, Sarah Barry
THE EMPTY TOMB
Passage: John 20:1~9  
Key verse: 2
The Empty Tomb(A)
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene(B) went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.(C) 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved,(D) and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”(E)
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.(F) 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in(G) at the strips of linen(H) lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head.(I) The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first,(J) also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture(K) that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)(L)
Cross references
- John 20:1 : 20:1-8pp — Mt 28:1-8; Mk 16:1-8; Lk 24:1-10
- John 20:1 : ver 18; Lk 8:2; Jn 19:25
- John 20:1 : Mt 27:60, 66
- John 20:2 : S Jn 13:23
- John 20:2 : ver 13
- John 20:3 : Lk 24:12
- John 20:5 : ver 11
- John 20:5 : S Jn 19:40
- John 20:7 : Jn 11:44
- John 20:8 : ver 4
- John 20:9 : Mt 22:29; Jn 2:22
- John 20:9 : Lk 24:26, 46; Ac 2:24
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. The stone removed (1-2)
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early Sunday morning. She wanted to put spices on Jesus' dead body. She wondered how she would move the heavy stone that sealed the tomb's entrance. When she saw that the stone had been removed, she immediately concluded that the body had been stolen. She ran to tell Peter and John. She did not know it, but the empty tomb was the good news that would change the world. Her surprised reaction is a testimony.
2. He saw and believed (3-9)
Peter and John raced to the tomb. John won, but Peter was the one who boldly entered the tomb. The body was gone. The strips of linen with which it had been wrapped lay there, just as if the body had evaporated. The burial cloth looked as if the wearer had removed it from his head and folded it. John saw the empty tomb and believed that Jesus had risen. He didn't understand, but he believed.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the testimony of the empty tomb. Jesus rose bodily from the dead with a new resurrection body, and so, someday, shall I.
One Word: The empty tomb--the Risen Jesus