Now, we’ll begin with John 20:1 that tells us Mary Magdalene went to the tomb while it was yet dark (this would have been Sunday before daybreak). Mary Magdalene is mentioned here by name, as she is the one who ran back to tell Peter and John that the tomb was empty (verse 2). But, we have already established in Lesson 156 that there were actually other women at the tomb that morning; Mary Magdalene is mentioned here by name, since she is the one who ran back to tell Peter and John what they found.
And from Mary’s report to them it’s obvious that she still did not comprehend what had actually happened, though Jesus had told them repeatedly that He would die and then rise again after the third day. She merely assumed someone had taken His body out of the tomb. Since she had witnessed Joseph and Nicodemus put it there, she may have thought they had moved it to a better place (again, as had been discussed earlier).
Verses 3-4 tell us John got to the tomb first, looked inside and saw the burial cloth lying there, but did not go in (verse 5). The next two verses tell us what Peter saw when he came to the tomb and immediately went in to take a closer look. Peter saw the linen burial cloth lying there undisturbed, as it was when it was wrapped around Jesus’ body, not in a pile as if it had been unwrapped and discarded. The separate cloth or napkin that had been wrapped around His head was still in place, again, undisturbed. Jesus had passed through them without moving them in any way from the position they were in while wrapped around His body and head. As we will see in later appearances, Jesus’ resurrection body will have the ability to pass through solid objects. Here, we should mention that the stone was not rolled away so Jesus could come out of the tomb, but so it could be established that He was no longer there.
Now Peter and John are beginning to understand what had happened (verses 8-10) and returned to where they were staying. But Mary Magdalene stayed at the tomb (verse 11). If you compare the Gospel accounts, all of them record the appearance of angels, though they do vary slightly (see Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-8 and Luke 24:1-10). In Matthew, Mark and Luke the angels appear when the women first arrive at the tomb, before they go back to tell the disciples what they found. In John the appearance of angels is after Peter and John have left, and Mary was there alone.
So, let’s look at this a little closer. In the first three accounts it is clear that the angels appeared to the women (Matthew 28:5, Mark 16:5-6 and Luke 24:4-5), as indicated by the use of the plural, “women” and the plural pronouns “they” and “them”. However, in John’s account it is also clear that the appearance described in verses 11-13 is to Mary alone, as evidenced by their statement to her “Woman, why are you crying?” Then, there is her also her response to them, “I don’t know where they have laid Him.”
The simple answer to the difference in these accounts is that Mary was still struggling with the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. Because of this, she experienced what was evidently a second appearance of the angels. But that’s not all! In the following verses (14-17) Jesus makes His first post-resurrection appearance. In verse 14 Mary turns away from the angels and sees Jesus, but does not recognize Him (we’ll see this happen again in an appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus).
There are some who look at this next verse and explain Jesus’ questioning of Mary (“why are you crying?” and “Who are you looking for?”) by saying Jesus wanted to know what she understood about His resurrection. So, let me clear that up right away – He already knew what she understood and what she was going to say. The questioning was not for His benefit; it was for hers. She thought He was the gardener and offered to take away Jesus’ body, if he knew where it was. By her answer, Mary admitted she was still confused, even in the face of all the evidence she had witnessed. Jesus’ resurrection was more than she could comprehend.
The next verse is one of my favorites. When Jesus calls her by name, she immediately recognizes Him. Is it possible to describe the combination of both relief and joy that Mary must have felt in that moment? This first appearance by Jesus to Mary shows the love and concern He had for a woman that had been devoted to Him and had followed and supported Him through much of His public ministry (Luke 8:1-3).
The next verse (17) requires some explanation. First of all, where some translations say, “Touch me not”, the verb is apto, and means, “to cling to” or “hold on to”. Jesus is not telling Mary not to touch Him, as though that might pollute or corrupt Him in some way (some assume that because He continues by saying He had not yet ascended to His Father). However, He had already permitted others to touch Him (see Matthew 28:9). The problem is that some do not correctly translate the next statement. He tells her to go back and tell His brethren that “I ascend unto My Father and your Father; and to My God, and your God.” Here, the verb is in the present indicative mood, used to express contemporary or immediate action. Jesus is telling Mary not to cling to Him, but let go of Him, because He is ascending right now to His Father.
And just to clarify, His “brethren” are His disciples. Adelphos usually denotes family, but Jesus’ family had by this time abandoned Him (John 7:5), except for His mother. His brothers would return after the resurrection. But Jesus often referred to His followers by this term (as in Matthew 12:46-50).
So Mary went to the disciples and told them she had seen the Lord and told them what He had said (verse 18). That very day (still the first day of the week or Sunday before sundown) He returns and appears to the disciples (verse 19).