Swindoll Study Bible - Book of John - Flipbook - Page 53
J ohn 2 0 : 7
P R AY E R M O M E N T
1314
JOHN 20:1-10
Lord, thank You for giving us clear,
undeniable, irrefutable proof of the
fact that our Savior is alive. We praise
You that we’re able to worship not in
ignorance, not based on tradition or
even what the church says, but in spirit
and in truth. I pray, now that we’ve
been exposed to the facts, that we will
reach a verdict in favor of Jesus Christ.
Encourage us with the victory of the
open tomb and the living Lord. In the
precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.
arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen
wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had
covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart
from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who
had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw
and believed—9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from
the dead. 10 Then they went home.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as
she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two
white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the
other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus
had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?”
the angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.
15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her.
“Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if
you have taken him away, tell me where you have put
him, and I will go and get him.”
16 “Mary!” Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which
is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet
ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and
tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your
Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told
them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his
message.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 That
Sunday evening* the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid
of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing
there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As
he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands
and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw
the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he
breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you
do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 One
of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed
the Twin),* was not with the others when Jesus came.
25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the
nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them,
and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
26 Eight days later the disciples were together
again, and this time Thomas was with them. The
doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was
standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and
look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in
my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you
have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without
seeing me.”
Purpose of the Book
30 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous
signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book.
LIVING INSIGHTS
20:19 Greek In the evening of that day, the first day of the week. 20:24 Greek Thomas, who was called Didymus.
DOUBTS John 20:25 We need to give Thomas a break.
SIGNS John 20:30-31 The term signs is interesting to
Sure, he doubted. Don’t all of us have doubts at one time or
another? You will never know the doubts that I struggle with
at times. Perhaps you shouldn’t—but they’re there. Oh, I don’t
doubt my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I certainly don’t doubt
His blood, which paid the price for my sins, or His resurrection
from the grave and full victory. But I have many questions in
life. My book of learning hasn’t been sealed now that I’ve
been saved. I’m in a school room, and I need to keep questioning and learning and trusting God about life in this world.
me when it is used in reference to miracles. Signs show
the way. They prod you to get from where you are to where
you need to be. “Jesus did many other miracles than those
presented in this book,” says John, in effect, “but the ones
I have selected have been deliberately chosen to help you,
the reader, come to realize that Jesus is the Messiah, the
Son of God, so that you may believe in Him and have life
in His name.” The primary purpose of any miracle is to be
a sign that points the way to Jesus and His message.
